Fastwater successfully demonstrates Methanol-powered pilot boat
On Tuesday, December 14th, the Fastwater Consortium and the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) successfully demonstrated a pilot boat which has been converted to operate on Methanol fuel.
The demonstration in Stockholm Harbour follows the successful bunkering of the vessel at the SMA pilot station in Oxelösund, Sweden, where the pilot boat will be based.
The event was addressed by Members of the Swedish National Parliament Johan Büser and Anders Hansson who spoke to the importance of alternative fuels like Methanol in reducing carbon and pollution emissions on a local and national basis. The event provided a further demonstration of Methanol’s suitability as a marine fuel, permitted within the International Maritime Organization’s IGF Code with full Flag State and Class Society approval.
Liquid at ambient temperature and miscible in water, Methanol can be shipped, stored and handled using procedures similar to conventional fuels. In operation, Methanol produces around 10% lower carbon emissions than fuel oil, has IMO-2020-compliant SOx emissions, low PM and NOx. As increasing volumes of renewable Methanol become available, operators can lower net carbon emissions further and achieve compliance beyond 2030.