This blog is a state of the use of methanol as marine fuel as “quick” reference for shipowners. Key points include costs for retrofitting the ship and engine, range between € 250-€650 per kW, elaboration on IGF code for low flashpoint fuels and technical considerations for conversion and working with methanol. Availability for methanol is good, but bunkering for large vessels mostly non-existent. Methanol price per kilogram is historically lower than regular MGO.

Marine exhaust gas heat recovery systems can be a useful measure to reduce fuel consumption by 5% for typical cases, with up to 15% for favourable engine and ship characteristics. As a rule of thumb, heat exchangers become more efficient and cost-effective the larger your engine becomes. Conversion of heat to electricity is recommended for diesel-electric vessels, as well as the use of engine cooling water instead of exhaust gas heat.

Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) of marine engines ranges between 155 and 200 g/kWh on optimal load settings, mostly dependent on engine speed (low, medium, high). Specific fuel consumption increases dramatically for approach at low power (30% Pmax) and especially at idle (7% Pmax).

Weighted average carbon footprint of steel is 1.85* tons CO2 to 1 tonne steel produced according to Mckinsey and the World Steel Association.

A three-step guide on how to determine vessel emissions based on fuel consumption in metric tons.