China’s Jiangsu Qinfeng Shipbuilding has cut the first steel to be used in the construction of four new 15,000DWT methanol-fuelled bulk carriers in a series ordered by local company Wuhan Chuangxin Shipping.
The bulk carriers will be the first four in a planned batch of sixteen 15,000DWT and 20,000DWT vessels. These four 15,000DWT ships and two of the 20,000DWT ships are scheduled for delivery to the same owner in 2025.
Upon completion, the four 15,000DWT vessels will each have an LOA of 129.7 metres, a beam of 22.6 metres, a depth of 10.2 metres, and river-sea navigation capability. Power will be provided by a methanol-fuelled, medium-speed main engine with a rated output of more than 800 kW at 1,000 rpm.
Wuhan Chuangxin Shipping’s newest bulk carriers will also be among the first Chinese-built vessels to be fitted with methanol-only engines, as most other locally-owned vessels that operate on methanol have been fitted with dual-fuel engines.