Costa, Proman sign MoU to advance methanol in cruise industry

Italy-based cruise operator Costa Group, part of Carnival Corp (NYSE:CCL), and Switzerland-headquartered methanol producer Proman will seek to progress the adoption of methanol as a marine fuel for the cruise industry under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) unveiled by the companies on Thursday.

Methanol is a cleaner-burning fuel and is increasingly produced through lower-carbon, biogenic or hydrogen-based pathways, the companies say. It is also attractive for both new builds and for refitting existing ships.

"The technology to retrofit a vessel to accept methanol as a fuel is available today," said Tim Cornelius, Proman's managing director of Corporate Development.

The partnership adds to Costa Group’s sustainability efforts, which include tests on biofuels, for instance.

“By enabling cruise ships to use methanol as a propulsion fuel, Costa follows the ambition to take the next big step towards GHG [greenhouse gas] neutral operations of our fleet by 2050," said Christoph Schladoer, vice president Decarbonisation at Costa Group.

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