Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced that its subsidiary MOL Ocean Bulk Pte. Ltd., which operates the MOL Group’s overseas Capesize bulker business, has signed a 25-year contract with Vale International S.A. to transport iron ore using two newly built vessels. The project will deploy what MOL describes as the world’s first 210,000-metric-ton ore carriers fitted with a tri-fuel propulsion system capable of switching between ethanol, methanol and conventional heavy fuel oil. The vessels, each measuring 299.95 meters in length with a 50-meter beam, are scheduled for delivery in 2030 and will primarily carry Vale’s iron ore from Brazil to destinations worldwide, chiefly China.
The newbuildings will also feature LNG- and ammonia-ready designs, allowing the owner and charterer to adapt fuel pathways as availability, regulation and economics evolve, alongside energy-saving technologies aimed at reducing consumption. The contract forms part of Vale’s broader shipping decarbonization strategy and is intended to lower the Brazilian miner’s Scope 3 emissions from seaborne transport, while supporting MOL’s own “BLUE ACTION 2035 Phase 2” environmental vision targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The deal adds to a wider wave of Vale-backed tri-fuel ore carrier commitments, including eight similar 210,000-dwt ships chartered from South Korea’s HMM under 25-year agreements also beginning in 2030, as the miner locks in low-emission tonnage across multiple Asian shipowners for its critical Brazil-to-Asia export route.
Source: Splash247 — https://splash247.com/mol-lands-vale-charter-for-two-tri-fuel-ore-carriers/
Tags: Vale, MOL, Decarbonization, Dry Bulk
