Tuomas Häkkinen, who was recently appointed as Director Business Line Projects of Finland-based fuel supply systems provider Auramarine Ltd, discussed with bunkering publication Manifold Times on methanol marine fuel engines, decarbonisation-related market opportunities for the firm and how Auramarine solutions stand out from the competition:

MT: What is the forecasted uptake potential for methanol marine fuel engines by the global merchant fleet in light of IMO 2030/2050? 

This is difficult to estimate as the marine industry is changing rapidly. While there are a number of new low and zero-carbon fuels in the mix, the future and main make-up of the bunkering supply chain within shipping will likely comprise of a combination of ammonia, biofuels and methanol.

It is difficult to forecast the precise number but leading classification society Lloyd’s Register, in its recent paper ‘The future of maritime fuels’ (September 2023), predicted bio and e-methanol would have a combined market share of total shipping fuel by 2050 of 13.4%.  However, the most optimistic scenario projects a market share for bio-methanol of 43% by 2050.

There is, therefore, a lot of potential for the uptake of methanol, both in newbuilds and retrofits. It’s currently one of the more mature and advanced alternative fuels and is easy to adopt. With this foundation, we aim to reach significant market share of methanol fuel supply systems both in newbuilds and retrofits.

MT: What is the number one misunderstanding about methanol marine fuel engines that you would like to debunk?  

Based on our experience, very often the integration of ship and engine systems can cause challenges and uncertainty where the responsibility of specific system parts is unclear or where there are many different players involved in the system integration. However, with proper planning and expert design, solutions can be deployed to overcome these challenges.

It’s also important to note that you get different challenges depending on whether it’s a system for a retrofit or newbuild vessel. For example, a retrofit carried out for an existing vessel always requires more attention than a newbuild, as there are more preconditions to consider. The key points a shipowner should consider when planning for a retrofit range from engine modification availability, space constraints such as tank availability, health and safety guidelines and fuel availability through to specific sustainability goals and compliance considerations.

From Auramarine’s perspective, safety is one of the most important issues due to methanol toxicity and high flammability where, for crew, inhaling, touching, or breathing in methanol is very dangerous. We, therefore, provide onboard and in-house training for crew, officers, and onshore staff, where all aspects are considered to ensure trouble-free operations as well as compliance with all environmental, health and safety regulations.  Ultimately, a well-trained crew ensures a safe voyage and efficient operations, and we always ensure that we provide project-specific training plans, as well as operation and maintenance manuals for each project.

We also firmly believe that when one experienced supplier is responsible for the design of the entire system, it is easier to control the many subsystems to ensure optimum results. Specific responsibilities and requirements are always clearer and better for efficiency. Doing this reduces project-related risks because an understanding of the interface and relationships among different components and stakeholders helps avoid misunderstandings and prevents any oversight.

MT: In terms of technology, how have maritime fuel supply systems evolved over the years and how will this sector grow in the future to accommodate shipping's green trend? 

To meet the requirements of retrofits, and the planning and production cycles of new builds, maritime fuel supply systems are becoming more modular and flexible to install in different spaces and setups. This ensures a clear line of responsibility, allowing an experienced provider to take accountability for the safety and performance of the fuel supply system to minimise risks.

MT: Other than methanol/ammonia fuel supply systems, what other decarbonisation-related market opportunities do you see for Auramarine? 

There are a lot of opportunities for more efficient use of fuels.  For example, we recently launched our AFE (Auramarine Fuel Economiser) solution, a real-time data monitoring and reporting tool, which enables shipowners and operators to proactively analyse and identify where fuel consumption and emissions can be reduced, delivering savings of between 5% and 20%.

The AFE monitors and measures the entire fuel consumption of vessels across a whole fleet, collecting data from all fuel and power-related systems on board, whether a vessel is in operation or not. This makes data collection easy for accurate reporting purposes in line with regulations such as the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator, and, critically, it also highlights opportunities to reduce fuel consumption such as optimising operations by analysing fuel profiles.

MT: How are Auramarine's solutions different and why should shipowners choose the firm's fuel supply systems over the competition? 

We believe in close collaboration with shipowners to ensure their systems are tailormade to their needs no matter what fuel they use, including methanol, biofuels and soon ammonia, and we always provide fast, flexible and accurate project execution leveraging more than 50 years of experience in fuel supply system deliveries.

We also provide customers with global lifecycle support and a ‘one-stop-shop’- an end-to-end solution for our methanol fuel supply system. When the methanol system’s lifecycle support comes from a single, experienced supplier, the customer can be assured that all interfaces within the system are considered, and all needs are covered. Any interface issues can be avoided, there are clear lines of responsibility and there are no gaps in the management and upkeep of the system throughout its lifetime.

With the current and future reporting and regulatory requirements, it is important that the fuel system is kept up-to-date and compliant with the changing requirements.  This is where preventative maintenance and the role of data comes in. By using remote conditioning and operational monitoring, operational issues and downtime can be avoided, ensuring safety, efficiency and unnecessary costs.

Related: Auramarine appoints Tuomas Häkkinen as Director Business Line Projects

Photo credit: Auramarine
Published: 11 July, 2024