Singapore gets its first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker “MT MAPLE”

Methanol

Published Thu, 14th December 2023
by Admin

GET, Stellar Shipmanagement and BV are now part of a working group spearheaded by MPA to introduce a new bunkering procedure for delivery of methanol as a bunker fuel in the port of Singapore.

Singapore gets its first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker “MT Maple”

Classification society Bureau Veritas on Wednesday (13 December) said Stellar Shipmanagement Services Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Energy Group, has taken delivery of a 4,000 DWT IMO Type 2 Chemical and Oil Tanker.

MT MAPLE, classed by Bureau Veritas, is the first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker to operate in the port of Singapore.

The delivery was formalised in a Delivery Ceremony in Osakikamijima, Hiroshima, Japan, on 13 December 2023. The vessel, MT MAPLE, was built by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, Hiroshima, Japan. The vessel is equipped with twin-screw propulsion, flow boom and a mass flow metering system, and is compliant with MPA’s current licensing requirements for Oil Product Bunker Tankers.

The ship’s cargo tanks are specifically coated with inorganic zinc silicates for the carriage of methanol. A dedicated team supervised the construction of the 4,000 dwt IMO Type 2 tanker.

Global Energy Trading Pte Ltd (GET) is the trading arm of Global Energy Group. GET is a Singapore MPA-licensed and UAE-licensed bunker supplier, and offers a full range of marine fuels which will soon include biofuel (beyond Bio25) and methanol from 2024. The new bunkering tanker will join the GET fleet by the end of 2023.

Stellar Shipmanagement is a leading ship manager for oil and chemical tankers, providing full technical management and crewing services exclusively to the fleet of 20 tankers owned by Global Energy Group.

A second vessel, MT KARA, ordered by the Group was launched on 29 November 2023 by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, and is scheduled for delivery in March 2024.

With the first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker built, GET, Stellar Shipmanagement and Bureau Veritas are now part of a working group spearheaded by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to introduce a new bunkering procedure for the safe handling and delivery of methanol as a marine fuel to ships refuelling in the port of Singapore.

Mr. Loh Hong Leong, Group Managing Director of Global Energy Group, said: “We believe IMO Type 2 tankers will be the next generation of bunkering tankers to serve the industry, offering the flexibility to handle a wider range of marine fuels, in particular biofuels and methanol. With this addition, we will be able to trade and supply two low carbon transitional marine fuels which will support the shipping industry with a pivotal step on its decarbonization journey.”

Kelvin Kang, General Manager of Stellar Shipmanagement, said: “To operate IMO Type 2 tankers to provide a bunkering service, the expectations of our management will be taken to new heights with calls for a much higher safety standard and in the quality of crew to man the ship.”

David Barrow, Marine & Offshore, Vice-President South Asia and Pacific, Bureau Veritas, said: “The delivery of Singapore’s first dedicated methanol bunkering vessel is an important step to support the adoption of alternative low-carbon fuels by shipping. By enabling the delivery of methanol to vessels calling at Singapore, the new vessel will contribute to developing the industry’s supply and bunkering capabilities, which are essential in order to scale up those fuels and ensure their availability.”

Manifold Times previously reported Maersk and Hong Lam Marine Pte Ltd successfully conducted the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation of a Maersk’s container vessel on 27 July 2023 at the Raffles Reserved Anchorage in Singapore.

The operation marked Singapore’s first methanol bunkering operation.

Later, Manifold Times also reported The Methanol Institute (MI) stating the successful completion of Singapore’s first methanol bunkering pilot has given the republic a lead in adopting methanol as a marine fuel.

MI added the milestone operation between a Maersk containership and Hong Lam Marine tanker MT Agility was the first in Asia to feature a methanol-fuelled containership, and not a commercial product carrier transporting methanol.

Marine fuels testing company VPS was also the first company to complete a methanol bunker quantity survey (BQS) operation during Singapore’s first methanol bunkering operation.

Photo credit: Bureau Veritas
Published: 14 December, 2023

Singapore gets its first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker “MT MAPLE”

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