Rolls-Royce reaches another milestone with methanol-ready certification for mtu marine engines
Rolls-Royce has received a methanol-readiness certificate from the international classification society DNV for its current mtu Series 4000 engines.
With this, DNV confirms the technological concept that will enable newly built Rolls-Royce marine propulsion systems to be retrofitted for dual-fuel operation with methanol in the future.
“The uncertain future of CO2 legislation is driving a growing desire among many ship operators for greater flexibility in terms of propulsion and fuel,” said Lukas Köhler, the senior vice president of global marine and mining at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “With the methanol-ready certificate, we are giving our customers the assurance that they will be able to operate their ships on methanol in the future, as soon as the fuel is sufficiently available.”
Back in 2025, Rolls-Royce had already successfully tested the world’s first high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol on the test bench in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Since then, Rolls-Royce has completed and analyzed more than 5,000 operating hours using methanol in single- and dual-fuel modes on various test benches.
“These extensive findings form a strong foundation for our methanol-retrofit concept,” Köhler said. “We see green methanol as an important future fuel for a wide range of marine applications, particularly for offshore vessels, ferries and mega yachts. With this certificate, we have reached another milestone on our methanol roadmap.”
When burned, green methanol produces significantly lower nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions than diesel, according to Rolls-Royce, and when assessed on a well-to-wake basis, it has a significantly lower CO2 footprint than fossil fuels.
Rolls-Royce said it is making targeted investments in future technologies and is continually expanding its expertise in sustainable fuels.
The aim is to provide customers with effective ways of reducing their CO2 emissions.
As early as 2021, Rolls-Royce tested and approved its key mtu engine series for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and other sustainable fuels in accordance with DIN EN 15940.
As part of its partnership with the German eFuel manufacturer Ineratec, the company also successfully completed laboratory testing of the renewable synthetic fuel Matera e-Diesel® in the spring of this year.
