According to Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions, methanol is expected to “encompass around 30% of all dual-fuel engine orders in just a few years from now.”
As Mr. Hansen explained, MAN currently has a total order book for 78 ME-LGIM engines, of which 24 are firm orders for G95-variants. In addition, 19 of its 50-bore variants are already on the water and have accumulated more than 140,000 running hours on methanol alone.
In the same wavelength, Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, added that:
The adoption of methanol propulsion is gaining pace, behind which there are several drivers
He further noted that “as a fuel, methanol can be carbon-neutral when produced from renewable energy sources and bio-genic CO2. The production capacity of such green methanol is currently increasing significantly; it is also liquid at ambient conditions, which simplifies tank design and minimises costs.”
These statement come as Hyundai’s shipbuilding division (HHI-SBD) has ordered 6 MAN dual-fuel main engines in connection with the construction of 6 17,000 TEU container vessels for Maersk.
Backing methanol as a fuel, Georgios Plevrakis, ABS Vice President, Global Sustainability, had mentioned that methanol represents a promising fuel source for the global fleet, with practical benefits related to ease of storage and handling, tank to wake carbon intensity reduction, as well as a pathway to carbon neutrality through green methanol.
