SRC Group’s Methanol Superstorage has received Type Approval from RINA, in a formal recognition of a solution which allows shipowners and operators to use methanol and ethanol as green marine fuels without sacrificing storage space.
Pino Spadafora, Marine Market Development Vice President at RINA (left), Hannes Lilp,
CEO of SRC, Kuldar Leis, Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Estonia and Alex
Vainokivi, Innovation Manager of SRC, during Singapore Maritime Week.
The formal recognition means owners can adopt Methanol Superstorage with confidence
that it meets the exacting standards for safety, performance, reliability and compliance
required for Type Approval by one of shipping’s leading class societies. RINA awarded
Approval in Principle (AiP) status to Methanol Superstorage in March 2025.
Methanol has emerged as a strong contender as an alternative fuel for marine and offshore
applications, given its ability to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 95%
compared with heavy fuel oil (HFO). Ethanol also produces significantly lower greenhouse
gas, SOx and particulate emissions than HFO, while also being easy to handle and
commercially available.
However, both methanol and ethanol also require approximately two times more storage
volume than HFO. To protect the tank from external fire and mechanical impact, and to provide leakage
mitigation, conventional shipboard fuel storage tanks feature cofferdams which separate
their inner and outer shells. While effective and necessary, the cofferdam is typically
minimum 600mm-wide and occupies valuable onboard space.
Methanol Superstorage overcomes the space challenge by creating a tank with a
sandwich-structure, utilising SPS Technology’s Sandwich Plate System (SPS). The SPS
comprises a 25mm solid elastomer core, fully enclosed between two steel plates rated to
A60 equivalence. The elastomer acts as a load-transferring, energy-absorbing and sealing
layer that creates an oxygen-free atmosphere between the plates, preventing hidden
corrosion without the need for the through-life manual inspections required of
conventional cofferdams.
The SPS’ fully bonded interface ensures shear transfer and structural continuity while
forming a third containment barrier to prevent leaks and emissions. The solid elastomer
helps to prevent local buckling and distributes impact and pressure loads effectively while
maintaining safety levels equivalent to the prescriptive arrangements for conventional
cofferdams, as outlined in IMO MSC.1/Circ. 1621.
The design eliminates key hazards such as asphyxiation, toxic exposure, falls, entrapment
and vapour accumulation during inspections. It also reduces structural risks by lowering
stress concentrations and fatigue cracking, removing large internal surfaces prone to
corrosion/coating breakdown and maximising resistance to high impacts and punctures.
Type Approval demonstrates a class society’s high level of trust in the system’s
capabilities. Pino Spadafora, Marine Market Development Vice President at RINA,
commented: “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.”
A range of case studies confirm that vessels incorporating Methanol Superstorage would
store nearly twice the volume of methanol or ethanol as would be possible using
conventional tanks. Simpler by design and with fewer parts, the solution also removes the
need for regular inspections and gas-freeing procedures, thereby extending its service life.
As a scalable solution, Methanol Superstorage is suited to all vessel types, from small
workboats and tugs to offshore support vessels, yachts, ferries, cruise ships, tankers and
cargo vessels.
Type approval will make it easier for flag states to issue project-specific approvals for the
system, at a time when forecasts suggest a surge in demand for methanol-powered
vessels: by 2030, methanol ships are expected to account for nearly 20% of the global
order book.
Methanol Superstorage has also obtained AiP from IACS members Lloyd’s Register and
ClassNK, as well as from the Panama Maritime Authority. The solution also earned SRC
Group the Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ Maritime Innovation Award in 2025.
Alex Vainokivi, Innovation Manager, SRC Group, said: “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.”
