Finnish hybrid ferry to run on e-methanol

Finnish shipping firm Wasaline plans to run its hybrid ferry on e-methanol sourced from Swedish electrofuel (eFuel) developer Liquid Wind's FlagshipTHREE plant in Umeå, Sweden.

PHOTO: Wasaline's ferry, Aurora Botnia. Wasaline

Wasaline has signed a letter of intent with Liquid Wind and energy firm Umeå Energi for the sale and purchase of e-methanol from Ørsted’s FlagshipTHREE plant.

The e-methanol will be used to power Wasaline's ferry, Aurora Botnia, which operates between Finland's Vaasa and Sweden's Umeå. The ferry is currently equipped with an LNG dual-fuel engine, allowing it to run on LNG and conventional marine fuels along with battery power. It will need retrofitting to operate on e-methanol in the future.

"If we will be using this new fuel in the future the engine needs to be updated as well as the tank for the eMethanol", Wasaline's spokesperson tells ENGINE.

Wasaline has not shared any timelines for the retrofitting process.

The FlagshipTHREE facility is anticipated to produce 100,000 mt/year of eMethanol, with operations set to commence in 2027. Liquid Wind submitted an environmental permit application for the FlagshipTHREE project in late 2023 and plans to commence construction this year.

E-methanol, or synthetic methanol, is produced using 100% biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and green hydrogen. The biogenic CO2 is typically captured through either bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) or through direct air capture (DAC). This fuel is virtually free of greenhouse gases and can cut a vessel's CO2 emissions by 95% compared to conventional marine fuels on a well-to-wake basis.

FlagshipONE project in northern Sweden, which is owned by Danish wind energy giant Ørsted’s will produce 50,000 mt/year of e-methanol as a marine fuel by 2025 and the FlagshipTWO plant is expected to produce 100,000 mt/year of green e-methanol starting from 2025.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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