Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS

Konstantinos I. Kiouranakis; Peter de Vos; Rinze Geertsma

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS

Konstantinos I. Kiouranakis^*, Peter de Vos, Rinze Geertsma

^*Corresponding author for this work

Ship Design, Production and Operations

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volume › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review

14 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Waterborne transportation has long been the backbone of global trade, with the reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) as the dominant power source. In the efforts to decarbonize shipping, methanol has emerged as a promising alternative fuel due to its easy storability and favorable combustion characteristics compared to non-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. In the MENENS project, one of the research objectives is to better understand, further develop, and demonstrate different engine technologies that can employ methanol fuel in marine-sized engines. This study reviews maritime stakeholder research on methanol fuel for marine ICEs, emphasizing the chosen injection and ignition strategies across different engine technologies. In this paper, we aim to identify research gaps concerning methanol as a marine engine fuel, and provide insight into the initiatives and proposed research direction within MENENS.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility
Subtitle of host publication	Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan
Editors	Ciaran McNally, Páraic Carroll, Beatriz Martinez-Pastor, Bidisha Ghosh, Marina Efthymiou, Nikolaos Valantasis-Kanellos
Publisher	Springer
Pages	735-742
Number of pages	8
Volume	Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106
Publication status	Published - 2025

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Mobility
Volume	Part F383
ISSN (Print)	2196-5544
ISSN (Electronic)	2196-5552

Keywords

Alternative fuel
Internal combustion engine (ICE)
MENENS
Methanol
Shipping

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

978-3-031-89444-2_106Final published version, 1.39 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Kiouranakis, K. I., Vos, P. D., & Geertsma, R. (2025). Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS. In C. McNally, P. Carroll, B. Martinez-Pastor, B. Ghosh, M. Efthymiou, & N. Valantasis-Kanellos (Eds.), Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility : Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan (Vol. Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems, pp. 735-742). (Lecture Notes in Mobility; Vol. Part F383). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

Kiouranakis, Konstantinos I. ; Vos, Peter de ; Geertsma, Rinze. / Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping : Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS. Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility : Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan. editor / Ciaran McNally ; Páraic Carroll ; Beatriz Martinez-Pastor ; Bidisha Ghosh ; Marina Efthymiou ; Nikolaos Valantasis-Kanellos. Vol. Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems Springer, 2025. pp. 735-742 (Lecture Notes in Mobility).

@inbook{77e4794f3f1c4ae78c77ecc1ab117987,

title = "Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS",

abstract = "Waterborne transportation has long been the backbone of global trade, with the reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) as the dominant power source. In the efforts to decarbonize shipping, methanol has emerged as a promising alternative fuel due to its easy storability and favorable combustion characteristics compared to non-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. In the MENENS project, one of the research objectives is to better understand, further develop, and demonstrate different engine technologies that can employ methanol fuel in marine-sized engines. This study reviews maritime stakeholder research on methanol fuel for marine ICEs, emphasizing the chosen injection and ignition strategies across different engine technologies. In this paper, we aim to identify research gaps concerning methanol as a marine engine fuel, and provide insight into the initiatives and proposed research direction within MENENS.",

keywords = "Alternative fuel, Internal combustion engine (ICE), MENENS, Methanol, Shipping",

author = "Kiouranakis, {Konstantinos I.} and Vos, {Peter de} and Rinze Geertsma",

year = "2025",

doi = "10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106",

language = "English",

volume = "Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems",

series = "Lecture Notes in Mobility",

publisher = "Springer",

pages = "735--742",

editor = "McNally, {Ciaran } and Carroll, {P{\'a}raic } and Martinez-Pastor, {Beatriz } and Ghosh, { Bidisha } and Efthymiou, {Marina } and Valantasis-Kanellos, {Nikolaos }",

booktitle = "Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility",

}

Kiouranakis, KI , Vos, PD & Geertsma, R 2025, Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS. in C McNally, P Carroll, B Martinez-Pastor, B Ghosh, M Efthymiou & N Valantasis-Kanellos (eds), Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility : Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan. vol. Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems, Lecture Notes in Mobility, vol. Part F383, Springer, pp. 735-742. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS. / Kiouranakis, Konstantinos I.; Vos, Peter de ; Geertsma, Rinze.
Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility : Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan. ed. / Ciaran McNally; Páraic Carroll; Beatriz Martinez-Pastor; Bidisha Ghosh; Marina Efthymiou; Nikolaos Valantasis-Kanellos. Vol. Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems Springer, 2025. p. 735-742 (Lecture Notes in Mobility; Vol. Part F383).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volume › Chapter › Scientific › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping

T2 - Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS

AU - Kiouranakis, Konstantinos I.

AU - Vos, Peter de

AU - Geertsma, Rinze

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Waterborne transportation has long been the backbone of global trade, with the reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) as the dominant power source. In the efforts to decarbonize shipping, methanol has emerged as a promising alternative fuel due to its easy storability and favorable combustion characteristics compared to non-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. In the MENENS project, one of the research objectives is to better understand, further develop, and demonstrate different engine technologies that can employ methanol fuel in marine-sized engines. This study reviews maritime stakeholder research on methanol fuel for marine ICEs, emphasizing the chosen injection and ignition strategies across different engine technologies. In this paper, we aim to identify research gaps concerning methanol as a marine engine fuel, and provide insight into the initiatives and proposed research direction within MENENS.

AB - Waterborne transportation has long been the backbone of global trade, with the reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) as the dominant power source. In the efforts to decarbonize shipping, methanol has emerged as a promising alternative fuel due to its easy storability and favorable combustion characteristics compared to non-carbon fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. In the MENENS project, one of the research objectives is to better understand, further develop, and demonstrate different engine technologies that can employ methanol fuel in marine-sized engines. This study reviews maritime stakeholder research on methanol fuel for marine ICEs, emphasizing the chosen injection and ignition strategies across different engine technologies. In this paper, we aim to identify research gaps concerning methanol as a marine engine fuel, and provide insight into the initiatives and proposed research direction within MENENS.

KW - Alternative fuel

KW - Internal combustion engine (ICE)

KW - MENENS

KW - Methanol

KW - Shipping

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105004777284&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:105004777284

VL - Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems

T3 - Lecture Notes in Mobility

SP - 735

EP - 742

BT - Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility

A2 - McNally, Ciaran

A2 - Carroll, Páraic

A2 - Martinez-Pastor, Beatriz

A2 - Ghosh, Bidisha

A2 - Efthymiou, Marina

A2 - Valantasis-Kanellos, Nikolaos

PB - Springer

ER -

Kiouranakis KI , Vos PD , Geertsma R. Methanol as a Fuel in Shipping: Review and Outlook to ICE Research Within MENENS. In McNally C, Carroll P, Martinez-Pastor B, Ghosh B, Efthymiou M, Valantasis-Kanellos N, editors, Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility : Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Irelan. Vol. Volume 3: Eco-efficient Mobility Systems. Springer. 2025. p. 735-742. (Lecture Notes in Mobility). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-89444-2_106