In Asia the first ocean-going merchant vessel driven by methanol has been delivered to its owner. The three tankers[ds_preview] »Lindanger«, »Mari Jone« and »Taranaki Sun« have now been christened in Korea and Japan. The newbuilding package is a project of Waterfront Shipping Company Ltd. (WFS), Marinvest/Skagerack Invest (Marinvest), Westfal-Larsen Management (WL), and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL). Hyundai Mipo Dockyard hosted the Korean ship naming ceremony, while Minaminippon Shipbuilding hosted the Japanese ceremony; where all three of these 50,000 dwt vessels were built. The vessels are built with the »first-of-its kind MAN B&W ME-LGI 2-stroke dual-fuel engines that can run on methanol, fuel oil, marine diesel oil, or gas oil«. The engine was developed by MAN Diesel & Turbo and is based on the company’s ME-series, with its approximately 5,000 engines in service. »When operating on methanol, the ME-LGI significantly reduces emissions of CO2, NOx and SOx. Additionally, any operational switch between methanol and other conventional fuels is seamless,« states Ole Grøne Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing and Sales, MAN Diesel & Turbo.
