Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF) Launches Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA) to Accelerate Low-Carbon Fuel Adoption at Sea
SINGAPORE | October 13, 2025 – The transition of the maritime industry gained a crucial coordinating body today as the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF) officially launched the Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA). Anchored in Singapore, MEMA is a new global platform designed to coordinate and significantly accelerate the safe and standardized adoption of ethanol and methanol as viable, low-carbon marine fuels.
MEMA brings together the full maritime value chain, uniting shipowners, fuel producers, engine manufacturers, regulators, ports, and class societies. Its primary goal is to forge a shared, cohesive framework covering safety protocols, fuel specification alignment, and the critical path for verifiable lifecycle carbon reduction.
Ethanol and Methanol: Proven Solutions, Not Future Concepts
The alliance is capitalizing on rapidly building real-world momentum for these low-carbon liquid fuels, reinforcing the argument that they are ready for immediate, scalable deployment.
The launch follows major recent industry milestones:
- Engine Validation: Everllence recently confirmed the successful operation of the world’s first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke marine engine.
- Technology Roadmap: WinGD is planning to introduce its first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke engine by 2026.
- Operational Trials: Maersk has conducted operational trials using a blend of e-methanol and ethanol aboard the Laura Maersk to assess performance, ignition, and emissions behavior.
These advancements underscore MEMA’s foundational belief: ethanol and methanol are not distant concepts but are already viable today, offering practical and scalable pathways for maritime decarbonization by leveraging existing liquid fuel infrastructure. MEMA was expressly created to connect these isolated pilots into a coordinated, global deployment strategy.
Unifying the Decarbonization Ecosystem
MEMA’s purpose is to unify this growing ecosystem through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy, bridging the gaps between policy, technology, and commercial readiness.
Clarence Woo, Managing Director of GCGF, commented on the strategic necessity of the alliance: “Decarbonizing shipping demands a portfolio of practical, scalable solutions. Ethanol and methanol are among the few liquid fuels that can leverage existing infrastructure while delivering measurable reductions in carbon intensity. MEMA’s role is to provide the structure, standards, and collective voice to accelerate that transition globally.”
The key objectives MEMA aims to achieve include:
- Standardization: Supporting international fuel standards and safety frameworks through coordination with IMO and ISO processes.
- Alignment: Facilitating dialogue between policymakers, shipowners, and producers to align incentives and technical readiness.
- Transparency: Encouraging transparent lifecycle assessment (LCA) and specification development for both fuels.
- Safety & Training: Driving comprehensive training, awareness, and product stewardship for safe handling and bunkering.
Chris Chatterton, Maritime Advisor to GCGF, emphasized the focus on readiness: “MEMA will bridge the technical and policy communities to ensure readiness, from engine trials and fuel quality protocols to crew training and bunkering practices. Our goal is to help the sector move from isolated pilots to coordinated, scalable deployment.”
The launch of MEMA marks a definitive move towards consolidating industry efforts, positioning ethanol and methanol as crucial components in the immediate and near-term future of low-carbon marine fuel supply.
The Imperative for MEMA: Unifying the Ethanol & Methanol Value Chain
The creation of the Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA) directly addresses a critical fragmentation point in the industry. As noted by the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF), there was no dedicated voice representing both ethanol and methanol in the maritime sector, leading to fragmented advocacy, duplicative initiatives, and missed opportunities to influence the global energy transition efficiently.
MEMA was established to counter this by unifying stakeholders under a single, credible, and science-based platform. This platform is designed to drive collaboration across policy, safety, and technology, ensuring that the transition toward low-carbon liquid fuels is supported in line with major international frameworks, including IMO, ISO, EU Fit for 55, and FuelEU Maritime.
What Makes MEMA Different
MEMA operates as a technology-neutral but fuel-specific organization, supporting both neat and blended ethanol and methanol marine fuels. Its work is anchored by a commitment to safe handling, product stewardship, and science-led policy.
The Alliance focuses its efforts across four key value areas to facilitate rapid market adoption:
- Market Access: Connecting participants to new trade flows, customers, and global green fuel opportunities.
- Participants Empowerment: Building standardized frameworks and data-driven insights to reduce operational costs and risks.
- Efficiency & Transparency: Providing shared tools, knowledge, and collaborative platforms to strengthen commercial and sustainability outcomes.
- Advocacy & Influence: Amplifying participants’ voices to shape regulations, standards, and global recognition for these fuels.
Strategic Pillars of Global Engagement
MEMA’s strategy is built on four core pillars, demonstrating its comprehensive approach to enabling global scale:
- Policy & Sustainability: Direct engagement with regulators across the globe, including IMO, EU, US, Brazil, China, Japan, India, and key Middle East and ASEAN authorities.
- Product Stewardship & Safety: Developing and promoting best practices for safe handling protocols and crucial crew training.
- Technology & OEM Validation: Focusing on engine tests, trials, retrofits, innovation partnerships, and standards development through ISO.
- Fuel, Logistics & Availability: Addressing the commercial and physical challenge areas, including procurement, bunkering procedures (SMOPS), and e-BDN (Electronic Bunkering Delivery Note) systems.
The alliance is inviting a broad range of stakeholders—from bio & e-fuel producers and shipowners to port authorities, regulators, and Class Societies—to join this results-driven coalition and collectively shape international standards and accelerate technology deployment.
About the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF)
The Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF) is a Singapore-based not-for-profit think tank advancing the adoption of sustainable fuels across the transport sector. GCGF provides data-driven research, technical expertise, and policy advisory to governments and industry, helping accelerate practical and inclusive energy transition pathways.
Source: Global Centre for Green Fuels