On June 23, the world's first methanol dual-fuel retrofit container ship, the 950 TEU feeder container ship ECO UMANDE, was successfully delivered. This project was undertaken by Pacific Ocean Engineering (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd.
The "ECO UMANDE," owned by Singapore-based feeder container ship owner X-Press Feeders, marks the beginning of a new era of alternative fuel retrofitting for existing vessels.
Built by New Dayang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. under SUMEC Marine Co., Ltd., the ship was initially designed with a methanol fuel reserve（ready）. However, due to the rapid advancement of decarbonization and marine methanol fuel, the owner decided to retrofit the vessel for dual-fuel capability upon delivery. The retrofit project was contracted by SUMEC Marine to Pacific Ocean Engineering (Zhoushan) Co., Ltd.
X-Press Feeders currently has 14 methanol dual-fuel container ships ordered from various shipyards in China. Among these, the four 950 TEU container ships ordered from SUMEC Marine (New Dayang Shipbuilding) are among the earliest batches. Following Maersk's lead in choosing methanol, X-Press Feeders was the first to follow suit in building methanol dual-fuel container ships.
The "ECO UMANDE" measures 148 meters in length, 27.2 meters in width, and 14.3 meters in depth. It is equipped with a MAN Energy Solutions 5S50ME methanol dual-fuel engine, capable of zero-carbon emissions when using green methanol. It meets EEDI Phase III and Tier III requirements, boasting safety, low emissions, and environmental protection.
The retrofit project involved installing seven new systems, including the methanol fuel system, nitrogen system, bilge water system in the methanol equipment room, methanol tank vent and sweep system, LFSS instrument air system, foam system, and modifications to eight existing systems. These include the CO2 system, shipwide air measurement system, engine room water supply system, high and low-temperature freshwater cooling system, compressed air system, control air system, fire water system, and ventilation system.
Key retrofit tasks included prefabrication, installation, pressure testing, system commissioning, and methanol filling of 316L stainless steel pipelines for the methanol supply and auxiliary systems, totaling about 3000 meters with approximately 3000 weld joints.