A new and space efficient retrofit methanol storage solution from SRC Group has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register. Methanol Superstorage avoids cofferdams in a solution boosting volume by up to 85 per cent.
The AiP signifies that no major conceptual issues have been identified as standing in the way of its securing classification approval and regulatory compliance.
Methanol Superstorage offers the potential for ships with years of service ahead to be considered for transition to methanol. This marine fuel has been established as a frontrunner for meeting IMO targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions from ships by at least twenty per cent by 2030 and seventy per cent by 2040 (against a base year of 2008). Other technologies, such as hydrogen fuel and carbon capture, will take some years to mature before they can help meet IMO’s net-zero target for around 2050.
Clarksons reported fourteen per cent of tonnage on order as methanol-capable earlier this year, compared to a 22 per cent share for liquefied natural gas. The analyst has estimated that 1200 ships could be powered by methanol by 2030.
Also read: EC President names first methanol container ship Laura Maersk
Solution without cofferdams
However, while renewably-sourced methanol fits the net-zero framework, and is fairly easy to store and handle, it takes twice as much to generate the same energy as HFO. On board a ship, this is a major storage issue, especially because low flashpoint fuel tanks conventionally require cofferdams.
Although space penalties can be addressed in newbuild ship design, even the youngest existing ships were not built with retrofitting methanol in mind. Methanol Superstorage avoids cofferdams by constructing tank walls using Sandwich Plate System Technology, in a solution boosting volume by up to 85 per cent. The extraordinary gain can be retrofitted with minimal impact on the general arrangement.
The SPS Technology Sandwich Plate System is a permanent, A60 fire rating certified structural composite, used in maritime and offshore applications for over two decades and approved by all major IACS class societies across a range of applications.
‘Due to long-established use in other industries, availability and performance, methanol is the alternative marine fuel offering the strongest potential to reduce ship GHGs at pace,’ says Hannes Lilp, CEO of SRC Group. ‘Methanol Superstorage reinvents methanol storage using the proven SPS Technology system. Instead of a cofferdam which extends – at least – to 600 mm, the solution uses a 25-mm-thick SPS barrier to protect the tank from fire and as a triple barrier against leakage.’
Also read: First European green methanol bunkering takes place in Port of Rotterdam
Methanol as mainstream fuel for existing ships
Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) service provider SRC Group developed Methanol Superstorage to ensure that existing ships play a full part in energy transition. AiP for its supporting design documents opened the way for wider scrutiny of a concept which, subject to statutory approval, would be decisive in making methanol a mainstream fuel for existing ships.
The AiP from Lloyd’s Register relates specifically to ships outlined in Part G of SOLAS Ch. II-1. SRC would deliver EPCI services, fully integrating the new solution ‘from the bunkering station to the high-pressure pump,’ according to Lilp.
Picture: Traditional methanol storage versus SRC Methanol Superstorage.
Also read: MI publishes first complete guide to methanol as a marine fuel
