The Port of Antwerp-Bruges today presented a world premier: the Methatug. This tugboat, which runs on methanol, is part of a greening programme for the port’s fleet and an important step in the transition to a climate-neutral port by 2050.

The project is being financed by the European research programme Horizon 2020 and is part of the FASTWATER project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry.

For the Methatug, the engines from an existing tugboat were converted into ‘dual fuel’ engines, which means that they run on a mixture of methanol and traditional fuel. The 30-metre-long tugboat has a traction force of 50 tons and can store 12.000 litres of methanol, enough for two weeks of tug work.

In addition to Port of Antwerp-Bruges, various other partners from the FASTWATER consortium are involved in this project: the Swedish ship design agency ScandiNAOS, the Belgian engine manufacturer Anglo Belgian Corporation, the German company Heinzmann responsible for the methanol injectors, Ghent University for the emission monitoring programme and the Canadian methanol supplier Methanex during the trials.

This world premier forms part of a comprehensive greening programme for Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ own fleet which strives to systematically integrate the most environmentally friendly technologies available. So far, the Hydrotug 1, the first tugboat to run on hydrogen, and energy-efficient RSD tugboats have already been added to the fleet. Another electrically powered tugboat will follow later this year, as the first in Europe.

(Photo from Port of Antwerp-Bruges)