China’s Wuhan Innovation Jianghai Transportation has put pen to paper on what it says is a groundbreaking deal for methanol-fuelled bulkers.
It has ordered 16 vessels, which it claims are the country’s first coastal ships to run solely on the lower-carbon fuel.
Yancheng-based Jiangsu Qinfeng Shipping Industry will build the dry cargo units.
The order will be split between 15,000-dwt and 19,600-dwt vessels. No price has been revealed.
The shipowner is today listed with one small handysize vessel built in 2018.
But Wuhan Innovation said it also controls 13,800-dwt and 5,500-dwt LNG-fuelled bulkers, moving cargo along China’s coast.
The company added that it had started research and development on new ships using LNG and methanol in 2016.
Wuhan Innovation has now formed a complete supply chain system for the development, design, integration, investment, construction, operation and sales of new-energy vessels, China’s iMarine reported.
The company has not specified whether it will use only green methanol from the start of operations.
Delivery dates were not given.
Jiangsu Qinfeng Shipbuilding is a group company of Zhejiang Qinfeng Shipping Co.
The yard is already building a kamsarmax bulker for domestic owner Tianjin Zhongtian and two small product tankers for Dingheng Shipping Technology.
