This tugboat is part of an overall greening programme for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges fleet. The Methatug makes for an important step in the transition to a climate-neutral port by 2050. The ship is part of the European Fastwater project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for shipping.
Methatug: the first methanol-powered tugboat
Port of Antwerp-Bruges has built a tugboat with methanol propulsion, a world first. The Methatug will be sailing in the Antwerp docks from May 2024.
What is methanol?
Methanol is a colourless and volatile liquid that is already being used as a raw material in industry today. It is also a compact fuel that is easy to transport, use and store. Thanks to its outstanding combustion properties, it is used in methanol-specific engines and in transitional technologies, such as dual fuel.
One of the main benefits of methanol as a fuel is that it can be produced from a range of renewable sources, such as solar or wind energy and biomass. This gives it the potential to be a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
Dual fuel methanol and gasoil
The Methatug's engines have been converted to dual fuel operation. These run on a mixture of methanol and gasoil. The gas oil is needed to ignite the methanol. Methanol is among the fuels of the future and causes lower emissions.
- The Methatug consists of two ABC 8DAC dual fuel medium-speed engines that run either on methanol or on traditional fuel.
- The tug has a length of 29.5 metres, a width of 11 metres, a weight of 584 tons and a bollard pulling power of 50 tons.
- The tugboat stores 12,000 litres of liquid methanol – enough for two weeks of towing.
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Partners
The Methatug is part of the European FASTWATER-project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry, and was financed by the European research and innovation programme Horizon 2020.
In addition to Port of Antwerp-Bruges, various other partners from FASTWATER are involved: the Swedish ship design agency ScandiNAOS, the Belgian engine manufacturer Anglo Belgian Corporation, the German company Heinzmann responsible for the methanol injectors, Ghent University for the emission monitoring programme and the Canadian methanol supplier Methanex.
