Methanol on Board: Technical Challenges and Regulatory Compliance

Abstract

In recent years several initiatives have been introduced to tackle the climate change, both at international and local level. For the maritime sector, the IMO adopted on 2023 the Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. The EU countries are working on the Fit for 55 policy, and its maritime declination, the FuelEU maritime initiative, entered in force at the beginning of 2025. Many different solutions can be chosen to meet the requirements of such regulations, and even more are yet to be developed. Often it is hard to navigate between the benefits and drawbacks of each strategy. In this panorama, methanol, both as a fuel and an energy vector, is an interesting option and has received some attention lately. It is a versatile organic basic chemical. Although conventionally it is obtained from natural gas, more sustainable production pathways by means of renewable resources are also feasible. It can be either exploited in the well-proven internal combustion engines or in fuel cell power installations. It has the advantage over hydrogen of being a liquid at normal conditions and having a larger volumetric energy density. Yet it is a chemical toxic to life, it is a flammable substance, and its heavier-than-air vapours tend to stagnate and when mixed with air generate an explosive atmosphere. Furthermore, it poses some more issues than oil with regards to corrosion and materials compatibility. Objective of this contribution is to provide a broad overview of the technical challenges to overcome for a safe adoption of methanol on board ships. The discussion will cover storage, transfer and feed to consumers, fire protection and electrical installations aspects. An emphasis will be given on compliance of the design solutions according to the available Class and statutory regulatory tools.