The Methanol Institute (MI) has been granted consultative status by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Consultative status is reserved for non-governmental, international organisations that have the capability to make a substantial contribution to the work of IMO. MI will now be able to attend meetings as an observer and offer expert input on discussions in plenary and working groups.

“Methanol Institute steps into its consultative status at a pivotal moment, when the shipping industry continues to make strides in the transition to alternative fuels with a significant rise in orders for cleaner ships,” said MI Chief Executive Officer Gregory Dolan. “We are grateful to IMO member states for recognising the added value our organisation’s expertise can bring to the table, and we are looking forward to contributing to the IMO’s important work towards achieving net-zero by 2050.”

The institute said that it would use its consultative status to work more closely with member countries to establish robust regulatory frameworks for low-carbon shipping fuels, develop standards for the safe design, operation, and bunkering of methanol, and create market-based measures to support the introduction of low-carbon and renewable methanol.

“Working in partnership with our members, MI has consistently raised the profile of methanol as a marine fuel, including advocating for its inclusion in the revised International Code for Gas Fuelled Ships (The IGF Code) in 2020. Since then, MI has worked to inform policy initiatives at a regional and global level, support standards for bunkering and crew training, collaborated on shipyard vessel designs, and joined other cross-industry groups supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime supply chain,” MI said.

A couple of years ago, methanol was lauded as the future of alternative fuels for the shipping industry, with monthly orders for methanol-dual fuelled ships even outpacing LNG dual-fuel newbuilds at times. However, recent developments highlight a shift in perspective. This month, Maersk, a prominent advocate for methanol, announced it will now use bioLNG for some of its newbuilds. The announcement coincides with a flurry of orders in the sector predominantly opting for LNG dual-fuelled vessels.

Currently, the global fleet is made up of 83.9% conventionally fuelled vessels and 16% alternatively-fuelled ships, largely driven by LNG (1,105 ships in operation and on order), according to DNV’s data. When it comes to methanol-powered ships, over 330 ships are in operation and on order, with the container shipping sector driving the charge with 183 on order and 19 in operation.

The Methanol Institute (MI) has been granted consultative status by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Consultative status is reserved for non-governmental, international organisations that have the capability to make a substantial contribution to the work of IMO. MI will now be able to attend meetings as an observer and offer expert input on discussions in plenary and working groups.

“Methanol Institute steps into its consultative status at a pivotal moment, when the shipping industry continues to make strides in the transition to alternative fuels with a significant rise in orders for cleaner ships,” said MI Chief Executive Officer Gregory Dolan. “We are grateful to IMO member states for recognising the added value our organisation’s expertise can bring to the table, and we are looking forward to contributing to the IMO’s important work towards achieving net-zero by 2050.”

The institute said that it would use its consultative status to work more closely with member countries to establish robust regulatory frameworks for low-carbon shipping fuels, develop standards for the safe design, operation, and bunkering of methanol, and create market-based measures to support the introduction of low-carbon and renewable methanol.

“Working in partnership with our members, MI has consistently raised the profile of methanol as a marine fuel, including advocating for its inclusion in the revised International Code for Gas Fuelled Ships (The IGF Code) in 2020. Since then, MI has worked to inform policy initiatives at a regional and global level, support standards for bunkering and crew training, collaborated on shipyard vessel designs, and joined other cross-industry groups supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime supply chain,” MI said.

A couple of years ago, methanol was lauded as the future of alternative fuels for the shipping industry, with monthly orders for methanol-dual fuelled ships even outpacing LNG dual-fuel newbuilds at times. However, recent developments highlight a shift in perspective. This month, Maersk, a prominent advocate for methanol, announced it will now use bioLNG for some of its newbuilds. The announcement coincides with a flurry of orders in the sector predominantly opting for LNG dual-fuelled vessels.

Currently, the global fleet is made up of 83.9% conventionally fuelled vessels and 16% alternatively-fuelled ships, largely driven by LNG (1,105 ships in operation and on order), according to DNV’s data. When it comes to methanol-powered ships, over 330 ships are in operation and on order, with the container shipping sector driving the charge with 183 on order and 19 in operation.