Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) announced on 5th March 2021 that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with methanol producer OCI N.V. (OCI) and German company MAN Energy Solutions (MAN), as to develop methanol and ammonia as marine fuels.
Cyril Ducau, CEO of EPS said:
“EPS is proud to partner with industry-leaders OCI and MAN with a shared vision to push our industry towards decarbonisation and environmental preservation. As a leading tonnage provider, EPS has taken a firm stance that sustainability begins with accountability. This means we have a responsibility to implement emission lowering solutions available today while simultaneously developing solutions for tomorrow. Converting our existing conventional fleet to burn methanol creates a unique opportunity to continue lowering our carbon footprint significantly and rapidly. In the meantime, developing ammonia-fuelled conversion and newbuilding projects will help develop more mature zero-carbon solutions in the longer-term. We are excited about the next steps and to share our findings with the industry.”
Under this partnership, selected vessels from EPS’ existing tanker fleet that use MAN engines will be retrofitted, allowing them to be powered by methanol and ammonia supplied by OCI. In addition, newbuild vessels will also be constructed with MAN engines powered by same two alternative marine fuels.
The technology to retrofit a vessel to accept methanol as a fuel is available today and the intention is for OCI to charter the first retrofitted methanol fueled vessel operated by EPS using already in-service MAN engines and technology in the next two years.
Ahmed El-Hoshy, Chief Executive Officer of OCI NV commented:
“Methanol and ammonia are the fuels of the future and we are excited to continue to play a part in the transition to zero carbon through this partnership. The use of ammonia or methanol as a shipping fuel is particularly promising as these products are among the best-placed alternatives to help this sector decarbonize in a cost-effective way.”
Brian Østergaard Sørensen, Vice President and Head of R&D, Two-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions said:
“We view these initiatives as closely aligned with our own strategy of cooperating with external partners to develop sustainable technologies. Methanol and ammonia are very interesting candidates as zero-carbon fuels. In fact, we have already introduced a methanol-burning two-stroke engine, while we expect to deliver the first ammonia-fueled engine in 2024. MAN Energy Solutions is fully committed to the maritime energy transition and the development of technology that exploits alternative, clean fuels.”
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Credit: Eastern Pacific Shipping
