On the morning of February 18, China’s first 16,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship, M.V. “COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU” was successfully named in Yangzhou. This event signifies COSCO SHIPPING’s substantial progress in developing green and low-carbon strategic emerging industries and advancing the construction of new energy fuel fleets.

This date also marks the 9th anniversary of the reorganization of COSCO SHIPPING. Standing at this new starting point, COSCO SHIPPING is poised to continue forging ahead towards an innovative future.

Zhu Bixin, President of COSCO SHIPPING; Sun Yunfei, Executive Vice President and CFO of COSCO SHIPPING; Pan Guoqiang, Deputy Secretary of the Yangzhou Municipal Party Committee and Mayor; and officials from COSCO SHIPPING Holdings and COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry, attended the ceremony along with numerous guests from partner and client companies such as China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), China Classification Society, American Bureau of Shipping, and Jiangsu University of Science and Technology.

The methanol dual-fuel container ship named this time is the first in a series from COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, constructed by COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry Yangzhou. With a total length of 366 meters, a molded beam of 51 meters, and a maximum loading capacity of 16,136 TEUs, this vessel represents significant advancements in various aspects, including technological innovation, green technology, and low-carbon digital intelligence. It is a crucial part of COSCO SHIPPING’s efforts to meet the demands of green shipping corridors and establish a green methanol industry chain. It will provide robust support for the green transformation of China’s shipping industry.

 “Green” And “Low-Carbon” Are Synonymous with Environmental Protection

Thanks to the innovative design of the large methanol storage tank, M.V. COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU will be able to complete a one-way voyage between the Far East and the West Coast of America in “pure methanol mode” after being deployed on COSCO SHIPPING Line’s transpacific route. This capability offers new possibilities for the green optimization of global shipping routes. Supported by an intelligent ship system, its energy consumption and green, low-carbon, and energy-saving metrics showcase excellent energy utilization ratio and establishing a new benchmark for energy conservation and emission reduction in the shipping industry.

Methanol Fuel

As a green and low-carbon fuel, methanol is free of nitrogen oxides and sulfur and produces low particulate matter emissions. Compared to other new energy fuels, methanol power technology is less challenging to upgrade, more convenient to store and use, has lower operational and maintenance costs, offers higher safety, and experiences relatively smaller market price fluctuations.

 “Technology” And “Innovation” Are Professional Strengths

During the project design and construction phase, COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry identified 163 research topics in response to the numerous technical challenges posed by methanol fuel application. It formed more than 200 specialized books and applied for and received 31 invention patents related to methanol new energy technology. In the process of the first methanol bunkering, CHIMBUSCO Jiangsu and COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry Yangzhou collaborated extensively to organize the preparation of China’s first “Terminal Tanker Methanol Bunkering Design Scheme” for large container ships. This effort obtained the certificate of approval in principle issued by the China Classification Society, further promoting green and low-carbon ecological innovation and contributing to the shipping industry’s carbon reduction initiatives. As COSCO SHIPPING Holdings introduces a series of new ships and upgrades existing vessels, the proportion of new energy and clean energy ships within the COSCO SHIPPING container fleet is steadily increasing. Looking ahead, COSCO SHIPPING will actively follow the industry’s green and low-carbon development trend and accumulate green energy for high-quality growth.