Caterpillar Marine receives green light for its dual-fuel methanol-ready engines

Houston-headquartered engine manufacturer Caterpillar Marine has been given the go-ahead from Norway’s classification society DNV via an approval in principle (AiP) for its Cat 3500E methanol-ready marine main and auxiliary engines.

As disclosed, the DNV approval and class notation have confirmed that the engines are both methanol-ready and dual fuel-capable.

The engines—available in 12-cylinder (up to 1901 kW) and 16-cylinder (up to 2525 kW) configurations—are suitable for all maritime segments, Caterpillar shared, particularly tugs and other vessels that need high-power propulsion for heavy loads.

Moreover, according to the company, which will reportedly provide upgrade kits for the 3500Es, utilizing the DNV-approved engines could allow ship operators to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from well to wake.

“Caterpillar Marine is pleased that the DNV review was successful, as it marks an important product development milestone for us,” Caterpillar Marine Vice President and General Manager Brad Johnson shared.

“Methanol will play an important role in the maritime industry’s energy transition efforts, and we look forward to providing vessel operators with high-quality methanol solutions.”

Caterpillar Marine revealed intentions to invest in methanol engine technology for the first time in March 2022 as part of its combustion technology achievements. That same year, in September, the company announced that its 3500E series was methanol-ready. It was then that Caterpillar Marine also stated that there was potential for the engines to be modified to run as dual-fuel engines in the future.

Global towage operator Svitzer shook hands with the U.S.-based company the following year, namely in April 2023, when the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to adopt solutions that would enable Svitzer to use methanol for its fleet.

Fast forward to May 2024, Caterpillar joined forces with the Dutch Damen Shipyards Group. The two companies revealed plans to deploy the first set of field demonstrator methanol dual-fuel 3500E marine engines in 2026.