Exactly five years have passed, since the methanol fuelled ferry “Stena Germanica” first set sail. In fact, the vessel was a joint venture effort among Methanex Corporation, Stena Line, and Wärtsilä as it was the world’s first ferry using methanol as a marine fuel.
Celebrating the vessel’s 5th anniversary since launch, Carl-Johan Hagman, Head of Shipping & Ferries at Stena AB, commented:
Being the owner of the world’s first ship with methanol-fuel represented a great step on our journey to become the leader in sustainable shipping, and is an achievement we are very pleased to share as we mark the five-year anniversary of Stena Germanica’s successful operation on methanol. The project took shape thanks to excellent cooperation between Methanex and Wärtsilä, and many areas within Stena.
Running on methanol, the 240-metre long ferry, Stena Germanica signified a vital milestone in the shift towards a more sustainable shipping environment, following the industry’s decarbonization efforts.
For the records, Stena Germanica was converted to be able of using methanol fuel back in 2015 at Remontowa Shipyard in Poland. With a capacity for 1.500 passengers and 300 cars, the methanol fuelled vessel was installed with a first-of-its-kind fuel-flexible Wärtsilä 4-stroke engine that can run on methanol or traditional marine fuels.
Moreover, the ferry started its first methanol-powered sailings between Gothenburg, Sweden and Kiel, Germany in late March 2015.
As part of the vessel’s construction, collaborators aimed to increase efficiency and boost environmental sustainability. Specifically, through the use of methanol as a marine fuel, sulphur oxide (SOx) can be reduced by approximately 99%, meeting Tier III nitrogen oxide (NOx) and IMO’s 2020 regulations without the requirement for exhaust after-treatment.
Thanks to projects like this, methanol has been proven as a safe, reliable, and cost-effective marine fuel, and we continue to uncover innovative technological advances that optimize the performance and efficiency of the fuel as the market for methanol-powered vessels keeps growing.
…Stuart McCall, Director, Business Development at Methanex Corporation noted.
Concluding, the world’s first methanol powered vessel was co-financed by the European Union, while the classification of the conversion to methanol was conducted by Lloyd’s Register.
