NEWS DETAILS

Date: 15/05/2024

Port of Antwerp-Bruges launches world’s first methanol-powered tugboat

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has presented a world premier: the Methatug. This tugboat, which runs on methanol, is part of a greening programme for the port’s fleet and an important step in the transition to a climate-neutral port by 2050. The project is being financed by the European research programme Horizon 2020 and is part of the FASTWATER project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry.
 
Methanol is one of the fuels of the future and produces lower emissions, an important factor in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ ambition to be climate neutral by 2050. The world’s first methanol-powered tugboat, the Methatug, was unveiled in Antwerp. Methanol can be produced from renewable sources, is a clean fuel and can be used for both brand new ships and retrofits because it is liquid under ambient conditions. For the Methatug, the engines from an existing tugboat were converted into ‘dual fuel’ engines, which means that they run on a mixture of methanol and traditional fuel. The 30-metre-long tugboat has a traction force of 50 tons and can store 12.000 litres of methanol, enough for two weeks of tug work, highlighted a release.
 
source: Exim News Service: Antwerp, May 14