Vietnamese shipping company Asia Pacific Shipping Company Ltd (ASP) has taken delivery of Vietnam’s first methanol dual-fuel MR2 oil/chemical tanker vessel – the ASP RAINBOW.
The milestone was celebrated on November 20, 2025, at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China with the official delivery of ASP RAINBOW and the joint naming ceremony for its second vessel, ASP SUNSHINE.
The two methanol dual-fuel MR2 oil/chemical tankers are not only the first in a series of new builds ordered by ASP but are also the first commercial vessels in Vietnam to utilise dual-fuel technology.
Methanol is the optimal solution
Putting these new dual-fuel tankers into operation enables ASP to become the pioneer in Vietnam to own a fleet capable of using clean fuel.
This technology not only offers maximum operational flexibility but also significantly reduces the impact on the environment.
The move is of strategic significance, particularly in the context of increasingly tightening international maritime environmental regulations, which directly impact methanol adoption as an alternative fuel.
Investing in methanol dual-fuel technology helps ASP overcome future environmental challenges while maintaining a competitive advantage in global business operations.
Solidifying Vietnam–China cooperation
According to ASP, the delivery is a clear testament to the effective cooperative relationship between Vietnamese and Chinese maritime companies.
The project is the result of close and effective collaboration between ASP, GSI, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), which designed and built the vessels, and CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Co. Ltd, which provided financial solutions.
This is the first delivery in the plan to build a series of methanol-powered MR2 vessels that ASP signed with GSI in 2024, marking an important step in the company’s fleet modernisation and greening strategy, aiming toward the Net Zero goal by 2050.
