A coalition from the shipping industry unveiled its standard
design for a Methanol-powered product tanker able to operate in a broad range
of situations. The vessel, which is designed to carry a range of cargoes and
bunker Methanol independently, also received classification society approval.
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, MAN Energy Solutions, and the
Methanol Institute said that they worked together to develop a design that
meets all prevailing safety requirements with minimal loss of cargo capacity
and low additional build costs. DNV GL reviewed the designs for the vessels
under the relevant rules and regulations and provided technical advice and
recommendations for the design development. The design for a Low Emission
Advanced Products Tanker (LEAP) was granted an Approval in Principle by DNV GL.
“Governments, NGOs, policy-makers, academics, and technical
experts all agree that conventional Methanol provides a safe, clean and
practical pathway to short-term emissions reductions,” says Chris Chatterton,
Chief Operating Officer, The Methanol Institute. “This vessel design
demonstrates that newbuild or conversion can be straightforward and
cost-effective and extends the trading life of the asset as it can use
renewable Methanol as more becomes available.”
One of the goals of the project was to design a versatile
ship suited to the needs of different operators. The vessel is designed with a
service speed of 14.5 knots and an effective range of 17,400 nautical miles
using Methanol as the primary fuel and an effective range of 21,900 nautical
miles using very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO). Cargo capacity is 54,000 cubic
meters, which is just 300 cubic meters lower than a conventional diesel-fuel
vessel.
According to the companies, the building costs of the design
would be approximately 10 percent higher than a standard vessel, but less than
the 22 percent higher costs for an LNG-dual fuel vessel.
The main advantages are in the ability to reduce harmful
emissions. Using Methanol as the fuel, the project estimates the vessel would
have daily CO2 emissions of 54.7 tons per day at service speed, compared to
64.7 tpd for diesel. The ship would have an approximate six percent improvement
in its EEDI Phase 3 rating compared to a diesel-only vessel.
“Methanol ticks the boxes from an emissions point of view,
with no sulfur, very low PM and carbon dioxide emissions around 15% lower than
conventional marine fuel oil,” says Kjeld Aabo, Head of Marine and Offshore
Sales, 2 and 4 stroke engines, MAN Energy Solutions. “To meet IMO NOx Tier III
requirements, Methanol can be blended with water which brings the ship into
compliance without the need for expensive exhaust gas after treatment.
The design uses two slop tanks of 2,600 cubic meters to
store Methanol as fuel, positioned aft of the cargo tanks, protected by a
cofferdam, with the fuel supply system connecting to the engine room via an
on-deck service tank. Methanol is bunkered by an independent manifold and the
design includes tanks for VLSFO and MDO storage to provide complete operational
flexibility.
“HMD is pleased to have provided initial and detailed design
for the LEAP vessel design using the experience accumulated from successful
dual-fuel methanol carriers for numerous international owners,” said YH Chung,
Head of Initial Design Department, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. “This design results
in an estimated cargo loss of 0.5 percent for a low construction premium,
providing shipowners with the ability to build a low emissions vessel today.”