Mitsubishi Shipbuilding nets orders for methanol-fueled RoRo cargo ships

Japan’s Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received orders from compatriots Toyofuji Shipping (Aichi Prefecture) and Fukuju Shipping (Shizuoka Prefecture) for methanol-fueled roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ships.

The two ships will be built at the Enoura Plant of MHI’s Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with scheduled completion and delivery by the end of fiscal 2027.

They will be approximately 169.9 meters in overall length and 30.2 meters in breadth, with 15,750 gross tonnage and loading capacity for around 2,300 passenger vehicles. The main engine is a dual-fuel engine that can use both methanol and heavy fuel oil.

Describing the ships’ characteristics, MHI said that the windscreen at the bow and the vertical stem are used to reduce propulsion resistance, while fuel efficiency is improved by employing MHI’s proprietary “energy-saving system technology combining high-efficiency propellers and high-performance rudders with reduced resistance.”

MHI noted that Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will continue to work with its business partners to provide solutions for a range of societal issues by building ferries and RoRo vessels with “excellent” fuel efficiency and environmental performance that contribute to stable navigation for customers.

To remind, in June 2024, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding held a christening and launch ceremony for the first of two new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered RoRo ships under construction for Toyofuji Shipping.

The vessel, named Trans Harmony Green, is approximately 195 meters long, has a breadth of 30.6 meters and a gross tonnage of approximately 49,500. Its handover is scheduled for late January 2025 following the completion of outfitting work and sea trials. It will serve as a RoRo vessel on shipping routes in Asia.