Wallenius Wilhelmsen opts for methanol dual-fuel-powered car carriers

China’s Jiangsu Shipyard will build Wallenius’ new Shaper-class vessels. At 9,350 car equivalent units (CEU), these are among the largest ships of their kind, with the first ship scheduled for delivery mid-2026. The order contains options for a further eight vessels.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen executive vice president and chief operating officer of shipping services, Xavier Leroi said, “We are securing our position as our customers’ first choice in shipping and delivering on our strategy to provide a net-zero, emissions-free, end-to-end service by 2027. We believe methanol is the fastest way to net-zero emissions.” 

Wallenius’ new vessels will also be ammonia-ready, and will be converted to ammonia if and when that fuel becomes commercially available in a safe way.

Grants from the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment investment fund Enova have propelled project partners NCL, Yara Clean Ammonia and its parent company Yara International to develop a container vessel powered by ’pure ammonia’.

North Sea Container Line (NCL) has said a new service between Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Oslo and Brevik will be ’fully powered by clean ammonia’, with a target date of 2026 to begin operations.

Wallenius has chosen MAN Energy Services to deliver the engines. The MAN B&W 7S60ME-C10.5-LGIM dual-fuel engines are capable of running on green methanol when that fuel becomes more widely available. This order nudges MAN’s methanol orderbook up to 150 engines, including 23 that are already in service.

MAN head of two-stroke business Bjarne Foldager said methanol is gaining momentum within the PCTC segment. Notably, China Merchants Energy Shipping is equipping two newbuild PCTCs with the same MAN LGIM engines.

Mr Foldager credited strong Chinese car-manufacturing figures and the new emissions regulations for the uptick of interest in methanol from the PCTC segment. He added, “We fully expect methanol to figure prominently as a future fuel across vehicle carriers and, indeed eventually, all vessel segments.”

MAN Energy Solutions, working with Doen WaterJets, has also inked a memorandum of understanding with the Australian Army to supply a fully integrated propulsion system for the army’s LAND 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Phase 1A programme.