A green light for the adoption of methanol as a sustainable marine fuel has been given by the Sustainable Marine Methanol (SUMMETH) project.
The research concluded that there are no obstacles to the efficient use of methanol in a converted diesel engine and that smaller vessel conversion projects are feasible and cost-effective, with levels of safety that easily meet existing requirements.
SUMMETH is an effort supported by the MARTEC II network and co-funded by the Swedish Maritime Administration, Region Vastra Gotaland, Oiltanking and the Methanol Institute.
Dr Joanne Ellis, Project Manager for SSPA, which led the research says the partners sought to build on the work already done in earlier research projects that resulted in the Stena Lines and Waterfront Shipping methanol dual-fuel vessels, using a vessel type that could use methanol in a converted single-fuel engine.
“The work on Stena Germanica and the Waterfront Shipping vessels proved the dual fuel concept in larger vessels; we wanted to understand whether conversion of a smaller engine was feasible,” she says.
“We looked at a road ferry with an engine capacity of about 350 kW which makes short trips between the mainland and the island of Ljusterö in the Stockholm archipelago, carrying people as well as cars, where there was a real desire to improve the emissions profile.”
Dr Ellis adds that as biomethanol increasingly becomes available, vessel operators will have the opportunity to blend in this zero-carbon fuel and progressively meet emission reduction targets set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
“The Swedish government has recently asked the country’s Transport Administration to investigate making all of its ferries, pilot boats, icebreakers and workboats fossil-free by either 2030 or 2045, something that could make biomethanol increasingly attractive,” she notes.
“Sweden has the potential to satisfy required demand for the biomethanol, which can be produced from renewable feedstock such as pulp mill waste, and there are several initiatives underway investigating the production of sustainable methanol.”
Topic areas of the project’s final reports include the technical feasibility of converting vessels to propulsion using methanol, the resulting environmental performance, bunkering issues and fuel supply now and in the future.
The research programme was conducted by SSPA, ScandiNAOS, Marine Benchmark, Lund University, the Swedish Transport Administration Road Ferries, Scania, SMTF and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
A copy of the SUMMETH report can be downloaded here.
Photo credit: Truls Persson
Published: 31 May, 2018
Joint development project includes utilising SOFC technology to replace at least one of three diesel generators typically on-board a Very Large Crude Carrier.
The FPS team have been carefully measuring the energy consumed on the vessel’s trips between ports and analysing data to finalise its hydrogen fuel cell system design.
As part of a joint development with MAN Energy Solutions and Lloyd’s Register, the trio plan to commercialise ammonia powered vessels by 2025.
SolarDuck and Voyex enter partnership to use hydrogen as bunker fuel to make inland shipping more sustainable; testing will commence in April 2021.
Addition of MPA and Yara means the alliance, first unveiled in January 2020, now has a complete representation from all areas of the maritime ecosystem.
‘Energy transition in shipping will require new technologies, alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping,’ IMO Head, Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency, tells Manifold Times.
Legal representatives met at the High Court on Tuesday to discuss the discharge of KPMG liquidators from all liability in respect of conduct in the course of winding up, show court documents.
Global sentence adjusts to 80 month’s imprisonment term for both Chang and Koh under application of the Masui sentencing framework; fine of SGD 6.2 million against Chang remains unchanged.
Company has been ranked EIGHTH for 2020; ‘we are humbled and proud to be placed amongst the top ten winners of the Enterprise 50 Awards,’ says Satnam Singh, COO, Sing Fuels.
Mads Bjornebye, Manager of Bunker Services at Teekay Tankers Ltd, shares about the company’s perspective of e-BDNs, bunker purchasing & planning tools, while offering his thoughts on future marine fuels.
Maritime sector may find it increasingly challenging to manage bunker prices, Dennis Ho, Managing Director at ElbOil Singapore tells Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.
NBF mulls use of blockchain-based registry of trade finance transactions as secure central database for the banking industry to streamline documentation processes and resolve transparency issues.
