Alternative fuels for shipping have great potential for green transition, and methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen are the most promising options today. The maritime industry faces changes and major decisions related to decarbonization in the near future. The METAFUEL project is developing a matrix-based method to support decisions for maritime stakeholders related to these new fuel types, including the application and relevance of technologies, equipment, and strategies for handling fire safety for alternative fuels.
Danish maritime stakeholders, including shipowners, ship designers, equipment manufacturers and engine manufacturers, all play a crucial role in the green transition of the maritime industry. More sustainable shipping is on the horizon with retrofitting of existing ships and designing new ships to use greener fuels or dual-fuel solutions.
Methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen are the most promising green fuels today, with great potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and emissions from ships. Transitioning to alternative fuels can thus be a significant step towards achieving global decarbonization goals, helping to reduce the negative environmental impacts of global shipping.
Initiatives aimed at green transition in the maritime industry are already underway, and it is expected that the industry will face massive changes in the near future. There is a rapidly increasing need for concrete tools that can help guide the decision-making processes that stakeholders in the industry will face to ensure successful, safe, and economically efficient green transition.
The METAFUEL project aims to develop a matrix-based method that can serve as a practical decision support tool for maritime stakeholders when assessing the application and relevance of available technologies, equipment, and strategies for handling fire safety aspects related to the three new fuel types. Additionally, the project will demonstrate one or more examples of using the matrix to select appropriate equipment, such as fire equipment, detection, and extinguishing systems for onboard use, with methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen as the fuel used. In the project, DBI will conduct a thorough mapping of the fire safety challenges that methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen represent when used as fuel on ships. This mapping will result in an expert assessment of the solutions currently offered in the market and areas where there will be a need for the development of new solutions.
The project is financed by DBI and the Danish Maritime Fund.
The project started in May 2024 and will end in December 2025.
