Bahri business unit Bahri Chemicals will charter two newbuild methanol-powered tankers under a five-year agreement with methanol producer Proman. The vessels, which were officially named during a ceremony hosted at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China in November 2023 where both ships were built, will be deployed to transport various products globally.
The company’s chemical arm has taken the Guangzhou Shipyard International(GSI) 2023-built 49,900 dwt MRs Stena Provident and Stena Progressive on hire for five years.
The vessels are the final two of an initial six methanol-fuelled tankers ordered by a joint venture between Proman and Stena Bulk.
The vessels are said to be delivered on November 23, 2023 and January 12, 2024, respectively. Thus, GSI’s first methanol dual-fuel tanker project wraps up. Following the completion , GSI will continue to build 10 more methanol-fuelled tankers.
The state-of-the-art IMOIIMeMAX ships are highly efficient dual-fuel tankers with Marineline coating that can be used to ship a wide variety of cargo, bulk products, and chemicals. Since the delivery of the Stena Pro Patria in 2022, the first vessel of the IMOIIMeMAX fleet, operational efficiency has been demonstrated by the low EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) value. Phase 3 of the EEDI requires all vessels built from 2022 to achieve at least a 30% reduction in carbon intensity (grams CO2 per ton-mile) by 2025, and the Stena Pro Patria has already delivered 11% below this level, setting a new benchmark for methanol-fueled tankers.
“Methanol is increasingly becoming a mainstream marine fuel and Proman is committed to time-chartering our vessels to enable others to gain operational experience of using methanol as a fuel, to realise the immediate air quality benefits and emissions reductions it brings, and to understand its value and role on the pathway to a lower-emission future,” noted Anita Gajadhar, Proman’s marketing and logistics executive director.