On October 9, Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. held the launching ceremony for the world’s first methanol-fueled bunkering vessel, the “Maya Cosulich,” built for the Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich, in Taizhou.
This vessel is the first in a series of five 7,990 deadweight ton IMO Type II chemical bunkering vessels ordered by Fratelli Cosulich at Maple Leaf Shipbuilding for delivery between 2024 and 2025. As the first methanol dual-fuel bunkering vessel in the Fratelli Cosulich fleet, it marks a key breakthrough in its clean energy business.
This vessel is a methanol dual-fuel methanol /bunkering vessel, with a total length of approximately 102.60 meters, a width of 19.00 meters, and a depth of 9.60 meters. It has a deadweight tonnage of 7,990 tons and a total cargo tank capacity exceeding 8,200 cubic meters. It is suitable for carrying various fuels such as methanol, biodiesel, and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), meeting the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s stringent standards for the transport of hazardous chemicals.
The vessel is equipped with 3 methanol dual-fuel generator – diesel – electric propulsion systems – battery energy storage, optimizing fuel consumption. It can use green methanol, biofuels, and traditional fuel oil as fuel. The vessel features twin engines, twin propellers, and a bow thruster, adapting to complex port operating environments. The liquid cargo tanks are coated with a special coating, resistant to low temperatures and high pressure. It is suitable for ship-to-ship (STS) methanol bunkering in the Port of Singapore and surrounding international shipping hubs.
It is understood that the Fratelli Cosulich Group was founded in 1857 and is a global shipping and logistics enterprise with operations in 27 countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Since 1969, the group has been a leading company in the marine fuel industry, operating as a fuel trader and owning a fleet of bunkering vessels and two small LNG bunkering vessels in Singapore Bay.
Among them, Fratelli Cosulich’s two 8,200 cubic meter small LNG bunkering vessels, the “Alice Cosulich” and the “Paolina Cosulich,” were both built by Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering and were delivered successively from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the beginning of 2024. Furthermore, in May 2024, Zhejiang Shenzhou Shipbuilding delivered Fratelli Cosulich’s first IMO Type II bunkering vessel, the “Marta Cosulich,” which is capable of bunkering biofuels and methanol fuel.
Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. is located on the banks of the Lingjiang River in Taizhou, Zhejiang, with its facility situated in Yongquan Town, Linhai City. It is a private enterprise established in December 2005. The ship types built by the company include bulk carriers, product tankers, chemical tankers, container ships, and other types, all of which are high-tech, high-value-added ocean-going vessels.
