Sweden’s Sirius Shipping is the lastest owner to place an order for methanol ready ships.
The privately-held chemical tanker owner announced on Thursday that it had ordered two 15,000 dwt vessels from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard, Yangzho for delivery in 2026.
“The vessels will be prepared for methanol propulsion and is equipped with the latest technology and comply with the future regulations,” it said.
The company added that using methanol produced using green hydrogen and carbon capture technology will allow the ships to reach zero CO2 emissions with “almost non-existent” NOx emissions.
“This is Sirius’ pathway to zero,” it said.
Methanol has become an increasingly popular maritime fuel, with 48 methanol-capable ships and retrofits ordered in July, according to DNV.
The mid-summer ordering spree pushed the orderbook to 177 vessels with 27 existing ships on the water.
Most of those are container ships, the classification society said, though some methanol-fueled tankers have been ordered including from compatriot owner Stena Bulk in its joint venture with Proman.
Nitrogen, methanol and hydrogen producer OCI Global said in its quarterly conference call last month that AP Moller-Maersk’s first methanol-powered ship will create more than 6m tonnes of incremental methanol demand over the next several years.
Upon delivery, the duo will be Sirius Shipping’s biggest vessels.
As it stands, the Donso-based owner has 10 tankers ranging in size from 4,500 dwt to 11,250 dwt. They have an average age of 15 years.
Its two youngest ships are the 8,000-dwt Mercurius (built 2019) and the Saturnus (built 2018).
