Methanol expanding in bulker segment

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING SIGNS LATEST CONTRACT FOR DUAL-FUEL , METHANOLPOWERED MAN B&W ME-LGIM ENGINE

Long-term MAN Energy Solutions licensee, Mitsui E&S Machinery, has won another contract to supply the individual MAN B&W 6G50ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) engine for a 65,700dwt bulk carrier slated for construction at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The vessel represents the latest methanol-fuelled engine ordered by the bulk-carrier segment in recent weeks.

Sachio Okumura, Representative Director and President & Executive Officer of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, said: “For Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, which is striving to build methanol-fuelled ships with the aim of becoming a front-runner in nextgeneration-fuelled ships, securing a highvalue-added engine through this contract is an extremely important step. We will continue to focus on technological innovation together with engine manufacturers in order to provide our customers with zero-emission ships that are both environmentally friendly and economical.”

Ichiro Tanaka, President and Representative Director of Mitsui E&S Machinery, said: “Customers are increasingly interested in next-generation fuels, and methanol is one of the promising fuels. We have a track record of manufacturing dual-fuel engines such as LNG-fired engines, and in 2015 delivered the world's first methanol engine as the main engine for a methanol carrier. Taking advantage of this adoption for bulk carriers, we will continue to meet the various needs of our customers, provide engines that are environmentally friendly and economical, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.”

Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Low-Speed, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “In a market that has seen a rapidly increasing demand for decarbonized transport from its major players, the interest in methanol as a fuel has surged and — at this moment in time — represents more than 30% of all our current, open pipeline projects across a broad range of vessel segments. As such, seeing bulk carriers now also entering this fuel segment is completely in line with our expectations and these newbuildings will benefit greatly from the option to operate either on methanol or conventional fuel with equally high fuel efficiency.”

As a fuel, methanol can be carbonneutral when produced from renewable energy sources and bio-genic CO2. The production capacity of such green methanol is currently increasing significantly; it is also liquid at ambient conditions, which simplifies tank design and minimizes costs. MAN Energy Solutions reports that its methanol engine requires a fuel-supply pressure of just 13 bar and that a number of manufacturers already offer such fuel-supply systems today.

Peter Quaade, Head of Dual-Fuel Engine Group – Two-Stroke Operations –MAN Energy Solutions, said: “With more than 20 engines installed in vessels already on the water and in excess of 200,000 operational hours on methanol since the first such engine entered service in 2016, provides an already proven and mature technology. In adopting these low-emission engines, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding once again demonstrates its commitment to providing advanced solutions for the benefit of both vessel owners and the environment.”

ABOUT THE MAN B&W ME-LGIM ENGINE

MAN Energy Solutions developed the MELGIM dual-fuel engine for operation on methanol, as well as conventional fuel. The engine is based on the company’s proven ME-series, with its approximately 8,500 engines in service, and works according to the Diesel principle. When operating on green methanol, the engine offers carbonneutral propulsion for large merchantmarine vessels.

MAN developed the ME-LGI engine in response to interest from the shipping world in operating on alternatives to fuel oil in order to reach decarbonization targets. Methanol carriers have already operated at sea for many years using the engine, and, as such, the ME-LGIM has a proven track record offering great reliability and high fuel-efficiency.

About Tsuneishi

Marking its 100th anniversary in 2017, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding — based in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan — engages in shipbuilding and repairs and is the anchor company of the Tsuneishi Group, which conducts business mainly within the shipbuilding industry and maritime transport. With manufacturing bases in Japan, the Philippines and China, the company builds bulk carriers, container carriers, tankers – among other vessels.

ABOUT MITSUI E&S

Mitsui E&S Machinery, part of Mitsui E&S Holdings, is a Japanese company and listed on the Nikkei 225. Established in 1917 as the Shipbuilding Division of Mitsui & Co., it is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Among other products, its machinery section manufactures marine and stationary diesel engines and marine equipment.

