Construction of Fratelli Cosulich’s first methanol-ready bunker tanker begins in China

Italy’s maritime transportation group Fratelli Cosulich has marked the beginning of the construction of its first methanol-ready IMO II bunker tanker, Anna Cosulich, with steel cutting ceremony at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipyard in China.

The 7,999 dwt Anna Cosulich is the first in a series of four methanol-ready IMO Type II chemical bunkering tankers ordered by the Italian company in 2024.

Designed to transport a variety of cargoes, such as fuel oil, biofuels, and methanol, the newbuild will be equipped with two mass flow meters, MarineLINE coating, and all equipment necessary for methanol bunkering, as per local regulations.

The vessel is set for delivery in the first quarter of 2026.

“With this modern series of four bunker tankers, we aim to offer flexibility to our customers in the complex alternative fuels landscape. These vessels can adapt to support our future charterers through the various phases of the fuel transition,” says Guido Cardullo, Head of Fratelli Cosulich Marine Energy.

In addition to this methanol-ready bunker vessel series, Fratelli Cosulich has another methanol dual-fuel IMO II bunker tanker under construction at the same shipyard.

Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipyard started building the 8,000-cubic-meter Maya Cosulich in July 2024. The vessel will be fitted with three MAN GenSets designed to run on methanol. The four-stroke engines will be part of a diesel-electric propulsion system, while an onboard battery storage system will optimize fuel consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Maya Cosulich is scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 2025 and will be located at the Port of Singapore under a fixed-rate time charter contract with global commodities trader Trafigura.