The world's first methanol dual-fuel powered intelligent very large crude carrier (VLCC), dubbed New Explorer, was delivered on Monday in Dalian, Liaoning province, marking a green and intelligent transformation milestone for China's shipbuilding industry.

With a shallower full-load draft than conventional VLCC designs, it is ideal for navigating through the Strait of Malacca.

China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) built the vessel for China Merchants Energy Shipping, delivering it four months ahead of schedule. It is DSIC's eighth-generation self-developed VLCC design.

With a domestically produced methanol dual-fuel host and methanol fuel supply system, the vessel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 92 percent, sulfur oxide emissions by 99 percent, and particulate matter emissions by 90 percent, compared with the use of conventional fuel.