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Infineum highlights its efforts to overcome issues from using methanol bunker fuel

Infineum has made great strides to enable adoption of future fuels, especially green methanol including a new lubricity additive for alcoholic fuels, such as methanol and ethanol, ready for 2025.
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Infineum marine fuels additives receive performance recognition from Lloyd’s Register

International fuel additives company Infineum on Tuesday (10 December) published an article on its Insight website assessing future bunker fuel options and highlighting the work it is doing to overcome some of the technical issues associated with the use of methanol as a marine fuel.

The following are excerpts from the article:

As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) firms up on its decarbonisation ambitions, towards a net zero 2050, the maritime industry is looking for the best ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Infineum Fuels Technologist, Frank Simpson, explores the future fuel options, assesses the challenges they present to the industry and highlights the work Infineum is doing to overcome some of the technical issues associated with the use of methanol to help it become a more viable marine fuel option.

Major engine manufacturers worldwide are investing heavily in sustainable transportation solutions, many focusing on electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen fuel cells, and biofuels to reduce emissions. Innovations in engine design, hybrid technologies, and the use of sustainable materials are also key strategies being employed. Additionally, collaboration with governments to develop necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations, is crucial for the transition to greener transportation options.

A multi-fuel, multi-technology approach aims to address the pressing challenges of climate change, while also meeting consumer needs for reliable and affordable mobility solutions.

This presents a huge challenge and raises the question – how can future transportation be sustainable?

The issue is further complicated in non-road industries, such as shipping, where electrification using batteries is more difficult. This is mainly down to challenges related to scaling up battery size, the difficulty of bringing electricity to vessels for charging, ship weight constraints and scarcity of critical raw materials needed for large battery production.

The barriers to electrification mean the production of internal combustion engines capable of running on sustainable fuels is essential for the maritime industry.

Exactly which fuels still remains to be seen, as there are a wide range of options being considered across the industry, all with their advantages and challenges. The leading candidates in this area appear to be methanol, ammonia and hydrogen. In addition, there is a strong interest in cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and bio-oils (derived from pyrolysis of waste products). However, many of these sustainable fuels will face production and supply issues in the first half of this century, leading most forecasters to suggest there is unlikely to be one lead candidate, rather that the marine industry will adopt a mix of these fuels by 2050.

What does this mean for engine manufacturers?

Firstly, it means huge uncertainty moving forward. Many factors, such as government and IMO regulations, which have seen numerous changes in the past decade alone, are out of the OEMs’ control. Production of green fuels may not meet demand, which could cause their uptake to slow and, because fuel prices are very unpredictable, the economics are especially difficult to plan.

Secondly, it means they need to act today to find technical solutions to enable the use of these new fuels and to ensure they can meet market demand in the future. This has been a huge issue for the industry and significant investments in R&D have been necessary to engineer innovative solutions in these future fuels areas. With many different fuel options still being considered, and no clear picture on which will dominate and by when, OEMs are having to run simultaneous research projects across several fuel areas.

Technical issues facing new fuel adoption

The technical challenges associated with these new fuels fall into three main categories:

Combustion. The extent of which depends on the fuel itself. For example, when compared to diesel fuel, ammonia and methanol are harder to ignite, so a combustion solution including a pilot fuel such as diesel may be needed. In contrast, hydrogen ignites more readily, which causes issues with pre-ignition requiring an alternative solution, such as a specialised engine oil for hydrogen fuel.

Corrosion. This will also differ between the fuels being used, the metals in contact with them and environmental conditions, such as exposure to air or nitrogen blankets, likelihood of water being present and storage temperatures and pressures. This makes finding a cost-effective solution that protects the entire engine and delivery system in all conditions a massive challenge for OEMs. The concern here is that incompatible materials may corrode over time and the metals could become weaker, and break under stress, resulting in severe damage to the engine.

Lubricity. Future fuels all have drastically different lubrication qualities compared to the diesel being used in the field today. While most parts of the engine are lubricated by the engine oil, there are still some areas in fuel injectors and pumps that rely on the fuel to lubricate metal-on-metal contact. The significant sulphur reductions in diesel, mean almost all diesel fuel today includes lubricity additives to compensate for the loss of natural lubricating properties. In cases where the fuel has not provided adequate lubrication, catastrophic damage and wear to the injectors have been observed, causing parts failure within just a few thousand kilometres.

How is Infineum enabling the adoption of future fuels?

Infineum has already made great strides to enable the adoption of future fuels, especially green methanol. We have developed a novel test method specifically tailored for methanol. This method builds upon the HFRR test, incorporating adjustments to account for methanol’s unique characteristics, which has since been adopted for a Marine Methanol Fuels Specification. Untreated methanol is dry and causes a much more severe wear scar than on-spec diesel in this test. Having a test method that allows the lubricity of the methanol to be determined is the first step in solving this complex problem.

Our research and development teams have meticulously explored methanol-compatible lubricity, corrosion and combustion-enhancing additives and have successfully found additive solutions in all of these areas.

Infineum has a new lubricity additive for alcoholic fuels, such as methanol and ethanol, ready for 2025.

