China delivers its first 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) methanol dual-fuel container ship in Shanghai on June 20, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from China Media Group

China delivered its first 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) methanol dual-fuel container ship, with the COSCO SHIPPING YANGPU in Shanghai on Friday achieving three historic breakthroughs in the field of large-scale methanol dual-fuel container ship construction - the first order from a Chinese shipowner, the first delivery by a Chinese shipyard, and the first real-ship application of a domestically produced methanol engine, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

According to the report, the vessel is 366 meters long and 51 meters wide, with a maximum capacity of 16,136 TEU. Equipped with an 11,000 cubic meter ultra-large methanol storage tank, it can complete a one-way voyage from the Far East to the US East Coast without refueling.

The ship is fitted with China's first domestically developed methanol dual-fuel main engine, a dual-fuel marine boiler, and the first methanol generator set ever applied to a container ship in the country. Its dual-fuel system allows flexible switching between fuel modes based on route requirements, according to CMG.

The ship sets several industry benchmarks for green and low-carbon performance. Its energy consumption indicators in both fuel and methanol modes rank among the best globally, and it can cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 120,000 tons per year, equivalent to the carbon sequestration effect of planting 6.7 million trees, according to the report.


Global Times