Methanol Institute welcomes IMO decision
Trade association The Methanol Institute has welcomed the decision of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to invite the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop a standard for methyl/ethyl alcohol as a marine fuel and a standard for methyl/ethyl alcohol fuel couplings.
The decision, taken at the 99th session of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 99) is a significant step forward in the recognition of Methanol as a marine fuel that already meets IMO’s 2020 regulations and provides a pathway for very low carbon fuels in future.
“The global chemicals industry currently relies on the IMPCA specification for producers and consumers but a dedicated ISO standard will help shipowners understand the fuel in a marine fuel context,” said MI Chief Operating Officer Chris Chatterton. “We are seeing increasing interest around Methanol as a liquid fuel that is safe to handle easy to ship and store and is more widely available than other low sulphur alternatives.”
There are currently eight ships trading internationally operating on Methanol as fuel.
By Jake Frith
Related Articles
POWER & PROPULSION
VESSELS
POWER & PROPULSION