Proman Stena Bulk, a joint venture between tanker company Stena Bulk and methanol producer Proman, formally named its third newbuild IMOIIMeMAX methanol-fuelled 49,900dwt tanker, Stena Promise, in a ceremony in Rotterdam on 26 April.
Stena Promise is the third of four methanol-fuelled vessels to be delivered to the joint venture and was completed in November 2022.
All four vessels in the IMOIIMeMax series have demonstrated an unprecedentedly low EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) value while running on methanol.
Proman Stena Bulk’s IMOIIMeMax vessel series has achieved an EEDI 11 per cent below the 2025 Phase 3 requirements, setting a new benchmark for methanol-fuelled tankers and further proving the operational viability of methanol as a marine fuel.
The naming ceremony, which was held near the city’s famous Erasmusbrug, saw dignitaries and guests from both Proman and Stena Bulk, and from across the maritime industry, gather to celebrate the methanol-fuelled joint venture fleet.
This was the first Naming Ceremony for a methanol-fuelled vessel held in the Port. Attendees heard speeches from David Cassidy, CEO of Proman, Erik Hånell, President and CEO of Stena Bulk, and Gary Ge Xiujiang, Deputy Managing Director of Sales Department, Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), the shipyard which built Proman Stena Bulk’s tankers.
Dr Hilary Cassidy, the vessel’s godmother, ended the ceremony with a traditional champagne christening. All guests were welcomed on board Stena Promise for a short visit.
The naming ceremony was held in Rotterdam in recognition of the port’s contribution to the maritime decarbonisation agenda. The Port is the largest methanol hub in north-western Europe, and ship-to-ship bunkering has taken place at the port successfully several times, including for the first JV vessel Stena Propatria in August 2022.
There is growing momentum around methanol as a marine fuel, with over 106 methanol-fuelled ships on order as of the end of March according to analysis from class society DNV. This includes container lines, dry bulk and tanker orders, as well as leading names from the cruise sector.
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Photo by Hannes van Rijn, courtesy of shipspotting.com
