Royal Den Hartogh, OCI team up to bunker a vessel with methanol blend

Dutch logistics firm Royal Den Hartogh recently partnered with low-carbon fuels producer OCI HyFuels to bunker a newly constructed vessel with a methanol blend in Rotterdam.

PHOTO: Royal Den Hartogh’s trucks delivering methanol blend to a vessel. Royal Den Hartogh

The stem was delivered at berth via trucks. The vessel is equipped with “a new engine type designed specifically to run on MD97.”

MD97 is a blend of 97% methanol and 3% additives, which gives it “diesel like properties,” and can be used in methanol-only engines rather than dual-fuel ones, Royal Den Hartogh says.

“The project is an important step in the decarbonization of global shipping, paving the way for the increased use of methanol, and MD97 as a marine fuel,” the logistics firm adds.

Globally, shipowners are increasingly turning to methanol as a low-emission alternative to conventional marine fuels. The main reason for this is that methanol is said to be available to bunker in over 100 ports around the world, and large ship engines have been developed to consume it.

The methanol-powered marine fleet is expected to expand rapidly in the coming years, with the orderbook set to grow from 34 in 2024 to 177 in 2028, according to DNV data.

By Tuhin Roy

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