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A new research project starting in April 2024 will develop renewable fuels suitable for ships' combustion engines. The goal of the project is to combine academic excellence and industry-leading expertise to make the green transition of maritime transport a success.

The Hi-EFECTS project – High Efficiency Flexible Electrofuel Conversion for Transportation at Sea – is coordinated by Aalto University. It includes Lund University and the World Maritime University in Sweden, as well as the Norwegian University of Technology, NTNU. The companies MAN Energy Solutions, Stolt Tankers and Wärtsilä are also involved.

The research project is funded by the Nordic Grand Solutions Programme.

‘We are looking for solutions for the green transition of maritime transport from renewable fuels. We are particularly interested in the utilisation of ammonia and methanol. In practice, we develop engine combustion technologies so that greenhouse gas emissions could be zeroed out with the help of new fuels,’ says Professor Ossi Kaario from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Aalto University.

According to Kaario, the project also evaluates the environmental, social and economic effects of the use of new technologies and fuels.

‘An evaluation is needed in order to draw up guidelines for, for example, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Union and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).’

The duration of the project is about three years and its total budget is 2 MEUR (21 MNOK).