Uthörn – the first ship built in Germany with sustainable methanol propulsion

In November 2022, the Alfred Wegener Institute’s new research vessel “Uthörn” was christened at the Fr. Fassmer GmbH & Co. KG shipyard in Berne, Lower Saxony. The Uthörn is the first ship built in Germany with a sustainable methanol propulsion system.

The project would not have been possible without the members of MCN. These include the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven – the ship’s owner – which had the confidence to opt for a new technology, as well as SDC Ship Design & Consult in Hamburg and ScanDiesel GmbH in Bremen. SDC acted in an advisory capacity during the shipbuilding process. ScanDiesel developed and supplied the two engines together with its Swedish partner ScandiNAOS. Two 300 kW units based on Scania engines not only propel the new Uthörn but also provide the onboard power supply.

The partner companies involved in developing the engine got to know each other through the activities of the ZIM-Netzwerkes Green Meth initiated by MCN. This networking facilitated the subsequent success of the Uthörn project, which Fassmer would not have been able to bring to fruition without suitable engines.
As part of the project work supported by MCN, the engines were developed from demonstrator stage to a fully certified, marketable product. This included, for example, the implementation of a class-approved gas-safe concept, and designing a dosing unit for the additives required for further engines sold. On the Uthörn, the additives are still added directly to the fuel in the tanks. In future, this will be done automatically upstream of the engine. Engines in this class can now be purchased for maritime applications, including after-sales service and support, and used without restrictions.

Contact

Henning Edlerherr, Project Manager
Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e. V.
Lower Saxony office

+49 4404 98786-14
henning.edlerherr@maritimes-cluster.de