Projected Reductions in CO2 Emissions by Using Alternative Methanol Fuel to Power a Service Operation Vessel

Abstract

Due to increasingly stringent IMO and European Commission requirements for greenhouse gas emissions, the present study analysed the projected reductions in CO2 emissions achieved by using methanol as an alternative fuel to power custom service operation vessels (SOVs) serving wind platforms in the Baltic Sea. Methanol is a relatively new fuel, approved for use as a safe marine fuel in the late 2020s. In these analyses, reference was made to the current interim guidelines, supplementing the IGF Code in the form of MSC.1/Circ.1621. The SOV type was chosen because of the current growing demand for these ships (the dynamic development of offshore wind power) and the lack of analyses of this type of small craft. The importance of assessing CO2 emissions in this case is due to the specifics of the vessel’s operation in different modes, and thus the variable load on the propulsion system and the area of operation close to the coastline. A computational research method was used to evaluate CO2 emissions, as well as the cost of methanol fuel, using current regulations and technical data. A comparison was also made between conventional MDO and LNG fuels. The first results of the analysis showed that methanol fuel is only competitive with MDO (a few-percent advantage) in terms of the average estimated index value EIV. Economically, it will require a higher investment, despite the favourable unit price of methanol compared to LNG and MDO.