Germany’s Uniper has teamed up with shipping service provider Liberty Pier Maritime Projects and the engineering firm Ship Design & Consult (SDC) to establish green methanol on the market as a sustainable marine fuel.
The three companies have formed an open collaboration — the Green Methanol Cooperation (GMC).
The GMC aims to develop the infrastructure and logistics framework needed to supply methanol in Europe and establish the relevant shipping requirements.
A medium-term goal of the GMC is 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.
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.
“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,” David Bryson, COO Uniper SE, said.
“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.”
“The targets for reducing CO 2 emissions in shipping can be implemented rapidly and economically if we start with the technology on board and use green methanol as fuel,” Michael Wächter, Managing Director SDC, said.
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.
It is carbon-neutral overall, as it is produced using hydrogen from renewable sources and CO 2 from the atmosphere via a biological feedstock or direct air capture.