This additive will be the first of its kind, and will be perfectly timed to support the early adopters in the industry with their transition to green fuels. Furthermore, the additive will be compatible with retrofit vessels, achieving enhanced lubricity performance compared to on-spec diesel with less than 1000 ppm treat rate.

It is a great example of how Infineum is able to collaborate with OEMs, fuel providers and industry working groups to find viable solutions to the complex problems facing the marine industry today. With 3% of global GHG emissions currently resulting from shipping, and the need for sustainable transportation growing every day, technical solutions to key challenges, such as methanol lubricity, could have a huge impact on the decarbonisation of the industry.

Note: The full article by Infineum can be found here.

 

Photo credit: Infineum
Published: 12 December, 2024

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Interview

Innospec: Marine fuel additives the ‘low hanging fruit’ alternative energy saving technology solution

‘In our return on investment table, you only need a 0.5% fuel saving to break even on an additives investment with us,’ states the Area Sales Manager of Innospec Limited Branch Office Singapore.
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3 weeks ago

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June 5, 2025

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Max Fok Innospec

In an interview with Singapore-based bunkering publication Manifold Times, Max Fok, China & Singapore Marine Sales Manager and Market Specialist, explains how the use of marine fuel additives offer low-hanging fruit solutions for shipowners sailing towards maritime decarbonisation:

MT: Innospec recently released its Q1-25 Sustainability Newsletter, highlighting that 20,000,000 metric tonnes (mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were avoided through the use of their fuel additives in 2024. Could you elaborate on this achievement?

Absolutely. By applying conservative estimates for fuel economy improvements ranging from  2.4 to 4.8%, depending on the type of fuel being treated, our analysis shows an avoidance of over 20,000,000 mt of CO2 for our customers in 2024. This figure is more than 200 times our total annual emissions from our site operations and is equivalent to taking 4.5 million gasoline-powered cars off the road for a year or the carbon sequestration achieved by 340 million tree seedlings over a decade. This highlights the vital role of chemical innovation in helping us utilise natural resources more efficiently while minimising our environmental impact.

MT: That’s impressive. How many shipping companies have benefited from using Innospec’s Octamar Technologies?

Today, over 50 shipping companies have benefited from using Innospec™ Octamar Technologies helping to reduce CO2 emissions and supporting shipping decarbonisation. In 2024, we successfully treated 4.8 million mt of marine fuels.

MT: There are some misconceptions about the role of additives as Energy Saving Devices (ESD). Can you address these misconceptions and explain how additives should be used correctly?

The misconception in the industry is that additives are only used for troubleshooting. However, fuel management involves ensuring fuel stability and compatibility, preventing fuel degradation, and ensuring proper engine reliability.

Performance applications of additives are widely used outside of marine applications, such as in the automotive industry, where premium-grade petrol is used for fleet performance, reducing consumption and emissions.

Fuel additives can improve engine efficiency on board vessels as an Energy Efficiency Technology Solution, reducing fuel usage, emissions, and costs. Compared to other ESD solutions, additives are the easiest to implement while operating the vessel and complying with stringent regulations.

MT: Is there a return on investment for using additives on a vessel? How can Innospec prove their product works, and can the product be trialled by owners before full commitment?

Innospec has proven the effectiveness of our marine additive’s technology. We are the only additives company in the marine industry with an Innovation Endorsement Certificate awarded by ClassNK in 2022, stating 2.1%-3.9% fuel savings.

Compared to other ESDs, the return on investment is immediate. It is one of the low-hanging fruit solutions in the market. We always welcome owners to trial our product before full commitment. With today’s measurement technologies, it is possible. We have supported various owners and proven the effectiveness since 1997. Moreover, additives are the only ESD that you can monitor as many times as you want.

MT: Do most shipowners use additives in their operations? If not, why? What are the challenges of adopting additives in shipowners’ operations, and how can they overcome them?

Marine additives have gained significant attention since the implementation of the IMO 2020 Sulphur Cap Regulation, as they have proven effective in addressing tank cleaning and VLSFO fuel issues. Most shipowners now include additives as part of their fuel management policy for treating bunker fuel. The challenge lies in who should bear the cost of these additives. Many shipowners tend to push this cost to charterers because it’s the charterers who pay for the fuel. However, this viewpoint is slowly changing due to regulatory requirements. For shipowners, it’s about compliance and machinery reliability, while for charterers, the emphasis is on achieving  fuel savings. Ultimately, the advantages of using fuel additives benefits both parties.

MT: How can additives help shipowners meet regulatory requirements? Are there any case studies or examples you can share?

Innospec has many case studies showing average fuel efficiency savings of 2%-4%. In addition to the CO2 emission reduction associated with fuel savings, which help to avoid penalties such as those under FuelEU Maritime regulation, these savings also improve the CII rating of a vessel which supports the vessel’s journey towards the future IMO Net-zero Framework. With rising fuel prices, these savings could grow significantly. In an era of new bunker fuels, such as biofuels, the same efficiency gains could also cut costs of new bunker fuel usage, and provide additional savings from reduced emissions costs. This strengthens the business case for using additives as ESDs while also improving the economics of low-carbon fuels by lowering overall operational expenses.

