Taiwanese shipping player TS Lines has ordered four methanol-ready containerships at CSSC Hunagpu Wenchong, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
The shipbuilding deal entails four 5,300 TEU vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2028.
The price for each containership is about $61.2 million, according to Greek shipbroker Intermodal.
Last year, TS Lines also placed an order for a boxship quartet, including two methanol-powered units, at another CSSC subsidiary, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS).
The methanol-powered containerships will boast a capacity of 14,000 TEUs and be equipped with multiple desulfurization, carbon reduction, energy-saving, and drag reduction devices, which are expected to optimize rapidity and reduce carbon emissions and fuel consumption.
As per the latest report released by the Global Maritime Forum, methanol, along with ammonia, has recorded rapid development progress.
The sixth edition, “From pilots to practice: Methanol and ammonia as shipping fuels” , finds that both fuels are now ‘ready’ – methanol for low-carbon operation and ammonia for piloting – representing a significant increase in maturity since the report’s first edition.
The two fuels have not been widely adopted in shipping, but are expected to have a large potential role in the sector’s decarbonization.
As these fuels cannot be “dropped in” to existing infrastructure, they require the coordinated development and deployment of new land- and sea-based technologies. This means that piloting and demonstration—and the subsequent steps needed to develop a mature supply chain—are of particular importance, the Global Maritime Forum said.