Joint venture takes delivery of methanol-fuelled tanker

Proman Stena Bulk, a joint venture between the world’s second-largest methanol producer, Switzerland-based Proman, and tanker owner Stena Bulk, has christened its methanol-fuelled tanker, Stena Pro Marine, at a naming ceremony in New Orleans.

The 49,999dwt medium-range tanker was delivered from China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International Co. Ltd. in mid-2022. Its naming marked the first such ceremony for a methanol-fuelled tanker in the Port of New Orleans and the wider US Gulf region generally.

The Stena Pro Marine will consume about 12,500 tonnes of methanol a year, reducing pollutants such as SOx, NOx, and particulate matter and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by up to 15% on a tank-to-wake basis compared with conventional marine fuels.

New Orleans was chosen for the ceremony because of its strategic position on the US Gulf Coast and its increasingly important role in the trade and supply of alternative forms of energy. Meanwhile, Stena Bulk is headquartered in Houston, and Proman has significant methanol storage and transport operations along the Mississippi River. The company also has production facilities under development in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and methanol plants in Pampa and Beaumont, Texas.

Addressing guests at the ceremony, Proman chief executive, David Cassidy, said: “Stena Pro Marine has already proven to be a significant addition to our fleet since its delivery in the middle of last year. Given the region’s importance to global energy supplies, we are thrilled to name this vessel in New Orleans, and this event provides us with a wonderful opportunity to gather with partners, friends, and industry leaders and reaffirm our commitment to supporting and enabling a sustainable shipping industry.”

Stena Bulk president and CEO, Erik Hånell, commented: “The naming ceremony for Stena Pro Marine comes as yet another marker on our shared journey with Proman to prove the viability of methanol as a marine fuel. By gathering in New Orleans, a key hub on the US Gulf Coast, we show to US and global shipping that methanol is technically feasible as a marine fuel today. We look forward to furthering our collective vision for methanol within the maritime industry.”