Fortitude orders two ethanol-capable ships

Singapore-based gas carrier owner Petredec’s subsidiary Fortitude Shipping has ordered two ethanol-capable vessels from China.

PHOTO: Fortitude’s carrier Enable at sea. Petredec

In addition to being powered by ethanol, both 24,000-cbm bulk carriers will be “fitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system and a shaft generator,” which is powered by the main engine, thus contributing to fuel savings and emission reductions. They will be built by Chinese shipbuilder Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (CIMC SOE).

The US Department of Energy defines ethanol as “a renewable fuel made from various plant materials collectively known as 'biomass'.” It contains ethyl alcohol and is produced from starch- or sugar-based feedstocks.

Since ethanol’s chemical and physical properties are very similar to methanol, it can replace methanol as an engine fuel.

They are both liquid fuels with low flash points of 11-12°C for methanol and 13°C for ethanol. Their low cetane numbers make them harder to ignite and burn than fossil fuels. This means that combustion engines powered by methanol or ethanol will require a small amount of pilot fuel, such as diesel, for ignition.

The two vessels are scheduled to be delivered in March and July 2026, respectively. Fortitude has an option to order two more vessels of the same kind.

Ethanol gaining ground

Ethanol’s similarity to methanol has spurred an interest among shipowners to use it as bunker fuel.

Wärtsilä “is in talks with shipping companies and fuel producers about how to introduce the fuel to the bunker mix,” the Finnish engine maker’s director for sustainable fuels and decarbonisation Mikael Wideskog said in an interview with S&P Global in March this year.

This month, UK-based shipowner Purus Marine ordered two dual-fuel very large ethane carriers (VLECs) that can run on ethanol.

By Tuhin Roy

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