Use of methanol fuels will reduce ship emissions
by : ARI MONONEN photo : UNSPLASH
With the advent of constantly tightening IMO regulations on the environmental emissions in maritime traffic , new solutions for ship fuels are sorely needed . Shipyards are starting to turn to methanol , a promising and viable ” green ” fuel alternative .
To reduce ship emissions , new types of non-fossil fuels are called for . A system that supplies methanol fuel to ship engines could be useful in stopping environmental emissions of , say , SOx and NOx emissions , as well as harmful particulates .
” Pilot projects for the use of methanol in marine engines started around 2015 . However , large-scale utilisation of methanol did not commence until 2022 ,” says Mr . John Bergman , CEO of Auramarine based near Turku in Finland . The company has a long history of various marine fuel supply solutions .
” These days , shipyards in China and South Korea are largely resorting to methanol-fuel engines in their shipbuilding . Methanol fuels are a growing market , with many shipowners considering methanol conversions for their existing fleets .”
Within Auramarine , the development of methanol supply units and other methanol-fuel solutions was started in 2020 . The task was given to a team of fifteen R & D engineers .
20 seatec 2 / 2023