Rolls-Royce mtu 4000 engines certified for Methanol Readiness

Rolls-Royce has received a Methanol Readiness Certificate from the DNV for its mtu 4000 Series marine engines.

The awarding of the certification took place at the Maritime Business Forum 2026, held in Hamburg, Germany the day prior to the opening of the SMM 2026 marine trade fair (September 1-4).

The Maritime Business Forum 2026 was held in Hamburg, Germany (Photo: Power Progress)

The award recognizes the ability of Rolls-Royce marine propulsion systems to be retrofitted in the future for dual-fuel operation using both diesel and methanol.

“The uncertain future of CO2 legislation is driving a growing desire among many ship operators for greater flexibility in terms of propulsion and fuel,” said Lukas Köhler, senior VP, Global Marine & Mining at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

“With the methanol-ready certificate, we are giving our customers the assurance that they will be able to operate their ships on methanol in the future, when the fuel is sufficiently available.”

In 2025, Rolls-Royce completed successful testing of what was said to be the world’s first high-speed marine engine powered by methanol. The testing took place at the company headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Since then, more than 5,000 hours have been dedicated to testing and analysis of engines using methanol in single- and dual-fuel mode.

All Rolls-Royce engines are now compatible with HVO and Matera renewable synthetic diesel fuel (e-diesel) produced by Interac.