Proman has signed a shipbuilding agreement for the construction of two more 49,900dwt methanol dual-fuel medium range (MR) tankers, named Provident and Progressive.
The new ships will be constructed at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and are expected to be delivered in Q4 2023.
Provident and Progressive will be the company’s fifth and sixth methanol dual-fuel vessels, respectively. Proman will solely own the two ships, along with Promise, which is scheduled for delivery in Q3 2022.
These vessels will be deployed for transporting chemicals and clean petroleum products globally. The ships will feature modern vessel design as well as MAN B&W 6G50ME-C9.6 MW Tier III engines, the same as Promise and Proman Stena Bulk-owned vessels Stena Pro Patria, Stena Pro Mare and Stena Prosperous.
They will be loaded with energy efficiency technologies, such as controlled combustion, optimised tuning and reformed and aerodynamic hull lines.
In addition, the ships will be equipped with an energy shaft generator. These functionalities will help cut down fuel consumption and meet emission requirements.
Each ship will consume nearly 12,500t methanol as fuel annually.
In a statement, Proman said: “Using widely available ‘grey’ methanol produced from natural gas, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the vessels’ normal commercial operations will be significantly reduced compared to conventional marine fuels, including the virtual elimination of sulphur and particulate matter, 60% reduction of nitrogen oxide and 10-15% cut in carbon dioxide.”
Furthermore, Stena will offer ship management services for Promise, Provident and Progressive through its subsidiary Northern Marine.
Proman marketing, logistics and shipping managing director Anita Gajadhar said: “With regulatory approval from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and growing take-up from some of the world’s largest shipping companies, methanol’s global availability, ease of handling and highly scalable sustainable pathway makes it hard to beat as the shipping sector’s pathway fuel to the future.”
Last November, Proman Stena Bulk signed an agreement to construct an additional methanol-powered vessel under its joint venture partnership.
