Background

The SPIRETH project developed as a spin-off from the EffShip project (Efficient Shipping with Low Emissions), which was funded by Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation Agency. One of the objectives of EffShip was to identify possible alternatives to existing marine fuels that would result in lower emissions and that could be implemented within a five-year time span. The preliminary conclusion was that methanol is a competitive alternative for meeting the 2015 Sulphur Emission Control Area guidelines. The SPIRETH project was formed to investigate this alternative more thoroughly through field and laboratory testing.

The shipping industry today is facing some serious challenges with respect to meeting upcoming exhaust gas emissions regulations. The contribution from shipping to sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions today is considerable, thus the need for reductions. Three main alternatives – switching to low-sulphur fuels, installing scrubbers, or using LNG – have been investigated to some extent, but very little information is available on methanol as a marine fuel. The SPIRETH project hopes to contribute valuable information about this promising alternative fuel that should be useful for ship operators in their decision-making process.