Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to build three methanol-capable ships

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received orders for three dual-fuel roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo ships that can run on methanol.

PHOTO: Methanol barrels. Getty Images

The vessel orders have been placed by Japanese shipping companies Toyofuji Shipping, Miyazaki Sangyo Kaiun and Nichitoku Kisen, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said.

The three ships will be built at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi, Japan. Deliveries are scheduled to start from 2028.

Each vessel will have a loading capacity of around 2,300 passenger vehicles. The ships will be able to run on methanol as well as conventional marine fuels, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said.

This follows an order for two methanol-capable vessels placed with the company in June last year.

Several shipping companies are investing in methanol-capable ships to include methanol in their future fuel mix. This could boost demand for methanol as a bunker fuel in the coming years.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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