EMEA News
Belgium Firms Complete Testing of Methanol-Dual Fuel Engine
Belgium engine manufacturer Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) and offshore firm Jan De Nul have completed the factory acceptance test of a dual-fuel methanol engine.
Four dual-fuel methanol engines, each with a power output of 7,200 kW, will be installed on the cable-laying vessel Fleeming Jenkin, ABC said in a statement on its website on Monday.
The two firms had signed an agreement in January 2024 to develop the dual-fuel engine.
The test was conducted at ABC’s facility in Ghent, with oversight from Bureau Veritas and Jan De Nul representatives, including the Chief Engineers of the Fleeming Jenkin.
The dual-fuel engine can run on methanol and conventional marine fuels.
“During the tests, we demonstrated that the engine maintains stable operation under various load conditions on both methanol and (bio)diesel,” Edward Belderbos, project engineer at ABC, said.
Methanol engine and fuel supply technologies are more mature than those for ammonia, where engine development is still ongoing. This makes methanol a preferred choice among shipowners, particularly container lines such as AP Moller-Maersk looking to reduce emissions.
The global methanol-fuelled fleet is currently made up of 50 vessels, with another 338 expected to join the fleet by the end of this decade, according to data from classification society DNV.
