Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has revealed that the newbuild dual-fuel methanol carrier, Kohzan Maru VII, was delivered at Ulsan’s HD Hyundai Mipo on May 30.
The 47,960 tons vessel will serve the Tokyo-headquartered Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company under a long-term charter by MOL from Eifuku Kaiun Co., Ltd.
Before the vessel’s delivery, a naming ceremony took place on May 23 at HD Hyundai Mipo, where MGC chairman Masashi Fujii officially christened the vessel Kohzan Maru VII.
“She is the first methanol dual-fuel ocean-going vessel to sail under a long-term chartered by a Japanese charterer,” MOL claims in its statement.
The Japanese owner is pursuing the adoption of clean alternative fuels and set a target of 90 LNG/methanol-fuelled vessels in service by 2030.
Currently, the company operates a fleet of methanol vessels, with a total of 19 vessels, and aims to further expand its methanol dual-fuel fleet.
Since the delivery of the methanol dual-fuel vessel in 2016, a total of eight of those vessels, including the Kohzan Maru VII, have been ordered.