Navios Partners Takes Delivery of LNG- and Methanol-Ready Boxship
Key Takeaways
- •Navios Maritime Partners has taken delivery of the Navios Turquoise, a 7,900 TEU container ship that is the second in a four-vessel series.
- •The vessel is fitted with a scrubber system, allowing it to burn conventional heavy fuel oil while complying with sulphur emissions limits.
- •The ship can be converted to methanol or LNG propulsion in the future and features Alternative Maritime Power and emissions-reducing equipment.
- •Regulatory measures such as the IMO's net-zero greenhouse gas framework and the EU's Emissions Trading System are increasing pressure on shipping operators to cut emissions.
- •Relatively few methanol-ready vessels have been converted so far, partly because green methanol production and bunkering capacity remain limited.
Navios Maritime Partners has taken delivery of a container ship that can be converted to methanol or LNG propulsion in the future.
The 7,900 TEU vessel, named Navios Turquoise, is the second in a four-vessel series, the company announced in a LinkedIn post on Friday.
"The vessel continues Navios Partners' strategy of investing in environmentally friendly vessels, incorporating Alternative Maritime Power and state-of-the-art equipment to reduce emissions and take advantage of the latest technological developments," the company said.
The ship is also fitted with a scrubber system, which allows it to continue burning conventional heavy fuel oil while complying with sulphur emissions limits.
In recent years, several shipowners have ordered methanol- or alternative-fuel-ready vessels as they assess which alternative fuels are likely to achieve wider adoption across the industry. This approach enables owners to operate ships initially on conventional fuels while keeping open the option of converting them to alternative-fuel propulsion at a later stage. It reflects the uncertainty still surrounding decarbonization pathways for shipping, where candidates including methanol, LNG, ammonia and hydrogen differ in cost, availability of bunkering infrastructure and emissions profile.
The strategy has taken on added significance as the industry faces tightening regulatory pressure, with the International Maritime Organization's net-zero greenhouse gas framework and the European Union's inclusion of shipping in its Emissions Trading System among the measures pushing operators to curb emissions.
However, while a growing number of methanol-ready vessels have entered service, relatively few have so far been converted to methanol propulsion. The pace of future conversions is tied in part to the buildout of green methanol production and bunkering capacity, which remains limited relative to conventional fuel supply.
Navios Maritime Partners is a diversified owner and operator of container ships and dry bulk and tanker vessels listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Source: Ship & Bunker
