Recently, at Berth 13 of COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in Shanghai, a historic moment was witnessed. The 20,000 TEU ultra-large methanol dual-fuel container ship "COSCO Shipping Libra" successfully completed the ship-to-ship methanol refueling operation. 2,100 tons of methanol fuel were precisely injected within 10 hours. This is the first time that domestic shipbuilding and repair enterprises have refueling methanol fuel ships to ships, marking a major breakthrough in the methanol dual-fuel conversion project of large container ships of Shanghai COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry.
This refueling operation has set several firsts both at home and abroad. It is the first methanol fuel ship-to-ship refueling service carried out in a shipyard in China and also the first methanol fuel ship-to-ship refueling business along the Yangtze River. The recipient vessel, "COSCO Shipping Libra", is the world's first project to implement the simultaneous transformation of the main and auxiliary engines of a large container ship using methanol dual fuel, which is of milestone significance for the accelerated green transformation of the Shanghai international shipping center.
To ensure the safety and smoothness of the refueling operation, Shanghai COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has joined hands with multiple parties to deepen collaboration and establish a "preparation - protection - execution" guarantee system. Before refueling, thorough preparations were made. The plan review meetings were held with relevant units to listen to the opinions of review experts. The methanol refueling plan was discussed multiple times. The production safety planning was improved. The feasibility, safety and compliance of the "20K dual-fuel container ship ship-to-ship methanol refueling plan" were scientifically demonstrated. The characteristics of methanol and on-site emergency response plans were learned in advance. Conduct desktop simulation exercises for methanol fuel refueling and specialized learning on safety control, coordinate the management of refueling operations and full-range monitoring of the surrounding environment, and strictly prevent potential risks.
Carry out precise risk control during the refueling process, conduct safety risk identification and assessment in advance and formulate response strategies, and refine the preparatory work before refueling. Clarify the inerting process, refueling operation procedures and equipment inspection procedures for the methanol fuel storage tank, daily use tank, venting tank and water purging tank of the receiving vessel. Divide the operation area into control levels according to the safety risk level, implement differentiated protective measures, and establish a management safety model. Refine the phased emergency response plans and enhance their pertinence and operability. Strengthen the coordination and interaction among different controlled areas and establish a collaborative cooperation mechanism with surrounding vessels. Verify the compatibility of emergency communication channels with regular channels to ensure the reliable operation of the communication system and comprehensively enhance the overall safety prevention and control capabilities.
The refueling operation innovates the process flow, adopting a combined process of vehicle and ship, that is, tank trucks perform inerting in the compartments, and ships conduct methanol refueling from ship to ship. Among them, the key areas of the receiving vessel such as the methanol fuel storage tank and the daily use tank were filled with nitrogen inerting in 12 hours, and then 2,100 tons of methanol fuel were filled in 10 hours. Compared with the traditional filling mode, the efficiency was increased by 80%, achieving safe, orderly and efficient filling operations.
The successful refueling of the "COSCO Shipping Libra" is of milestone significance. It provides a replicable and upgradable model for the subsequent series of methanol dual-fuel retrofits and refueling. It marks that Shanghai COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry has achieved closed-loop management of its "repair + modification + refueling" full-chain capabilities, promoting the transformation of ships from traditional energy to green energy.
The successful implementation of the methanol refueling operation on the "COSCO Shipping Libra" is also a breakthrough for Shanghai COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in the green race. With the subsequent series of methanol-powered vessel renovations, Shanghai COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry will continue to focus on the green ship repair and new energy modification fields, actively responding to the national "dual carbon" strategy. We will spare no effort to build a flagship factory for green, low-carbon and intelligent ship and marine engineering repair and modification, providing Chinese wisdom for the global shipping industry to achieve the net-zero emissions target by 2050.