Safe Bulkers launches first methanol-capable bulk carrier

Monaco-based dry bulk operator Safe Bulkers has launched its first methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier.

IMAGE: Dual-fuel methanol-capable bulk carrier, Kypros Island. Linkedin of Safe Bulkers

The 81,200-dwt vessel, Kypros Island, was launched at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding's yard in China. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for October this year.

The company expects its second methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier to join the fleet in January 2027.

Although Safe Bulkers has included methanol in its future fuel strategy, chief executive Polys Hajioannou recently said that global regulatory and economic uncertainty, coupled with geopolitical tensions, is making long-term planning for green fuels more difficult and intensifying the "need for resilience and disciplined decision-making".

He called for greater global regulatory clarity to support the wider deployment of low- and zero-emission fuels.

He also urged the IMO to provide clearer rules on how transition costs will be passed through supply chains and how funds generated under future regulatory mechanisms will be managed and distributed.

By Konica Bhatt

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