Six Japanese companies including Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Murakami Hide Shipbuilding have formed a strategic alliance to develop a methanol-fuelled domestic tanker for delivery by 2024.
The project has received public funding via the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
MOL, Japan’s largest shipowner by fleet size, is spending considerable resources on methanol fuel developments. Last year, MOL bought a 40% stake in the world’s most advanced methanol shipper, Waterfront Shipping (WFS), the tanker subsidiary of methanol producer Methanex.
good news for the global shipping industry , post Covid-19 epidemic.