MPCC launches two methanol-ready container ships

Norwegian container ship operator MPC Container Ships (MPCC) has launched two methanol-ready container ships from South Korean shipbuilding company HJ Shipbuilding & Construction.

PHOTO: Naming ceremony of MPCC’s container ship MV Colorado. MPCC

Methanol-ready means that the vessels will not be capable of running on methanol upon delivery, but they will have the option to be retrofitted for methanol propulsion in the future. This implies they will likely run on fossil-marine fuels upon delivery.

The 5,500 TEU-capacity vessels, MV Mackenzie and MV Colorado, are “designed for cost-efficient conversion to methanol operations,” MPCC says.

Upon delivery, the vessels will be chartered out to Israeli cargo shipping company ZIM for a period of seven years.

Shipowners are increasingly turning to methanol as a low-emission alternative to conventional marine fuels. Last month, German cruise line TUI Cruises took delivery of a methanol-ready cruise ship from Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku.

By Tuhin Roy

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