Pacific Basin's dry bulkers to operate on methanol

Hong Kong-based dry bulk shipping company Pacific Basin Shipping has selected methanol as the preferred fuel for its dual-fuel dry bulk carriers.

PHOTO: Pacific Basin currently operates 250 dry bulk vessels. Pacific Basin Shipping

The company has conducted a feasibility study on various potential green fuels along with Japanese Nihon Shipyard and conglomerate Mitsui.

While the study found that biofuel and ammonia will be important for the shipping sector’s green transition, it also found that methanol has emerged as the top choice. It considered various factors like fuel characteristics, availability, scalability, and the costs involved.

Pacific Basin chief executive Martin Fruergaard sees methanol as "the most suitable future fuel for Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers.”

Pacific Basin, Nihon, and Mitsui have now set out to develop methanol-ready prototypes of dual-fuel dry bulk newbuilds to "help accelerate the transition and make zero-emission vessels the default choice in the dry bulk sector by 2030."

By Konica Bhatt

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