SRC Group’s methanol superstorage system has received Type Approval from RINA.
The system allows yacht owners and operators to use methanol and ethanol as green marine fuels without sacrificing storage space, with the approval meaning the system meets set standards for safety, performance, reliability and compliance.
“SRC Group’s methanol superstorage is a practical, space-efficient solution with the potential to accelerate the adoption of green methanol as a marine fuel, delivering increased storage capacity of conventional tank designs while maintaining equivalent safety,” explained Pino Spadafora, marine market development vice president at RINA.
Alex Vainokivi, innovation manager, SRC Group, added: “Obtaining Type Approval from RINA is great news and an important step forward in building industry-wide confidence in methanol superstorage.
“It provides ship owners with clear validation as they evaluate methanol as a long-term clean fuel that can support their decarbonisation targets, covering a wide range of vessel types.”
Leakage mitigation
And he explained that the methanol superstorage tanks allow storage nearly twice the volume of methanol or ethanol as would be possible using conventional tanks.
The system eliminates the need for a cofferdam which protects the tank from external fire and mechanical impact and provides leakage mitigation.
Methanol superstorage overcomes the space challenge by creating a tank with a sandwich-structure using SPS Technology’s Sandwich Plate System (SPS). The SPS comprises a 25mm solid elastomer core, enclosed between two steel plates rated to A60 equivalence.
The elastomer also acts as a load-transferring, energy-absorbing and sealing layer that creates an oxygen-free atmosphere between the plates, preventing hidden corrosion.
The SPS’ fully bonded interface ensures shear transfer and structural continuity while forming a third containment barrier to prevent leaks and emissions.
Methanol superstorage is a scalable solution making it suitable for all vessel types.
