The Methanol Institute (MI) has been granted consultative status by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), according to the company's release.
Consultative status is reserved for non-governmental, international organizations that have the capability to make a substantial contribution to the work of IMO. MI will now be able to attend meetings as an observer and offer expert input on discussions in plenary and working groups.
Using its global perspective and expertise, MI aims to use its consultative status to work more closely with member countries to establish robust regulatory frameworks for low-carbon shipping fuels, develop standards for the safe design, operation, and bunkering of methanol, and create market-based measures to support the introduction of low-carbon and renewable methanol.
MI has consistently raised the profile of methanol as a marine fuel, including advocating for its inclusion in the revised International Code for Gas Fuelled Ships (The IGF Code) in 2020. Since then, MI has worked to inform policy initiatives at a regional and global level, support standards for bunkering and crew training, collaborated on shipyard vessel designs, and joined other cross-industry groups supporting the decarbonization of the maritime supply chain.
MI is the global trade association, representing the world’s leading methanol producers and distributors, transporters, shipowners, and technology companies.