Chinese Shipping Giant-CMES Orders World’s First Methanol-powered Engine for VLCC

China Merchants Energy Shipping ordered the first methanol-powered engine for a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) for the first time in history.

This investment demonstrates CMES’s dedication to dual-fuel methanol propulsion and establishes the company as a pioneer in the field.

The MAN B&W 7G80ME-LGIM engine will get installed on a VLCC that Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. is building.

The engine, to be made by CSE (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Diesel Engine), will have the exclusive Exhaust Gas Recirculation emissions system developed by MAN Energy Solutions.

This achievement comes after CMES recently ordered two 9,300 car equivalent units, pure car and truck carriers.

The company has demonstrated its leadership in methanol adoption as a practical marine fuel by ordering two MAN B&W ME-LGIM main engines to be installed in the same vessel in the past.

According to Bjarne Foldager, the Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN, “It’s a distinctive project representing the first methanol-burning engine within this particular marine segment from a major VLCC fleet owner.

CMES is unquestionably a pioneer in using methanol, which will play a significant role as a fuel for all ships in the future. “The most effective way to decarbonise existing fleet is by choosing low-carbon fuel,” said Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion at MAN Energy Solutions, highlighting the growing demand for methanol-powered engines.

He highlighted the 150 ME-LGIM engines that have already been ordered or put into service, totalling 450,000 methanol-powered operating hours, and the expansion of MAN Energy Solutions’ methanol to cover all sizeable merchant-marine applications, counting VLCCs.

MAN Energy Solutions’ ME-LGIM dual-fuel engine has been designed to run on conventional fuel and methanol. It runs on green methanol and gives prominent merchant mariners carbon-neutral propulsion, with over 150 engines currently in service or on order.

The maritime industry’s adoption of cleaner and more sustainable fuel options has progressed significantly with this development. The adoption of methanol propulsion by CMES is consistent with the industry’s more significant trend towards low-carbon fuels.

It demonstrates the company’s proactive approach to mitigating environmental issues in maritime transportation. By April 2026, the methanol-powered VLCC is expected to be delivered, which will be a significant milestone in the marine industry’s shift to greener technologies.

Reference- MAN Energy Solutions

Chinese Shipping Giant-CMES Orders World’s First Methanol-powered Engine for VLCC appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News