Polaris Shipping orders four multi-fuel-capable engine bulkers

South Korean maritime transportation company Polaris Shipping has placed an order for four ethanol- and methanol-capable bulk carriers with Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of CSSC, and China Shipbuilding Trading Corporation (CSTC) in Qingdao, China.

IMAGE: Polaris Shipping’s ethanol- and methanol-capable bulker concept. Polaris Shipping

The vessels will be powered by Swiss engine maker WinGD’s multi-fuel engines, capable of running on ethanol, methanol and conventional fuel oil. They will also be LNG- and ammonia-ready, allowing for future conversion to either LNG- or ammonia-fuelled operation.

Deliveries are scheduled to take place sequentially from 2031. The four bulk carriers will be chartered to Brazilian mining group Vale under a 25-year contract to transport iron ore.

Methanol and ethanol are gaining traction as alternative bunker fuels in the shipping industry. According to DNV data, 154 methanol-capable vessels are currently in operation globally, while another 294 vessels are on order for delivery through 2030.

Developments in methanol-fuelled shipping have continued this month. Japanese engine manufacturer Mitsui E&S completed the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for the first methanol dual-fuel WinGD large marine engine built in Japan. Meanwhile, French shipping company CMA CGM took delivery of its latest methanol-capable containership, CMA CGM Roi Arthur.

Ethanol bunkering has also seen recent progress. In July, Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk’s containership Antonia Maersk was bunkered with an unspecified quantity of 100% ethanol (E100) at the Port of Barcelona in Spain.

Also in July, global bunker supplier Bunker One delivered 500,000 litres of bioethanol to a methanol-capable containership owned by CMA CGM at the Port of Santos in Brazil.

By Tuhin Roy

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