As the maritime industry make a concerted effort to decarbonize shipping, alternative fuels are certainly leading the conversation. In line with the targets set by IMO’s initial GHG strategy, FLEET is taking a proactive and systematic approach to adopting cleaner fuel solutions.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Methanol (low-flash point fuel), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Ethane and Ammonia (under development) are some of the alternative fuel options the industry is exploring.
FLEET currently manages nine vessels powered by alternative fuels under our management and twenty more in the shipyards that we are supervising to build. We are also actively working on building Ammonia powered vessels in close collaboration with key industry leaders. We have been exploring the use of Methanol as a fuel since 2016 where we collaborated with a shipyard in Korea to develop a new design for a bulk carrier that will run on Methanol, and we are working with one of our ship owner customers to develop a Methanol-fuelled main engine.
Today we manage two MR tankers fuelled by Methanol and four tankers carrying Methanol as cargo. This means we already have a large pool of crew experienced to handle Methanol and can easily obtain the Certificates of Proficiency for IGF vessels. Our engineers are being trained by MAN Primeserv academy to effectively handle the LGIM (Liquid gas injection – Methanol) engines and with two methanol fuelled ships in operation, this pool is continuously growing. The crew is also being trained at NTC, Manila and FMTI, Chennai on the International Code of Safety for Ship Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF code) requirements.
We continue to collaborate with industry partners on building an ammonia powered vessel and on the development of ammonia bunkering, and recently collaborated on a project to build a bulk carrier powered by Methanol.
Check out this blog post to learn more about how we’re building upon our expertise and experience in alternative fuels for shipping. Environmental Stewardship is one of the five focus areas of our Responsibility Framework which guides our ESG strategy. Read more about our priorities and progress when it comes to Environmental Stewardship or download our 2021 Responsibility Report.