CCS issues approval for 85,000-ton methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier

China Classification Society (CCS) has issued approval in principle (AiP) for an 85,000-ton methanol dual-fuel dry bulk carrier developed by Huangpu Wenchong Shipping, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

The approval was awarded on 14 December for the vessel with a length of 225 metres, a width of 36 metres and a depth of 20.15 metres.

The ship has a draft of 14 metres and a cargo capacity of up to 85,000 tons. It is propelled by a 9,000-kilowatt methanol dual-fuel engine and can achieve life-cycle low-carbon emission reduction.

Being a carbon-neutral solution, which is readily available today, methanol is gaining in popularity in the maritime sector, especially having in mind that other alternatives such as ammonia have a long way to go before becoming more mainstream.

More bulk shipowners are exploring it as fuel, and several methanol/dual-fuel designs for bulk carriers and tankers are coming to market.

In February this year, COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation unveiled a methanol-fueled very large crude carrier (VLCC) design developed with CSSC’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry with Approval in Principle granted by class societies DNV and CCS.

Chinese shipping heavyweights China Merchants Energy Shipping and COSCO Shipping Bulk also voiced their plans to focus on methanol marine fuel as their primary area of research in the future.

At the end of November, CSSC launched a major project targeting the acceleration of the development of green marine engines capable of running on methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen.

Shortly after, another state-owned shipping giant China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) revealed that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the construction of up to six dual-fuel methanol-powered Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC).

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