The Methanol Institute (MI) has been granted consultative status by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Consultative status is reserved for non-governmental, international organisations that have the capability to make a substantial contribution to the work of IMO.
MI will now be able to attend meetings as an observer and offer expert input on discussions in plenary and working groups.
‘Methanol Institute steps into its consultative status at a pivotal moment, when the shipping industry continues to make strides in the transition to alternative fuels with a significant rise in orders for cleaner ships,’ says MI CEO Gregory Dolan. ‘We are grateful to IMO member states for recognising the added value our organisation’s expertise can bring to the table, and we are looking forward to contributing to the IMO’s important work towards achieving net-zero by 2050.’
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Frameworks for low-carbon fuels
Using its global perspective and expertise, MI aims to use its consultative status to work more closely with member countries to establish robust regulatory frameworks for low-carbon shipping fuels, develop standards for the safe design, operation, and bunkering of methanol, and create market-based measures to support the introduction of low-carbon and renewable methanol.
Working in partnership with its members, MI has consistently raised the profile of methanol as a marine fuel, including advocating for its inclusion in the revised International Code for Gas Fuelled Ships (The IGF Code) in 2020. Since then, MI has worked to inform policy initiatives at a regional and global level, support standards for bunkering and crew training, collaborated on shipyard vessel designs, and joined other cross-industry groups supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime supply chain.
Picture: MI has been added to a roster of organisations contributing their expertise to the development of regulation for the shipping industry (photo supplied by MI).
Also read: New training package for crew on methanol-powered ships
