Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that its group MOL Coastal Shipping held a naming and launching ceremony for a newbuilding coastal tanker, jointly owned by MOL Coastal Shipping, Tabuchi Kaiun Co., Ltd., and Niihama Kaiun Kabushiki Kaisha, at Kanasashi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. of Murakami Hide Shipbuilding Group.
The vessel was named the Daiichi Meta Maru, and will transport methanol cargo for Mitsubishi Corporation.
As the Daiichi Meta Maru is Japan’s first domestic coastal vessel to use environmentally friendly methanol fuel, and is a state-of-the-art vessel equipped with the most advanced energy-saving devices and operational support and automated cargo handling systems. The vessel is scheduled for delivery from Kanasashi Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. in December.
The use of methanol fuel reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes global warming, and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which cause acid rain, in addition to sulfur oxides (SOx), compared to the heavy fuel oil used by conventional merchant ships.
Compared to heavy oil, which is currently the primary marine fuel oil, the use of methanol fuel can reduce SOx emissions by up to 99%, particulate matter (PM) emissions by up to 95%, NOx emissions by up to 80%, and CO2 emissions by up to 15%.
As explained, methanol fuel is already in practical use and can be supplied and bunkered at about 130 major ports worldwide. The use of methanol derived from non-fossil energy sources, such as e-methanol produced by synthesizing CO2 recovered from various emission sources and hydrogen produced using renewable energy, as well as biogas-derived bio-methanol, can lead to further reductions in net GHG emissions. Methanol is used as an environmentally friendly fuel in oceangoing vessels, including five MOL Group-operated ships, and its use is expected to significantly expand in the next few years. However, this marks the first time it has been used for a coastal vessel.
