Stellar Shipmanagement Services Pte Ltd delivers Singapore’s first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker, classed by Bureau Veritas

Stellar Shipmanagement Services Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Energy Group, has taken delivery of a 4,000 DWT IMO Type 2 Chemical and Oil Tanker, classed by Bureau Veritas. MT “MAPLE” is the first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker to operate in the port of Singapore.

The delivery was formalized in a Delivery Ceremony in Osakikamijima, Hiroshima, Japan, on 13th December 2023. The vessel, MT “MAPLE”, was built by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, Hiroshima, Japan. The vessel is equipped with twin-screw propulsion, a flow boom, and a mass flow metering system, and is compliant with MPA’s current licensing requirements for Oil Product Bunker Tankers. The ship’s cargo tanks are specifically coated with inorganic zinc silicates for the carriage of methanol. A dedicated team supervised the construction of the 4,000 dwt IMO Type 2 tanker.

Global Energy Trading Pte Ltd (GET) is the trading arm of Global Energy Group. GET is a Singapore MPA-licensed and UAE-licensed bunker supplier, and offers a full range of marine fuels which will soon include biofuel (beyond Bio25) and methanol from 2024. The new bunkering tanker will join the GET fleet by the end of 2023.

Stellar Shipmanagement is a leading ship manager for oil and chemical tankers, providing full technical management and crewing services exclusively to the fleet of 20 tankers owned by Global Energy Group.

A second vessel, MT “KARA” ordered by the Group was launched on 29th November 2023 by Sasaki Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, and is scheduled for delivery in March 2024.

With the first dedicated methanol bunkering tanker built, GET, Stellar Shipmanagement and Bureau Veritas are now part of a working group spearheaded by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to introduce a new bunkering procedure for the safe handling and delivery of methanol as a marine fuel to ships refueling in the port of Singapore.

Mr. Loh Hong Leong, Group Managing Director of Global Energy Group, commented: “We believe IMO Type 2 tankers will be the next generation of bunkering tankers to serve the industry, offering the flexibility to handle a wider range of marine fuels, in particular biofuels and methanol. With this addition, we will be able to trade and supply two low carbon transitional marine fuels which will support the shipping industry with a pivotal step on its decarbonization journey.”

Kelvin Kang, General Manager of Stellar Shipmanagement, commented: “To operate IMO Type 2 tankers to provide a bunkering service, the expectations of our management will be taken to new heights with calls for a much higher safety standard and in the quality of crew to man the ship.”

David Barrow, Marine & Offshore, Vice-President South Asia and Pacific, Bureau Veritas, commented: “The delivery of Singapore’s first dedicated methanol bunkering vessel is an important step to support the adoption of alternative low-carbon fuels by shipping. By enabling the delivery of methanol to vessels calling at Singapore, the new vessel will contribute to developing the industry’s supply and bunkering capabilities, which are essential in order to scale up those fuels and ensure their availability.”