Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has clinched a US$2.05 billion order to build 12 methanol-propelled very large container ships from a European shipper.
KSOE said Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries will build the container carriers at its shipyard in the southwestern port of Yeongam. The vessels will be delivered to the undisclosed shipping company in stages by December of 2026, KSOE added.
In similar news, MOL announced that on January 17, a ceremony for the naming and delivery of the Cypress Sun, a dual-fuel methanol carrier that can run on either methanol or conventional heavy fuel oil, was held at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.
MOL operates a large fleet of methanol carriers, with a total of 19, and it has been expanding the number of dual-fuel vessels, which can run on methanol, since 2016. Currently, MOL operates five of the 23 methanol dual-fuel tankers in service worldwide, including the Cypress Sun.
In addition, the Climate tech start-up C1 raised growth capital from Maersk Growth, the Venture Capital Arm of Møller – Maersk, to faster scale their ultra-efficient catalysis, which will enable the mass production of green methanol.
Besides the ability to function as a carbon-based feedstock for various chemical products, green methanol is the most tangible low-carbon bunker fuel alternative to oil for container vessels today, said Maersk.
