Caterpillar Marine made headlines earlier this year with the announcement of their partnership with Damen Shipyards to incorporate its Cat 3516E marine engines in a tug during ITS 2024 in Dubai, UAE. The first set of field demonstrator 3500E marine engines will be released in 2026. The engines uses duel-fuel technology with methanol and is a significant milestone for the maritime industry. Decarbonizing the maritime industry is particularly challenging and methanol may be a possible solution.
The current state of the maritime industry’s sustainability journey
With the global push for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and transitioning to more eco-friendly operations, the sector has started to adopt various measures and technologies to align with international climate goals, particularly those set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Paris Agreement. However, the journey is still in progress, and while some advancements have been made, challenges remain in achieving the industry’s sustainability targets.
Part of what makes the transition slightly easier for the maritime industry is that IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. This means that enforcing sustainability regulation across international shipping becomes much easier when the majority of the international shipping industry must follow these guidelines. The IMO has set a target to reduce the industry’s emissions by at least 50% by 2050, relative to 2008 levels.
Cat 3516E methanol marine engines could offer major advantages
A major advantage of the duel-fuel engine system is that it has the same performance and durability as current diesel engines but meets emissions standards and delivering 100% power. This new engine is set to meet IMO 3 standards. This tier is the the most stringent of the NOx emission standards, focusing on reducing the harmful emissions from ship engines in specific emission control areas (ECAs). Current diesel engines are IMO 2 compliant.
“Our dual-fuel Cat 3500E marine engines are optimized to achieve high methanol substitution rates over a wide range of load factors, including the low load ranges that tugs operate in most of the time,” explained Cat Marine global product director, Will Watson. “For example, a 28-m tug transiting at 8 knots requiring only 600 kW of propulsion power would aim to achieve a methanol substitution on an energy basis above 70%. This will enable operators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while experiencing the power and performance they’re accustomed to,” said Watson.
Innovations like the Cat 3516E are crucial for sustainability
The maritime industry is one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, accounting for nearly 2-3% of total global CO₂ emissions. “We’re leveraging our deep dual-fuel expertise to help reduce emissions in the maritime industry,” said Brad Johnson, vice president and general manager of Caterpillar Marine.
“We’re expanding the 3500E platform’s fuel flexibility to provide customers with a wider array of options to navigate the energy transition,” added Andres Perez, global tug segment manager at Caterpillar Marine,”fuel flexibility is key to future-proofing assets. This technology will enable owners to adopt their fuel of choice when the conditions are right without having to build a new asset or face cost-prohibitive retrofits.”
The maritime industry is making notable strides toward sustainability, with significant investments in green technologies and alternative fuels. However, the transition is complex and requires overcoming technological, financial, and regulatory challenges. The next decade will be crucial for scaling up these innovations and ensuring the global shipping industry can meet international emissions reduction targets, and projects like the engines by Caterpillar Marine will continue to play a crucial role in meeting sustainability projects.
Achieving sustainability in the maritime industry will require international cooperation from regulatory bodies, governments, and engine producers as well as significant investment in developing infrastructure to support green fuel initiatives.
