MOL Coastal Shipping held a naming and launching ceremony for a newbuild coastal tanker, the Daichi Meta Maru, on 4 July. It is Japan’s first domestic coastal vessel to use environmentally friendly methanol fuel.
MOL Coastal Shipping is part of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). The new tanker is jointly owned by MOL Coastal Shipping, Tabuchi Kaiun, and Niihama Kaiun Kabushiki Kaisha. The vessel is being built at Kanasashi Heavy Industries of Murakami Hide Shipbuilding Group.
The Daiichi Meta Maru will transport methanol cargo for Mitsubishi Corporation. It is equipped with advanced energy-saving devices, operational support and automated cargo handling systems. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in December.
The 570-GT vessel is 65.5 metres long, 10 metres wide, and has a draught of 4.38 metres. The Main engine is a One Hanshin Diesel Works “LA28M” methanol-fueled marine engine.
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Methanol
The use of methanol fuel reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), in addition to (SOx), compared to the heavy fuel oil used by conventional merchant ships.
Compared to heavy oil, which is currently the primary marine fuel oil, the use of methanol fuel can reduce sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions by up to 99 per cent, particulate matter (PM) emissions by up to 95 per cent, nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by up to eighty per cent, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to fifteen per cent.
Methanol fuel is already in practical use and can be supplied and bunkered at about 130 major ports worldwide. The use of methanol derived from non-fossil energy sources, such as e-methanol produced by synthesising CO2 recovered from various emission sources and hydrogen produced using renewable energy, as well as biogas-derived bio-methanol, can lead to further reductions in net GHG emissions.
Methanol is used as an environmentally friendly fuel in oceangoing vessels, including five MOL Group-operated ships, and its use is expected to significantly expand in the next few years. However, this marks the first time it has been used for a coastal vessel.
Picture: Launching ceremony for Japan’s 1st methanol-fueled coastal tanker, the Daiichi Meta Maru.
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