Existing Structures a Major Challenge in First Methanol Boxship Conversion: DNV

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Retrofitting a 20,000-TEU container ship for methanol propulsion proved significantly more complex than a newbuild project, according to classification society DNV.

The conversion of Cosco Shipping Libra required engineers to work around existing ship structures while integrating new fuel, automation and security systems into limited onboard space, it said in its Maritime Impact article released on Friday.

The Cosco Shipping Lines-operated vessel is fitted with dual-fuel methanol engines from Everllence last year.

The conversion happened at CHI Shanghai Shipyard.

DNV said the project demanded innovative construction methods and close coordination among suppliers as methanol tanks, fuel supply systems, automation equipment and security systems were installed onboard.

Software commissioning also emerged as a major challenge.

According to DNV, integrating manage systems, automation platforms and remote-operation interfaces took significantly longer than expected on the first vessel.

Because the project involved multiple suppliers and was the first methanol retrofit of its kind, there was little reference data available.

"to the first vessel, software commissioning took far longer than expected, Yan Hao, commercial director at CHI-Shanghai, said.

"Because this was a first-of-its-kind retrofit involving several suppliers, there was no baseline data.

“The integration of multiple systems required extensive testing and recalibration."

According to DNV, lessons learned from the project were later applied to a sister vessel, helping minimize retrofit time from 108 days to 90 days.

The Cosco Shipping Libra completed a 106-day maiden voyage in January.

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