Fujian Guohang goes green with dual-fuel methanol switch on kamsarmax newbuilds

Chinese bulker owner and operator Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping is stepping up its green agenda by switching its kamsarmax newbuilds at compatriot Wuhu Shipyard to methanol dual-fuel.

The Beijing Stock Exchange-listed company, which recently declared options on four more methanol-ready 89,000 dwt ships bringing its orderbook at the yard to eight, has amended the deal to include dual-fuel engines at an additional cost of about $6.24m per ship.

Late last year, Fujian Guohang secured newbuilding slots for up to 10 vessels at Wuhu in a deal structured with four firm units costing about $36.5m each, with deliveries in 2025 and 2026, and six optional ships.

Last month, Wuhu Shipyard started building one of Fujian Guohang’s kamsarmaxes at its Weihai base which will also boast methanol-dual fuel, under a project backed by China Classification Society (CCS).

The CSS said the newbuild would be equipped with a methanol dual-fuel power system that can use bio-diesel and has an optimised methanol fuel tank capacity, which can directly achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from the ship while “balancing the economy of operation through flexible fuel structure ratio”.