Methanol-fuelled cable-layer ordered

The vessel, which will be delivered from Sefine Shipyard in Turkey Q1 2025, is designed by NSK Ship Design together with Cecon’s engineering team.

One of the main design objectives has been to develop a modern environmentally friendly cable ship without compromising on vessel capacities. The vessel will be delivered with methanol dual fuel system and with a battery pack for hybrid energy storage.

Extensive operational experience has been applied to develop a versatile work platform, says Cecon, allowing the vessel to operate in other segments of the offshore industry when not installing cable. The vessel is prepared for typical offshore wind services as well as light construction work.

A growing number of newbuilding orders are calling for methanol, with DNV reporting that methanol fuelled ship orders outnumbers those for LNG for the first time in October.

The potential for obtaining green methanol is also growing. The Methanol Institute (MI) reports that there are over 80 renewable methanol projects around the globe that are projected to produce more than eight million metric tons (2.7 billion gallons or 10 billion liters) per year of e-methanol and bio-methanol by 2027. Additionally, with ongoing advancements in technology and increased government support, the capacity of individual renewable plants is expected to rise from 5,000-10,000 metric tons of methanol per year to 50,000-250,000 metric tons per year or more over the next five years.