Trafigura to charter dual fuel methanol tanker

French commodity trading company Trafigura has entered a deal with Canadian maritime transportation firm Waterfront Shipping to charter a dual fuel tanker that can run on methanol.

PHOTO: Dual fuel methanol tanker Mari Innovator at sea. Waterfront Shipping

Trafigura will use the methanol fuelled medium-range product tanker, Mari Innovator, as part of its decarbonisation strategy for global operations. The vessel is jointly owned by Waterfront Shipping and Clean Sea.

Waterfront Shipping, a subsidiary of methanol producer and supplier Methanex, owns a fleet of 30 vessels, which includes 18 dual fuel methanol powered ships. The company expects the delivery of another methanol-fuelled vessel by next year.

Waterfront Shipping’s president Paul Hexter says that methanol as marine fuel "offers a clear pathway towards a low carbon shipping industry will help build the platform to drive change.”

Methanol has been gathering attention as an alternative fuel choice among container liners. Several liners have joined projects to launch green corridors between major ports like Rotterdam and Singapore.

Classification society DNV’s data shows that the number of methanol-fuelled vessels currently in operation or on order for delivery this year stands at 25.

This number will more than triple over the next few years. A total of 82 methanol-fuelled vessels are registered as in operation or on order towards 2028.

By Tuhin Roy

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