Asia/Pacific News
Japan: Methanol Tanker Project for Domestic Market
A handful of Japanese shipping and engineering companies have formed an alliance to build a methanol-fuelled tanker.
The ship will be for domestic deployment and is to be ready in two years' time, according to one of the partners, Mitsui OSK.
Methanol has a better environmental profile than conventional fuel oil as sulfur oxide emissions are virtually eliminated while the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide,from the ship falls by up to 15% when compared to a vessel using oil-derived bunker fuel.
"Methanol has outstanding properties for use as a fuel, as it is liquid at normal temperatures and normal air pressure," MOL said.
"It has been more widely introduced on ocean-going vessels as an environmentally friendly fuel, including four MOL Group-operated ships, but this will be the first methanol-fueled domestic ship," the shipping company added.
Six firms, including MOL, are involved in the project which is getting funds from the state.
