Highlights of the CARES drone at the methanol bunkering operation.
On Thursday 27 July 2023, CARES participated in the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation of a Maersk container vessel in Singapore. The vessel, carrying the name Laura Mærsk, was refuelled with 300 metric tonnes of bio-methanol for its onward maiden passage to Copenhagen. The Maritime Port Authority (MPA) oversaw this operation in Raffles Reserved Anchorage.
Laura Mærsk is the world’s first methanol-enabled container vessel, marking a turning point for alternative fuels as a viable contender for industrial transport and processes. The use of bio-methanol, which can be made without fossil fuels, is a further example of new technologies in the journey towards maritime decarbonisation.
Pictured are (foreground) pilot Brian Shohei Teo and (background) Mr Sim Chun Siong setting up the drone. Photo credits: MPA
CARES drone involvement in the operation
Since Dr Molly Haugen’s lecture and demonstration on 20 April 2023 in CREATE on her research using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to monitor emission plumes, thorough discussions have begun with MPA in Singapore to utilise the drone’s capabilities for at-sea maritime operations.
The goal for the team was to demonstrate that the UAV setup could be adapted to detect potential methanol leaks in the atmosphere.
Guided by Prof Epaminondas Mastorakos, Principal Investigator in the area of maritime decarbonisation in the CARES-hosted Carbon Reduction in Chemical Technologies (C4T) programme, the team worked directly with MPA to create a plan to monitor any fugitive emissions during the planned trials that led up to the bunkering day.
Using plume dispersion modelling, Dr Savvas Gkantonas created safe fly and no-fly zones for the drone based on the flammability limit of methanol vapour in the event of a leak.
Pictured is (left) the launch vessel where the team operated throughout the day with Laura Maersk in the distance. Photo credits: MPA
Conclusion
On the day of the bunkering, the drone successfully completed numerous flight paths throughout the operation and delivered gas recordings to the MPA launch vessel where the team operated. Continued improvements will be made to upgrade and improve the drone’s capabilities for future uses.
Dr Molly Haugen adds, “The crossover between academic work and industrial objectives has guided my research for the past 9 years, so it is always a sense of achievement to see scientific motivation help shape the industrial future. I feel very honoured to contribute to CARES and MPA moving forward together and building a foundation with aligned objectives as we continue to produce cutting-edge research and move away from fossil fuels into a more decarbonised future.”
As an important milestone for not only the maritime community but also for Singapore, CARES is thrilled that our proximity to key partners in the region will enable further maritime collaboration.
Read the press release from MPA here.
Read the naming of Laura Mærsk here.
This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.
