Methanol dual-fuel bulker Green Future makes maiden Mombasa call with steel cargo

The methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier Green Future made its first call at Kenya’s Port of Mombasa on 10 November 2026, carrying more than 23,000 tonnes of steel coils for domestic and regional transit markets. The arrival brings an early example of alternative-fuel dry bulk shipping to the East African gateway.

Following discharge at Mombasa, the vessel was scheduled to proceed to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, according to its master, Captain Loren Causine.

What cargo and operations are involved?

The steel shipment serves both Kenyan customers and cargo movements through Mombasa to regional markets. The call forms part of the vessel’s commercial operations, following its delivery in Japan in May 2025.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) marked the maiden visit with a certificate and commemorative plaque presented to the master. John Turasha, KPA’s General Manager for Legal Services, represented Chief Executive Officer Captain William Ruto at the ceremony.

The vessel has a reported gross tonnage of 37,435. KPA also linked the visit to its Green Ports Policy and wider efforts to reduce the environmental impact of port and shipping activities.

Who owns and operates Green Future?

Green Future is chartered by NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, part of Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Group, from Kambara Kisen. NYK’s delivery announcement identifies this charter arrangement, rather than direct NYK ownership.

The vessel was delivered at Tsuneishi Shipbuilding’s Tsuneishi Factory on 13 May 2025. It became the NYK Group’s first bulk carrier equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of using methanol and conventional fuel oil.

Measuring 199.99 metres in length and 32.25 metres in breadth, the ship has approximately 65,700 tonnes of deadweight capacity, cargo capacity of 81,500 cubic metres and a draft of 13.8 metres.

What is the vessel’s technological milestone?

Tsuneishi describes the ship as the world’s first methanol dual-fuel Ultramax bulk carrier in the 65,700-deadweight-tonne class. It is based on the shipbuilder’s TESS66 AEROLINE design.

The shipbuilder says the methanol tank arrangement preserves cargo-handling efficiency while accommodating the additional fuel system. The design also incorporates a fuel-efficient main engine and aerodynamic features intended to reduce wind resistance.

These characteristics combine alternative-fuel capability with the cargo capacity required for commercial dry bulk operations.

What does the reported 65% emissions reduction cover?

NYK reported an approximately 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from an earlier Green Future operation carrying copper concentrate for mining group BHP. Announced in February 2026, that result concerned low-carbon methanol use and was calculated on a well-to-wake basis, covering fuel production, delivery and onboard consumption.

The fuel had been bunkered at Ulsan, South Korea, in September 2025. Copper concentrate was subsequently loaded in Chile in January 2026 for scheduled discharge in China.

The 65% figure therefore relates to that documented fuel and transport operation. It should not be treated as a verified emissions reduction for the steel shipment delivered to Mombasa.

How was the low-carbon fuel supplied?

NYK confirmed that Green Future received low-carbon methanol through a ship-to-ship transfer at Ulsan on 28 September 2025.

The fuel used a mass-balance approach to attribute renewable inputs within the production process and carried International Sustainability and Carbon Certification for the European Union, known as ISCC EU. Such documentation supports the tracing of fuel sustainability characteristics through the supply chain.

The Mombasa call demonstrates the vessel’s deployment on East African cargo trades. The available announcement does not establish that methanol was supplied at Mombasa.