VESSEL REVIEW | Chimbusco Green Energy 85 – Methanol bunkering ship built for nationwide operation in China

China’s COSCO Shipping has taken delivery of a new seagoing methanol bunkering vessel for operation by China Marine Bunker (Chimbusco), the joint venture formed by COSCO Shipping and Petrohina.

According to COSCO Shipping, Chimbusco Green Energy 85 (中燃绿能85; Zhongran Luneng 85) is the first methanol bunkering vessel capable of operating nationwide in China via the country’s coastal waters.

Thanks to this capability, the ship can connect China’s northern and southern marine transport hubs and ensure full-voyage bunkering for methanol dual-fuel vessels. This would help address the issues that are normally encountered whenever methanol-powered vessels need to operate across provinces that lack the necessary bunkering infrastructure.

Large capacity ideal for inter-provincial operation

Chimbusco Green Energy 85 has an LOA of 120 metres (390 feet), a beam of 18 metres (59 feet), a draught of 7.17 metres (23.5 feet), a depth of 10.4 metres (34.1 feet), a summer deadweight of 8,500, and a total cargo capacity of approximately 10,905 cubic metres (2.4 million gallons). The ship’s methanol cargo is stored in stainless steel tanks.

Power for the ship is provided by a 8DKM-28e main diesel engine supplied by Anqing CSSC. Electrical power for the onboard systems is meanwhile drawn from three ZFC6504-84E 600kW generators from Zhenjiang China Marine.

Initial deployment at three major ports

Chimbusco Green Energy 85 was built in compliance with China Classification Society requirements. Her introduction into service has also made her the third methanol bunkering vessel to become operational in China.

The ship will be operated primarily at the ports of Shanghai, Ningbo, and Yantian, where Chimbusco was recently awarded licences for methanol bunkering activities.