Asia/Pacific News
J Lauritzen Orders Two Methanol-Fuelled Bulkers
Shipping firm J Lauritzen has ordered two new dry bulk carriers capable of using methanol as fuel.
The firm has ordered the two 81,200 DWT Kamsarmax vessels from Tsuneishi Shipbuilding in Japan, it said in a statement on its website on Monday. The duel-fuelled vessels will be capable of running on either methanol or conventional bunkers.
The order has been carried out in partnership with commodities firm Cargill, which will operate the vessel for at least seven years after delivery. Cargill made a similar deal involving methanol-fuelled bulkers with Mitsui & Co in January.
A Cargill representative told Ship & Bunker in October that the firm was planning to be operating a methanol-fuelled bulker within a few years.
"We are very happy with this transaction, as it is important for J Lauritzen and Lauritzen Bulkers to participate actively in the decarbonization of the shipping industry, and we are proud to be able to do so in a visionary partnership with Cargill, who are sharing our ambition to truly drive change in our industry," Kristian Morch, CEO of J Lauritzen, said in Monday's statement.
Interest in methanol as a marine fuel has grown rapidly over the past two years. But that interest has thus far come largely from the container segment -- between them AP Moller-Maersk, CMA CGM and COSCO currently have 666,100 TEU of methanol-fuelled boxships on order, representing just over 2.5% of current global container capacity.
