Wärtsilä will supply the methanol-fuelled auxiliary engines for five new container vessels for COSCO Shipping Lines and seven new container vessels for Orient Overseas Container Line. It is the Chinese maritime sector’s largest order to date for methanol-fuelled newbuild vessels.
Each vessel will operate with three 8-cylinder and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 32M engines. To complement the solution, the ships will be equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) exhaust cleaning systems and alternators. These will be supplied through Wärtsilä’s joint venture company, CWEC (Shanghai).
The Orient Overseas Container Line’s 24,000 TEU ships are to be built at the Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering yard, and the COSCO Shipping Lines’ 24,000 TEU ships at the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering yard. The vessels are expected to commence commercial operations in 2026.
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One of the central decarbonisation solutions
The Wärtsilä 32M methanol-fuelled engine has received type approval certificates from several classification societies around the world. Studies have shown that using methanol instead of heavy fuel oil can cut CO2 and other GHG emissions. In particular, green methanol derived from renewable sources could achieve a further reduction in carbon footprint and thus becomes one of the central decarbonisation solutions for carriers in the future.
‘With decarbonisation a major priority for the maritime industry, sustainable fuels, such as methanol, will play a vital role in helping shipping to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,’ says Roger Holm, president of Wärtsilä Marine and executive vice president at Wärtsilä Corporation.
Picture: The Wärtsilä 32M methanol-fuelled engine has received type approval certificates from several classification societies around the world (by Wärtsilä).
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