Methanol retrofits boost maritime sustainability

The collaboration targets the retrofitting of Everllence’s existing four-stroke engines and vessels, offering shipping operators a scalable and economically viable route to cleaner fuel use.

By combining MEYER RE’s shipbuilding innovation with Everllence’s engine expertise, the partnership promises to deliver end-to-end solutions that can serve as benchmarks for future sustainable shipping practices.

“By concluding this partnership frame Agreement, we are laying the foundations for strong, trusting and sustainable cooperation – a joint path to and for a greener future,” said Bernd Siebert, head of retrofit & upgrade at Everllence.

“With our methanol retrofit packages, we offer our customers an economically attractive opportunity to convert their older engines to a future-proof engine type.

“Together with MEYER RE, we will now develop a holistic concept for retrofitting the entire ship system.”

Henning Jongebloed, head of dales at MEYER RE, highlighted the complexity of such retrofits, especially in cruise ships. “Retrofitting cruise vessels is a relatively new concept, as these ships function like small cities with complex subsystems,” he said.

“A holistic approach is necessary – changing an engine or fuel alone is not enough.”

Engines running on methanol are already commercially available and its relative lack of toxicity compared to rival ammonia gives it a promising head start in the race to become the dominant fuel of the future. However its adoption is not without challenges. Look out for the next special report from The Motorship where we take a deep dive into methanol, talking to engine and equipment manufacturers in the know.