Methanol a dark horse in 'alternative fuel' race?
As the shipping industry looks for alternatives that will meet IMO's sulphur cap, methanol is emerging as a promising marine fuel for the long term
IT IS almost inconceivable anybody in the shipping industry is still unaware that the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) global 0.50 per cent sulphur-in-fuel cap comes into force in less than a year.
But, just in case anybody is still living in blissful ignorance, on Jan 1, 2020 it will no longer be possible to use residual fuel oil, commonly referred to as heavy fuel oil (HFO), which has long been the standard fuel for the commercial fleet without the use of scrubbers. Sulphur has been identified as a serious pollutant, and HFO generally has relatively high levels of sulphur.
For some time, there have been IMO-designated Emission Control Areas (ECA) around parts of Northern Europe and North America, where a strict 0.10 per cent sulphur limit applies. From January next year, ECAs will still be in place with that very low limit while 0.50 per cent will apply to the rest of the world.
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