A Russian company called RusKhim has contracted the construction of several cargo vessels that use methanol as fuel, making them the first such ships in Russia.
According to local media reports, three ice-class cargo vessels are expected to be built by 2029, with the ships due to help transport methanol from a RusKhim gas chemical facility in Russia’s Arctic.
A RusKhim representative explained to one media outlet that these “tanker-shuttles” were designed by the company, with the rep noting that the use of methanol as fuel makes the cargo ships more economically viable and less of a threat to Arctic’s “fragile environment.”
Each of the tankers is 192 meters long and 29 meters wide with a deadweight tonnage of about 18,000 tonnes.
The tankers are expected to ferry methanol from the RusKhim facility to the Russian port of Murmansk from where this chemical compound would be exported to China and perhaps to other countries, the media outlet added.
This week, members of the Russian parliament drafted a bill that would regulate methanol production in the country. If adopted, this legislation will result in tighter government oversight of methanol production, storage and shipping in Russia.