Making waves with methanol: Partners chart course

Working with naval architects Chartwell Marine, Archipelago founder and CEO Dr Stephen Weatherley believes methanol is the most practical pathway to low-carbon yachting, and will ultimately be scaled for wider use.

Unlike hydrogen or ammonia, methanol is liquid at ambient temperature, already widely traded and easier to store and handle. It can be used in modified internal combustion engines, offers energy density 20-30 times greater than batteries, and avoids the complex cryogenic infrastructure associated with LNG.

The partners are working on experiments on the Isle of Wight as part of the UK government-funded CMDC6, or Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, to look at hydrogen fuel cells for yachts and ultimately, bigger boats.

With commercial shipping’s transition accelerating – led by major operators such as Maersk – methanol bunkering infrastructure is expanding globally. Archipelago believes this momentum creates a clear opportunity to align leisure craft innovation with commercial decarbonisation pathways.

Weatherley, who launched the company in 2021, has made sustainable propulsion central to the brand’s mission. A lifelong sailor with a scientific background, Weatherley founded the business after identifying a gap in the market for rugged, aluminium expedition catamarans capable of operating efficiently in demanding northern waters.

The partnership with Chartwell began with the Archipelago 40 and has since advanced to the zero.63 methanol-hydrogen hybrid concept, integrating reformers and fuel cells into a leisure platform.

Their collaboration now extends to the UK Government-funded Methanol Pathfinder UK project, supported by Innovate UK, which aims to develop a methanol range-extension system to accelerate zero-emission vessel development.

Together, the companies aim to demonstrate that smaller, agile builders can drive marine decarbonisation – with implications far beyond the yachting sector.

Watch out for our full interview with Dr Weatherley in our next Special Report on Alternative Fuels, coming soon.