German energy company Uniper announced that it is launching
a program designed to scale up green methanol positioning it as a sustainable
and carbon-neutral marine fuel. Working
with the shipping service provider Liberty Pier Maritime Projects and
engineering firm SDC (Ship Design & Consult) they will form an open
collaboration, the Green Methanol Cooperation, to develop the infrastructure
and logistics framework needed to supply methanol in Europe and establish the relevant
shipping requirements.
While the first focus will be on the infrastructure to
supply methanol, a medium-term goal for the cooperation will be to build ships
that can burn green methanol in their engines. The project will initially focus
on European coastal shipping using ships with a load capacity of 5300 and 8300
tons and container feeders.
Methanol is viewed by the shipping industry as a logical
near-term option to begin decarbonization of shipping while development efforts
continue on other options including hydrogen and ammonia. Recently, Eastern
Pacific Shipping announced that it would begin to retrofit existing ships and
develop new ones to run on methanol. EPS expects to have the first ships
sailing on methanol in the next two years.
Uniper is highlighting the perceived benefits of methanol
saying that as a hydrogen carrier, green methanol is easier to transport and
store than green hydrogen. It burns clean, is liquid at ambient temperatures
and pressures, and is also biodegradable. Green methanol is carbon-neutral
overall, as it is produced using hydrogen from renewable sources and CO2 from
the atmosphere via a biological feedstock or direct air capture.
"Providing and using green methanol as a fuel for the
maritime industry is a logical step in the implementation of our hydrogen
strategy within the wider framework of our decarbonization efforts,” said David
Bryson, COO Uniper SE. “With Liberty Pier and SDC, we have gained two
experienced and knowledgeable partners from the maritime industry who want to
collaborate with us to establish green methanol as a maritime fuel on the
market."
Founding the Green Methanol Cooperation, the partners cited
the urgent need to find solutions to meet the challenges of the maritime
industry and the ambitious standards from the IMO and other regulators to
reduce carbon emissions. The partners see green methanol as a “sensible
solution for decarbonization, both for European coastal shipping and
international deep-sea shipping.” They believe that as the systems are developed
it can also be used for specialist applications, such as cruise ships and
inland navigation.
The three companies have committed to using a completely
digitalized and transparent approach to their collaboration, allowing them to
forge ahead with the project in accordance with the Poseidon Principles and ESG
principles.