Stena Germanica: World’s First Methanol-Powered Ship Enters Service

Stena Germanica. Photo: Stena Line

The Stena Line ferry Stena Germanica re-entered service last week as the first commercial ship in the world to run on methanol as its main fuel.

Stena Germanica re-entered service on March 26 operating between Kiel, Germany and Gothenburg, Sweden. The conversation, which took about six weeks to complete, was carried out at the Remontowa Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland.

“At Stena Line we are extremely proud of contributing to the development of our industry,” said Carl-Johan Hagman, CEO of Stena Line. “Our focus has always been on innovation for the benefit of both customers and society at large and this is a prime example when this goes hand in hand. We are constantly evaluating different fuels for the future and to be first in the world with a methanol conversion is a big step towards sustainable transportation. The project has been possible thanks to the great teamwork and collaboration between our technical staff, Wärtsilä and Methanex.”

The new engine conversion and ship application kit was developed by Wärtsilä in co-operation with Stena Teknik. The dual fuel engine uses methanol as the vessel’s main fuel grade but also has the ability to use MGO (Marine Gas Oil) as backup.

Methanol is a clear, colorless biodegradable fuel that can be produced from natural gas, coal, “biomass” or even CO2. Using methanol will reduce emissions of sulphur (SOx) by about 99%, nitrogen (NOx) by 60%, and carbon dioxide (CO2) 25% compared to tradition fuel.

The total project cost about 22 million euro and was financially supported by the EU “Motorways of the Seas” initiative.

STENA GERMANICA

• Length: 241 m
• Width: 29 m
• Car Capacity: 300
• Passenger Capacity: 1300
• Gross tonnage: 51,837 t