Proman Stena Bulk names third methanol-fuelled tanker, Stena Promise

Proman Stena Bulk has officially named its third methanol-fuelled tanker, Stena Promise in a ceremony in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on Wednesday. Stena Promise was described as a state-of-the-art methanol-fuelled 49,900 dead weight tonnage tankers and was said to be delivered last November in a release by Proman.

Proman Stena Bulk is a joint venture between the Stena Bulk, one of the leading tanker shipping companies and methanol producer, Proman. Stena Bulk was founded in 1982 and the company controls a combined fleet of around 110 vessels. Stena Bulk is part of the Stena Sphere, which has more than 20,000 employees and sales of Swedish krona $60 billion.

The name ceremony was held near Rotterdam’s famous Erasmusbrug or Erasmus Bridge where dignitaries and guests of Proman and Stena Bulk converged to celebrate the joint venture fleet. This was also the first naming ceremony for a methanol-fuelled vessel held in the port of Rotterdam. It was held there in recognition of the port’s unique contribution to the maritime decarbonisation agenda.

Present at the ceremony were David Cassidy CEO of Proman, Erik Hanell president and CEO of Stena Bulk, and Gary Ge Xiujiang deputy managing director of sales department of Guangzhou Shipyard International – the shipyard that built Proman Stena Bulk’s tankers.

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 joint venture vessel Stena Pro Patria in August 2022.

Dr Hilary Cassidy “the vessel’s godmother,” ended the ceremony with a traditional champagne christening before all guests were welcomes on board the Stena Promise for a short visit.

Speaking about the naming ceremony, David Cassidy said, “She (Stena Promise) is a very special vessel for us, and it is fantastic to be able to use her naming ceremony as a driver to convene with partners, friends and industry leaders in Rotterdam at a pivotal time for the shipping industry’s low-carbon transition. We need to ensure that regulatory incentives and market-based measures continue to drive capital to projects which can deliver real, meaningful and immediate emissions reductions. And to do that we need to work with partners across the entire industry and shipping value chain to make green shipping a reality.”

Hanell added, “The naming ceremony for Stena Promise is another step on our cooperation between Stena Bulk and Proman to prove the viability of methanol as a marine fuel. By gathering in Rotterdam – one of the industry’s most important bunkering hubs – we are once again underlining that methanol operation is technically feasible today.“

During its commercial operations, Stena Promise has already been operating full time on conventional methanol from natural gas. The vessel will use around 11,500 tonnes of methanol as fuel per year, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular marine fuels.