Methanol - Alternative Fuel Spill Response Considerations Fuel characteristics and industrial background Methanol is a leading candidate in shipping’s near-term decarbonisation pathway, supported by more than a century of global production, handling and bulk transport experience. It is widely used as a chemical feedstock, industrial solvent and energy source, and has also been deployed as a blended automotive fuel. As a result, there is a comparatively mature understanding of its material compatibility, storage requirements and safety controls for spill and leak prevention relative to less operationally established alternatives.  A key operational advantage is that methanol is a liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, enabling storage in modified tanks on existing vessels and simplifying logistics compared with cryogenic or pressurised fuels. Production pathways and carbon footprint considerations Methanol’s lifecycle emissions profile remains a central consideration in its use as a low-carbon marine fuel. A significant proportion of global supply is still fossil-based (grey methanol), and early maritime uptake has largely relied on these volumes. However, lower-carbon pathways are expanding, including bio-methanol and e-methanol, with initial bunkering of bio-methanol occurring from 2023 and early e-methanol volumes emerging from 2025.  The pace of adoption will therefore be influenced not only by vessel readiness, but by the scalability, cost and availability of genuinely low-carbon methanol supply at relevant bunkering locations. Infrastructure, fleet uptake and retrofit practicality Methanol integrates more readily with existing shipboard and port infrastructure than ammonia or hydrogen, and retrofitting conventional tonnage is generally considered technically feasible and comparatively cost-effective, requiring fewer modifications to engines and tanks than other alternative fuels.  These practical advantages are reflected in methanol’s growin