Investigation of methanol as long-term energy efficiency solution for maritime decarbonization in container vessels

The present study examines the use of methanol as a long-term energy efficiency strategy solution that could be applied on different container vessel ship types and provides an overall comparison between potential alternative fuels for the maritime industry from a lifecycle (LCA) perspective. The methodology followed in this paper introduces a set of suitable energy, economic and environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) for the evaluation of the current vessel fleet operational benchmarks for different container vessel categories according to the existing taxonomy used in the maritime industry. Furthermore, six container vessel types are used as case studies to evaluate the energy efficiency of methanol and similar alternative fuels; ammonia, liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed gaseous hydrogen and their combinations, in different container vessel capacity scales. The examined scenarios and alternative solutions should comply with the environmental regulations set by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) according to MARPOL Annex VI guidelines. They also showcase methanol’s position in the market when it is selected as the preferred solution for maritime decarbonization instead of the other similar alternatives. Finally, the comparative results offer a starting point for decision-makers in maritime industry to select which green shipping energy transition strategy should adopt in the near future (next 10 years).