Klaveness Combination Carriers expands roll-out of semi-autonomous hull cleaning solution to further improve fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact

Klaveness Combination Carriers (KCC) will expand its roll-out of the semiautonomous hull cleaning solution, Shipshave ITCH, with five additional robots to reduce hull fouling on its fleet.

After a successful pilot of Shipshave’s solution onboard four vessels over 2021/22, KCC has confirmed an order for purchasing a further five latest generation Shipshave ITCH models. The decision was made after analysing the fuel performance of the four vessels operating a Shipshave ITCH, which showed improvements in fuel efficiency between 2–5%.

A close collaboration with Klaveness Ship Management (KSM), the crew aboard the vessel and Shipshave’s engineers has been essential for further developing the solution to become a fleet-wide tool for KCC.

“The friction force from the vessels’ hulls is the major resistance factor from the operation of deep-sea vessels. Biofouling of the hull greatly increases this resistance, resulting in higher carbon emissions. In addition, there is also a potential biodiversity risk when transferring alien biomass from the vessels’ hulls across oceans into vulnerable regions. Shipshave ITCH helps us to maintain fouling-free vertical sides of the hulls and delivers on both challenges and we look forward to rolling out the solution to the full CLEANBU fleet,” comments KSM’s Head of Projects and Business Transformation Martin Wattum.

The crew on board Ballard lowering the semiautonomous hull cleaning solution.

“KCC was the very first pilot user of our ITCH and has played a significant role in our further developments. Simplifications and improvements are the result of top collaboration between the tripartite structure of the User, Supplier and Buyer. We believe innovation is well nurtured this way. Shipshave, and early mover KCC, has worked well together. We are very happy to supply KCC with a solution aiding in their pursuit of very ambitions sustainability goals. The savings obtained using ITCH makes an impressive ROI,” says Eirik Eide, Chief Commercial Officer at Shipshave.

CARRIERS ASA:

KCC is the world leader in combination carriers, owning and operating eight CABU and eight CLEANBU combination carriers. KCC’s combination carriers are built for transportation of both wet and dry bulk cargoes, operating in trades where the vessels efficiently combine dry and wet cargoes with minimum ballast. Through their high utilization and efficiency, the vessels emit up to 40% less CO2 per transported tonne compared to standard tanker and dry bulk vessels in current and targeted combination trading patterns.

International Antifouling Conference to return in 2023

I-Tech AB, the developers of the antifouling biotechnology for marine coatings, Selektope® and RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) will host the International Antifouling Conference in Gothenburg for a second year following demands for its return as one of the key platforms for antifouling coating experts, academia, and end users to discuss challenges, solutions, and approaches towards marine biofouling prevention.

As the maritime industry takes steps towards significantly decarbonizing, the risk of marine biofouling accumulation on underwater surfaces is posing an increasing threat to the reduction of gaseous exhaust emissions from vessels. Marine biofouling can be extremely detrimental to ship performance since it increases hydrodynamic drag when a vessel sails through water, resulting in vessels burning more fuel to maintain a set speed or suffering speed losses if operating on fixed shaft power.

Unfortunately, rising oceanic and coastal water temperatures are providing a more favourable environment for biofouling species to flourish. As such, the risk faced by vessels from the negative effects of biofouling will only intensify in coming years. While antifouling coatings provide the best line of defence against biofouling, the technology must continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of vessels now, and in the future.

The International Antifouling Conference 2023 will be held on September 13-14 in the iconic Eriksberg shipyard area in Gothenburg, Sweden. The conference is sponsored by Stena Teknik and Lanxess. Keynote addresses will be delivered by representatives from Jotun, Stolt Tankers, Hapag Lloyd, Arxada, and the Florida Institute of Technology.

In addition to the full two-day conference program, delegates of the International Antifouling Conference 2023 will also enjoy an optional visit to the research facilities of RISE which is included in the conference ticket.