Ammonia-Ready Chemtankers For Stolt Fleet

Led by the recently-delivered 26,600dwt Bochem Houston, all six oil/chemical carriers ordered in China for the Bochem division of Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) have been fixed on long-term charter to Stolt-Nielsen’s Dutch-headquartered Stolt Tankers. Constructed by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou), the 159m Bochem Houston entered trade in July and is set to be followed at approximately three-month intervals by the five sisterships.

The design offers a capacity of approximately 30,000m³ for cargoes within the IMO Type 2 category, boosting the wherewithal at the disposal of Stolt Tankers, whose control spanned 83 deep-sea parcel tankers and an equivalent number of coastal and inland chemtankers at the end of 2022.

The charter and pooling deal for Bochem’s six-ship programme was struck in June this year, just in advance of the opening completion. Stolt Tankers’ president Lucas Vos said “As well as securing attractively priced tonnage in a firm chemical tanker market, these modern, fuel-efficient ships will help to lower the age profile and carbon intensity of our fleet while offering customers more flexibility, as they can trade in any of our deep-sea routes.”

The provision in the technical specification for future retrofitting to allow operation on ammonia fuel not only accords with the CMB Group’s environmental goals but also supports Stolt Tankers’ commitment to realising a 50% cut in emissions by 2030 compared to 2008 levels.

The main engine installation is an MAN S50ME-C9.7 diesel in five-cylinder configuration, turning out a maximum 5,260kW at 85rpm. Manufactured in China by two-stroke licensee Yuchai Marine Power, the prime mover provides direct drive to a Shanghai Odely-developed fixed pitch propeller made by Zhenjiang Tongzhou.

The engine incorporates low-pressure selective catalytic reduction (SCR), whereby the reactor is downstream of the turbocharger, and the owner’s selected rating is well below the model’s design capability implicit in a nominal MCR of 9,500kW at 125rpm.

The auxiliary outfit comprises three Taiyo Electric 950kW generators, and the steam raising plant is made up of 9-bar Aalborg auxiliary and composite boilers supplied by Alfa Laval Qingdao.

The engagement of the six-ship series constitutes a strengthening of the business relationship with the CMB Group, as Stolt Tankers’ existing fleet includes three 2010/2011-built 33,600dwt parcel tankers timechartered from the Bochem division. Three similar-capacity, fully-stainless steel chemtankers dating from 2012/2013 and hitherto operated by Japan’s K Line were purchased last year.

The ammonia-ready status of the Bochem Houston-class is in keeping with the work that the Stolt-Nielsen Group has been conducting into the potential of ammonia as a future fuel alternative. Having taken the view that there will be no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to the energy transition, the organisation has been exploring various options that might realise a cleaner maritime future.

For its part, through UK-originated subsidiary CMB TECH, the CMB Group signed a groundbreaking collaboration with Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) at the start of 2023 relating to the development of ammonia-fuelled two-stroke propulsion plant. Ammonia dual-fuel engines of the WinGD X72DF type are projected for a series of 210,000dwt bulk carriers to be built by Chinese yard Qingdao Beihai for CMB’s Bocimar company in 2025 and 2026.

MAIN PARTICULARS – Bochem Houston