RINA Type Approves Methanol Superstorage System for Yachts

RINA has granted Type Approval to SRC Group's methanol superstorage system, validating a tank concept intended to make alternative alcohol fuels more practical on yachts and other vessels. The design addresses one of methanol's main naval-architecture penalties by increasing usable fuel volume within a given space.

The system targets the storage penalty of methanol

Methanol contains less energy per unit volume than conventional marine diesel, so a yacht needs more tank capacity to achieve comparable range. SRC says its superstorage approach can hold nearly twice the volume of methanol or ethanol that could be carried in some conventional arrangements occupying the same space.

That matters on superyachts because fuel tanks compete directly with accommodation, machinery, tenders and technical spaces. Any alternative-fuel system that consumes excessive internal volume can undermine the owner's brief even if the propulsion technology itself works well.

A sandwich structure provides containment and protection

The tank structure uses SPS Technology's Sandwich Plate System, with a twenty-five-millimetre solid elastomer core bonded between two steel plates. SRC says the construction provides A60-equivalent fire performance while also transferring loads and absorbing energy.

The elastomer forms an oxygen-free layer between the steel plates, helping prevent hidden corrosion while adding another sealing barrier. The fully bonded structure is intended to maintain shear transfer and structural continuity rather than functioning as two independent tank walls.

The design removes the conventional cofferdam requirement

SRC says the system can eliminate the need for a separate cofferdam while maintaining protection against fire, mechanical impact and leakage. Removing that void is where much of the additional usable fuel volume becomes available within the same overall envelope.

Space savings will be particularly valuable on long-range yachts where methanol storage otherwise requires major compromises. Designers still need to integrate ventilation, bunkering, detection and fuel-conditioning systems around the tank because approval of the containment structure does not remove wider fuel-safety requirements.

Type Approval gives designers a firmer technical basis

RINA says the approval confirms compliance with defined safety, reliability and performance requirements. Formal classification acceptance can make it easier for owners, naval architects and shipyards to evaluate methanol without treating the storage system as an unproven one-off installation.

The technology remains one part of a larger transition because fuel availability, lifecycle emissions, engine choices and bunkering infrastructure still influence whether methanol suits a particular yacht. Its value is that storage becomes a less severe obstacle in projects where methanol already makes operational sense.

Official sources: marinebusiness.news.