Italian owner Fratelli Cosulich has ordered its first methanol dual-fuelled chemical bunker tanker backed by commodities trader Trafigura and John Fredriksen. The 7,990 dwt ship will be built at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding in China and be able to carry both green methanol and biofuels.
The 8,000 cu m vessel will be delivered in Singapore in the last quarter of 2025 under a time charter contract with Trafigura and deployed to deliver bunkers for TFG Marine, Trafigura’s joint venture with Fredriksen’s Frontline and Golden Ocean Group.
Fratelli Cosulich Bunkers Singapore will oversee the technical management and operations of the vessel for TFG Marine.
Green methanol has been gaining traction as a future, feasible bunker fuel, as the worldwide orderbook for methanol-fueled ships grows and many shipping companies incorporate methanol in their decarbonisation strategy. To satisfy these future bunkering needs, the Port of Singapore is also making the required preparations to ensure a constant supply of methanol beginning in 2025.
“We believe in a multi-fuel future and this is an additional important step by our Group in that direction, after having built two LNG bunker vessels. With this important investment, the Group wants to reaffirm its commitment to decarbonisation,” stated Guido Cardullo, head of business development of Fratelli Cosulich Group.
“The vessel has been designed to our technical specifications, including stringent safety considerations, so that it can be continually powered by methanol. Delivery of the vessel in the last quarter of 2025 should coincide with growing demand for methanol as a bunker fuel from shipowners,” added Kenneth Dam, head of bunkering at TFG Marine.
