Methanol propulsion systems in yachting are coming – and they’re coming fast. Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of mtu engines, has created a roadmap for this vision, forging a number of partnerships on the way to create a watertight ecosystem that reifies a methanol future. Within this complex ecosystem are two anchors: an exclusive partnership with the Italian yacht builder Sanlorenzo and a second with the German powerhouse Lürssen. The former was announced at the 2022 Cannes Yachting Festival, while the latter during the Monaco Yacht Show. Both luxury yacht builders have secured the exclusive rights to Rolls-Royce’s forthcoming methanol system for the first pilot application on yachts; Sanlorenzo can equip it on a yacht up to 75-metres in length, while anything larger falls to Lürssen. We can expect to see Lürssen and Sanlorenzo both deliver a yacht with a methanol propulsion system as soon as 2026 – perhaps even earlier.

“We are working to have the first methanol engine in two different segments of the yacht market; one with Sanlorenzo for smaller yachts and the other with Lürssen for superyachts,” Denise Kurtulus, Vice President of Rolls-Royce Global Marine, told SuperYacht Times. “We are also working in the commercial space developing methanol engines for ferries and tug boats,…