MT: Finally, some people believe that additives are too expensive to use regularly on vessels due to the high cost. What would you say to them?

That is a misconception in the industry. As the popularity of additives has grown, many  companies have entered the market, making promises on high fuel savings of up to 10%-20%, but with very-high treat rates and costs. However, in this scenario  the so-called ‘additive’ can no longer be named ‘an additive’ but rather a blending component for the fuel.

Can you imagine adding 6,000 litres of chemical into 6,000 mt of bunker fuel? It would be a nightmare to the crew(!).

At Innospec, our technology treat rate is only between 167 to 333ppm, which is a very small dose rate. To put that into context just 1,000 litres of our additive is sufficient to treat 6,000 mt of fuel.

Max Fok’s contact details are as follows:

Max Fok
Area Sales Manager
Innospec Limited Branch Office Singapore
47 Scotts Road, #06-01 Goldbell Towers,
Singapore 228233
E-mail:  [email protected]

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 5 June, 2025

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Business

Singapore-based EPS to invest in SulNOx, adopt fuel conditioner on at least 30 vessels

EPS will adopt SulNOxEco on a minimum of 30 vessels for a minimum of 18 months use per vessel following an extensive eight-month successful evaluation of SulNOxEco on various EPS-managed vessels.
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5 months ago

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January 14, 2025

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Singapore-based EPS to invest in SulNOx, adopt fuel conditioner on at least 30 vessels

Maritime green tech firm SulNOx on Monday (13 January) said it has signed an agreement with Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which encompasses both investment into SulNOx and a major new product supply contract for its SulNOxEcoTM fuel conditioner (SulNOxEco).

The agreement follows an extensive eight-month successful evaluation of SulNOxEco on various EPS-managed vessels including container ships, tankers, bulk and gas carriers. EPS Ventures Pte. Ltd. (EPSV) will also become a strategic shareholder in SulNOx. 

Under the agreement, EPS, which manages a diverse fleet of over 300 vessels on water and on order, will adopt SulNOxEco on a minimum of 30 vessels for a minimum of 18 months use per vessel. 

EPS will also provide information in relation to the results of the evaluation, which the Company will be able to use in its marketing activities, along with the ongoing support of EPS. 

In addition, EPS will also collaborate with and act as an introducer for SulNOxEco, to some of the world’s largest shipping companies. The agreement itself will generate significant revenue and secure committed minimum product volumes of 250,000 litres. Further, the Board anticipates attracting additional customers and driving substantial further revenue growth.

Cyril Ducau, Chief Executive Officer of EPS, said, “This partnership with SulNOx is a significant step towards achieving EPS’s long-term sustainability objectives. By enhancing our operational efficiency and reinforcing our commitment to meeting global environmental standards, this collaboration further solidifies our position as a proactive leader in sustainable shipping practices.”

Radu Florescu, Chairman of SulNOx, said, “Signing the marquee shipping name of EPS after an extensive evaluation period proves the effectiveness of SulNOx products beyond doubt at a time when the industry is crying out for solutions to reduce fuel consumption and associated emissions against a backdrop of increasing regulation.”

“With this partnership, not only have we secured substantial, committed revenues, but there is also significant additional potential revenue from EPS’ introductions to some of the world’s largest fleets. This transaction marks a new and transformative era for the SulNOx Group, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership with EPS, delivering the energy transition together.”

Related: SulNOx gains new patent in Singapore, reports ‘record’ first quarter

 

Photo credit: SulNOx
Published: 14 January, 2025

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Alternative Fuels

CCS AiPs issued to Huangpu Wenchong for ammonia, methanol dual-fuel ship designs

CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding received AiPs for the designs of the Honghu 3,500TEU ammonia dual fuel container ship and Haijing 82,000T methanol dual fuel bulk carrier.
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8 months ago

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October 29, 2024

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CCS AiPs issued to Huangpu Wenchong for ammonia, methanol dual-fuel ship designs

China Classification Society (CCS) on Monday (28 October) said it issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) each for an ammonia dual-fuel container ship and a methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier, which were independently developed by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company Limited.

During a launch conference on 10 October, Zhou Liwei, Deputy General Manager of CCS Guangzhou Branch, on behalf of CCS, handed over the AiPs for the designs of the Honghu 3,500TEU ammonia dual fuel container ship and Haijing 82,000T methanol dual fuel bulk carrier.

CCS AiPs issued to Huangpu Wenchong for ammonia, methanol dual-fuel ship designs

CCS said the Honghu 3500TEU container ship has the advantages such as large loading capacity and low fuel consumption of the Honghu SWAN series products. It has excellent energy-saving performance, with a daily fuel consumption about 10% lower than the similar ships in the market.

CCS AiPs issued to Huangpu Wenchong for ammonia, methanol dual-fuel ship designs

The Haiying 82,000T methanol dual fuel bulk carrier meets various new regulatory requirements, and can be equipped with various energy-saving technologies such as shaft-mounted generators, wind-assisted rotor sails and gas layer drag reduction. It has multiple alternative fuel design solutions.

 

Photo credit: CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding
Published: 29 October 2024

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