China's Ningbo Oriental Ship Design Institute has been selected to design a series of 10 bulk carriers for local shipowner Zhejiang Chuangxin Marine.
The ships will each have a deadweight of 23,500 and four 1,130kW, six-cylinder generators that will operate exclusively on methanol. The propulsion will deliver a range of 3,000 nautical miles.
The vessels will be specially tailored for operation along the Yangtze River Delta, thus fully covering mainstream domestic coastal commercial shipping routes, though they will also be capable of navigation in offshore waters.
According to Chinese media, the ships' sailing speeds will surpass those of traditional diesel-powered bulk carriers of the same class, while the use of "green" methanol as fuel will yield CO2 emissions of 90 per cent, NOx emissions of 60 per cent and SOx emissions of up to 99 per cent.
Bunkering of the vessels will take place primarily at the Port of Ningo-Zhoushan, which will feature dedicated methanol bunkering facilities.