Ferry operator converts ship to use methanol
by The Canadian Press
The pilot project hopes to test the feasibility of methanol as a fuel in the shipping industry
HELSINKI—Swedish ferry operator Stena Line says it has converted one of its ships to run on methanol, testing the potential of the environmentally friendly fuel for the shipping industry.
The company said the Stena Germanica re-entered service on March 26 to operate between Kiel, Germany, and Goteborg, on Sweden’s southwestern coast, after a conversion that cost CAN$24 million.
The ship uses dual fuel technology, with methanol as the main fuel and a backup option of marine gas oil.
Stena Line CEO Carl-Johan Hagman said Monday that the company wants to pursue change and development in shipping and that methanol could be “the maritime fuel of the future.”
The family-owned company operates 35 ferries and 22 routes in northern Europe.
