On June 20, the first domestically built 16,000TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship “COSCO SHIPPING Yangpu” built by COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) was delivered to Changxing Island, Shanghai. The successful delivery of the ship achieved three historic breakthroughs in the field of large-scale methanol dual-fuel container ship construction: “the first order from a domestic shipowner, the first ship delivered by a domestic shipyard, and the first actual ship application of domestic methanol main engines.”
As a benchmark project of COSCO SHIPPING Group’s green, low-carbon and smart shipping strategy, the ship is 366 meters long and 51 meters wide, with a maximum container capacity of 16,136 TEUs. Its core technological innovations run through the entire industry chain: it is equipped with an 11,000 cubic meter ultra-large methanol storage tank, which can support one-way voyage from the Far East to the East Coast of the United States without refueling in the middle; it is equipped with the first domestically produced methanol dual-fuel main engine and methanol dual-fuel marine boiler independently developed by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation WinGD, as well as the first methanol generator set used in container ships in China. The dual-fuel system can freely switch fuel modes according to route requirements, and its operational flexibility and stability have reached the international top level.
In terms of green and low-carbon indicators, the ship has set many industry records: the energy consumption indicators of fuel mode and methanol mode are the world’s leading; the ship energy efficiency design index (EEDI) reaches Phase III standards, 54.4% lower than the IMO baseline, and the use of green methanol can reduce CO₂ emissions by about 120,000 tons per year. The ship adopts an innovative methanol storage tank design, combined with technologies such as a fresh water purge system, to successfully solve the safety hazards of methanol fuel application.
The ship design combines the advantages of high efficiency and intelligence: the streamlined hull combined with high-efficiency propellers and fully suspended twisted rudders greatly reduce water resistance; the world’s largest capacity permanent magnet shaft generator improves the engine room environment while reducing maintenance costs; the intelligent system achieves route optimization, equipment health monitoring and hull structure safety warning through real-time data collection and analysis, and the central control system (ACMS) will greatly improve ship management efficiency.
As the largest green and intelligent shipbuilding base of COSCO SHIPPING Group, COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry (Yangzhou) ensures efficient project delivery through a lean management system, demonstrating the leading strength of Chinese shipyards in the field of high-end shipbuilding.
After delivery, the COSCO SHIPPING Yangpu will be put into operation on the Far East to East Coast US East Coast route. Its “methanol dual fuel + smart shipping” operating model will surely become an important example and effective practice for the transformation and development of green, low-carbon and smart shipping.