World’s first methanol-powered harbour tug starts operation in the port of Antwerp after conversion

The world’s first methanol-powered harbour tug, Methatug (ex 21) returned to service in the Belgian port of Antwerp in mid-May after undergoing a major conversion project to turn the vessel into a greener tug powered by environmentally friendly methanol fuel. Methatug was previously diesel-powered and operated under the name 21. The harbour tug has a gt of 585, a length of 29.5m and a 50-ton bollard pull.

The conversion of the harbour tug is part of a series of projects known as Fastwater, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry, as well as the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ efforts to become a multi-fuel port.

The methanol tug project started in 2021 and called for the retrofitting of two main engines aboard the Antwerp-based harbour tug 21 to become dual-fuel, capable of operating on methanol. In addition to the technical hurdles involved with the conversion, port officials highlighted that they faced regulatory challenges. Rhine-based inland shipping vessels must comply with the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) regulations, which had previously prohibited the use of methanol as a marine fuel.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges spent more than 18 months getting the necessary regulatory approvals for the use of methanol on the converted tug.

Methatug’s two main engines were returned to the harbour tug at the end of 2022 as the project progressed. The fuel supply and storage system had also to be created for the tug, as well as the supply chain for methanol, which the port officials said is enough for two weeks of operations. The tug can carry 12,000 litres of methanol fuel.

Swedish ship design company ScandiNAOS led the tug’s conversion project, with the Belgian diesel engine manufacturer Anglo Belgian Corp. (ABC) supplying the two 8DAC dual-fuel medium-speed engines. The German company Heinzmann was responsible for supplying the methanol integrators. Ghent University oversaw the emissions monitoring programme and the Canadian methanol supplier Methanex participated in the fuel trials. De Wit Bunkering will supply Methatug with methanol fuel via truck-to-ship transfer at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ Nautical Operations Cluster (NOC).

Methatug’s conversion was financed by the European research programme Horizon 2020 and is part of the Fastwater project to demonstrate the feasibility of the use of methanol as a marine fuel. The Fastwater project also includes the conversion to methanol power of a pilot vessel in Sweden, a river cruise vessel in Germany and a Greek Coast Guard vessel.