Fratelli Cosulich Launches Methanol-Ready Bunker Tanker in China
Key Takeaways
- •The Carlotta Cosulich, an IMO type II bunker tanker launched at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipyard in China, is the third vessel in a four-ship series with one more still to come.
- •The tanker has MarineLINE-coated cargo tanks and a methanol-ready notation permitting future conversion to methanol propulsion, although such conversions remain rare in the industry.
- •Fratelli Cosulich is a family-owned Italian shipping group founded in Genoa in 1857, and it took delivery of the methanol-ready Anna Cosulich in May for operations in Singapore.
- •Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub by volume, has conducted ship-to-ship methanol bunkering since first supplying the fuel to a containership in 2023.
- •Methanol contains no sulfur and can cut sulfur oxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions, but most current supply is fossil-derived and lower-carbon bio-methanol and e-methanol remain limited.
Global marine fuel supplier Fratelli Cosulich has announced the launch of its new methanol-ready bunker tanker in China.
The vessel, an IMO type II bunker tanker named Carlotta Cosulich, was launched at Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipyard in China, the company said in a LinkedIn post. Carlotta Cosulich is the third in a four-vessel series, with one further vessel in the series. China is the world's largest shipbuilding nation by output, and the launch continues the industry's heavy reliance on Chinese yards for new tanker tonnage.
"Designed with MarineLINE-coated cargo tanks and methanol readiness from the outset, Carlotta Cosulich combines operational flexibility with future-fuel readiness," the company said. MarineLINE is a polymer-based coating system widely used in tanker cargo tanks to help protect cargo quality.
The methanol-ready notation indicates the ship has been designed to allow a future conversion to methanol propulsion. While such notations are becoming more common in the industry, actual conversions remain rare. Orders for dual-fuel newbuilds, including methanol-capable vessels, have nonetheless grown in recent years as shipowners prepare for tighter emissions rules.
Carlotta Cosulich follows another methanol-ready tanker, Anna Cosulich, which Fratelli Cosulich took delivery of in May for deployment in Singapore, the world's largest bunkering hub by volume. Singapore has carried out ship-to-ship methanol bunkering since 2023, when it first supplied the fuel to a containership.
Fratelli Cosulich is a family-owned Italian shipping group founded in Genoa in 1857, with activities spanning ship management, ship agency and marine fuel supply.
Methanol has attracted growing interest as a lower-emission marine fuel. It contains no sulfur and can reduce sulfur oxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions compared with conventional fuel oils, and it can be carried in liquid form at ambient temperature. Interest in alternative fuels has grown as the shipping industry works toward the International Maritime Organization's greenhouse gas reduction targets, which under the IMO's 2023 revised strategy call for net-zero emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. Most methanol is currently produced from fossil feedstocks, and supplies of lower-carbon bio-methanol and e-methanol remain limited.
Source: Ship & Bunker
