Fugro-led consortium awarded R&D grant to develop methanol shipping fuel

A consortium led by Dutch offshore company Fugro has been awarded a grant by the Dutch Government’s Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) for the development of methanol as a low-carbon shipping fuel.

The Methanol as Energy Step Towards Emission-free Dutch Shipping (MENENS) consortium includes 22 partners representing the Dutch shipowning, shipbuilding, naval architecture, and marine equipment sectors.

As part of the project, work will be undertaken to convert the existing engine of the survey vessel Fugro Pioneer to enable it to be fueled by low-emission methanol by the beginning of 2023. Fugro will also contribute to the wider development of the engine technology and energy management, ship design, safety procedures, and technology validation of the fuel.