China Marine Bunker (PetroChina) Co., Ltd. (CHIMBUSCO) and COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry have acquired AIP certificates from China Classification Society (CCS) and Bureau Veritas (BV) for a 7,800-tonne dual-fuel powered green methanol bunkering vessel.
During the Green Methanol Refuelling Capacity Building Conference, the China Petroleum Circulation Association (CPCA) and the China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association (CIQA) officially released two group standards initiated by CHIMBUSCO: the “Marine Methanol Fuel Waterborne Refuelling Regulations” and “Marine Methanol Fuel”.
This is China’s first set of standards for methanol refuelling operations and quality control, filling a void in the local market.
Furthermore, the vessel is a novel type of green methanol bunkering vessel that has received certificates from two classification bodies at the same time, laying a firm technological foundation for future mass manufacturing.
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The vessel is the first of its kind developed in China, according to Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice President of BV, and represents a key milestone in the maritime industry’s decarbonisation efforts, while also exhibiting encouraging progress in the development of the methanol supply chain.
According to Zhao Yan, Vice President of China Classification Society, the 7,800-tonne dual-fuel powered green methanol bunkering vessel has been designed with the concept of “full life cycle”.
It features twin engines and twin oars, a domestically made four-stroke methanol dual-fuel main engine, a liquid cargo pump in the form of a machine belt, a pre-installed berthing perception system, and a remote-control refuelling arm operation system.
