New crew training package supports safe adoption of Methanol as marine fuel

Washington, Singapore and Brussels, 28 June 2023. The Methanol Institute has welcomed multi-disciplinary methanol consultancy GREEN MARINE as its latest member.
 
The Denmark-headquartered company has recently finalised a specialist training programme for crews onboard Methanol dual-fuel vessels, supplementing baseline regulatory training requirements with practical, experience-based learning.
 
The scale of the crew training challenge presented by the fuels required for decarbonisation is at least as great as the technology hurdles the industry faces. A recent report commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force Secretariat predicts a rise in the number of seafarers needing training on alternative fuel technologies in the 2040s to between 310,000 and 750,000 people.
 
GREEN MARINE’s Asia team is participating in the development of rules and standards for Methanol bunkering in Singapore, including taking part in a panel of experts to establish policy and training. Stakeholders include local regulators and academics, industry associations and classification societies, in addition to bunker operators. 
 
The crew training programme was created based on practical knowledge gathered over a decade of experience working on Methanol dual fuel vessels with services from design consultancy to newbuilding construction supervision, technical management and operations. 
 
The curriculum, which can be delivered onboard, in a classroom or online, was developed to address the knowledge gaps between theoretical regulation and practical experience in the use of Methanol as marine fuel. GREEN MARINE is able to supplement regulatory baselines with real life experiences based on operational experience, emergency troubleshooting and the application of historical data. 
 
“GREEN MARINE’s team members have played a significant role in the evolution of Methanol as a marine fuel - and in particular bunkering and onboard handling - since its earliest days,” said MI CEO Gregory Dolan. “We are very happy to have GREEN MARINE as a member and we look forward to working together in future to share its operational expertise and practical knowledge as the industry continues its transition to cleaner operations.”
 
“Our methanol specialists are captains and chief engineers with first-hand knowledge of working with Methanol as a fuel and how to ensure these dual fuel ships operate safely,” said Morten Jacobsen, CEO of GREEN MARINE. “Theoretical knowledge is little use in real life situations when you need to know what to do; we bridge that gap and provide practical knowledge to support crews in adopting this methanol dual fuel technology.”

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Xinde Marine News.