Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has ordered methanol carriers with the world's first methanol burned dual-fuelled low-speed diesel main engine. The engine building has already been completed, and its manufacturer, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., has test-operated the unit using methanol fuel and confirmed that it met expected performance.

MOL ordered the methanol carriers, which will be equipped with this diesel main engine, from Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co. The vessels will be delivered in 2016, and will serve for Waterfront Shipping Company Ltd under a long-term charter contract.

By burning methanol with this diesel main engine, CO2 and NOx emissions are significantly less compared to burning fuel oil. Thus, methanol is an important fuel that does not include SOx and can replace fuel oil, thereby reducing the impact on the environment. Besides using methanol to drive the main engine, the new vessel will be one of the first to install the ballast water treatment system and energy-saving devices fitted in front and behind the propellers to help improve fuel efficiency. In other words, this new vessel will offer high eco-friendly performance, said a release.

As one of the world's largest methanol carrier owners, MOL will expand its methanol transport service by meeting a broad range of customer needs with use of the knowhow and experience it has accumulated. As part of its environmental strategy, MOL has carried forward its initiatives on air pollution prevention, and continues to take a proactive stance in adoption of various technologies that help reduce the environmental burden of its activities, the release stressed.