MAN licensee wins methanol engine deal in Japan

Graphical rendering of an MAN B&W 6G50ME-LGIM engine (Source: MAN Energy Solutions)

 

Mitsui E&S Machinery, a MAN Energy Solutions’ licensee in Japan, has won a contract to build a methanol-fuelled engine for a 65,700dwt bulk carrier to be built at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding. Mitsui will supply a MAN B&W 6G50ME-LGIM (Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) engine for the new ship.

The identity of the shipowner has not been revealed.

The latest deal comes only a matter of weeks after Tsuneishi clinched another contract for two methanol-fuelled kamsarmax bulk carriers, ordered by global food company, Cargill.   

The shipbuilder’s representative director and president & executive officer, Sachio Okumura, commented: “For Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, which is striving to build methanol-fuelled ships with the aim of becoming a front-runner in next-generation-fuelled vessels, securing a high-value-added engine through this contract is an extremely important step. We will continue to focus on technological innovation together with manufacturers in order to provide our customers with zero-emission ships that are both environmentally friendly and economical.”

Ichiro Tanaka, president and representative director of Mitsui E&S Machinery, said: “We have a track record of manufacturing dual-fuel engines such as LNG-fired engines, and in 2015 we delivered the world's first methanol engine as the main engine for a methanol carrier. Taking advantage of this adoption for bulk carriers, we will continue to meet the various needs of our customers, provide engines that are environmentally friendly and economical, and contribute to the realisation of a decarbonised society.”

MAN Energy Solutions’ senior vice president and head of Two-Stroke Business, Bjarne Foldager, revealed a surge of interest in methanol as fuel. “At this moment in time, [these engines] represent more than 30% of all our current, open pipeline projects across a broad range of vessels segments,” he said. “As such, seeing bulk carriers now also entering this fuel segment is completely in line with our expectations, and these newbuildings will benefit greatly from the option to operate either on methanol or conventional fuel with equally high fuel efficiency.”

Methanol is thought by many to have advantages over some other future fuel options. It is a liquid at ambient pressure and temperature; appropriate fuel tanks are relatively simple; and it can be carbon-neutral when produced using renewable energy and biogas derived from biomass.

According to data from DNV, 35 methanol-fuelled ships were ordered in 2022. Leading container lines, including Maersk, CMA CGM and Cosco, have all opted for methanol as fuel for some of the ships they now have under construction.

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