Saudi Arabian state shipping giant Bahri has struck a deal to charter in new methanol-fuelled tankers over the long-term.
The company’s Bahri Chemicals division will operate the 50,000-dwt MRs owned by Swiss methanol producer Proman for five years.
The Stena Provident and Stena Progressive are the final two in a series of six initial ships ordered by Proman and Sweden’s Stena at Guangzhou Shipyard International.
The vessels will be used to “transport various products globally”, the companies said.
No rate has been reported. The tankers were named in China in November.
The first sister ship, the Stena Pro Patria, entered service in 2022.
Proman said operational efficiency has been demonstrated by its low Energy Efficiency Design Index value.
Phase 3 of the EEDI requires all ships built from 2022 to achieve at least a 30% reduction in carbon intensity, measured in grammes of CO2 per tonne-mile, by 2025.
The Stena Pro Patria has already delivered 11% below this level.
Anita Gajadhar, executive director of marketing and logistics at Proman, said the longstanding relationship between the two companies and the proven capabilities of methanol as a cleaner fuel were key to the deal.
She also highlighted the record-breaking number of methanol dual-fuel ships due for delivery in the coming years.
Important to gain experience
“Methanol is increasingly becoming a mainstream marine fuel and Proman is committed to time-chartering our vessels to enable others to gain operational experience of using methanol as a fuel, to realise the immediate air quality benefits and emissions reductions it brings, and to understand its value and role on the pathway to a lower-emission future,” the executive said.
Bahri Chemicals owns a fleet of 27 pure IMO type 2 chemical carriers, including an LR1-sized ship.
President Faisal Al Husseini explained the path to carbon reduction in the maritime transport ecosystem is multi-faceted.
“We at Bahri Chemicals believe methanol is an important component of that equation,” he said.
“As the flagship carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the largest owner and operator of IMO [type] 2 MR vessels, we strive to continually play a vital role in protecting the environment and setting industry standards,” he added.
Methanol cuts NOx by up to 80% and virtually eliminates SOx and particulate matter, Proman said.
