Aasen Shipping Company orders hybrid self-unloaders to expand methanol trend

The trend toward methanol adoption and the use of hybrid systems to meet the need to reduce emissions continues to spread to more sectors of the shipping industry. In the latest move, Dutch shipbuilder Royal Bodewes said it will build three methanol self-discharge-ready general cargo ships with hybrid battery systems for Norway’s Aasen Shipping.

Methanol continues to expand into more sectors of the shipping industry as the alternative fuel of choice for the next generation of shipping and helping shipowners protect their investments by making existing vessels future-ready. Data from DNV shows that 14 methanol-fueled vessels were ordered last month. This included bulk carriers, tankers and car carriers, and last week Boskalis reported an order for the first dredger to be built to run on methanol.

The new ships will continue Assen’s efforts of the past few years to build a path to decarbonization. The three new general cargo ships, with a capacity of 9,400 tons, will continue on this route. Royal Bodewes reports that it will have similar dimensions to two previous ships delivered in 2021 and 2022 as the first hybrid self-unloaders as they were equipped with batteries and an electric motor alongside the MGO-fueled main engine.

The three new ships are 393.5 feet long. It will be equipped with W?rtsil? The 6L25 main engine is capable of producing 2250 kW. Expanding on the previous category, the new ships will have a large battery pack, which will enable reduced power consumption of both the main engine and the auxiliary engine. The cargo handling equipment will be electric, which will again reduce noise and emissions. In port, they can also use shore power for all their cargo handling operations.

Royal Bodewes points out that becoming a zero-emission zone is the biggest challenge. New ships are built ready for methanol. Once green methanol was available, they reported that ships could be easily rebuilt to use the new alternative fuel.

The shipyard previously built Asfgel (2021) and Asfos (2022) by Assen. It is equipped with a 535 kWh battery to power the electric excavator for loading and unloading. They also added maximum shaving capability while ships are at sea. It allows the batteries to provide additional load in heavy seas or store excess energy in normal conditions so that the main engine can be operated at a more stable and efficient level.

The three new ships are scheduled to be delivered in December 2025, April 2026 and September 2026.