A.P Moller – Maersk has ordered six ocean-going containerships that can use methanol as a fuel.
The vessels will have a nominal cargo capacity of about 17,000 TEU. They will replace existing capacity in the company’s fleet.
Hyundai Heavy Industries are to build the six vessels.
Maersk fleet and strategic brands CEO Henriette Hallberg Thygesen said Maersk’s customers are looking to the company to decarbonise their supply chains.
“These six vessels able to operate on green methanol will further accelerate the efforts to offer our customers climate neutral transport,” she said.
“Global action is needed in this decade in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to a 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise.”
Maersk is aiming for a net-zero target of 2040 across its entire business. It has set near-term targets, including a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet by 2040 (compared with 2020). The company also said it was only ordering newbuilds that can be operated on “green fuels”.
With this order, Maersk has in total ordered 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol.
Maersk chief fleet and technical officer Palle Laursen said, “Green methanol is the best scalable green fuel solution for this decade, and we are excited to see several other shipowners choosing this path. It adds further momentum to the rapid scaling of availability needed to bring down the premium on green methanol and accelerate the evolution of climate neutral shipping”.
The six 17,000 TEU vessels are all to be delivered in 2025 and will be flagged in Denmark.
They all come as part of Maersk’s ongoing fleet renewal program and their capacity will replace an equal amount of capacity reaching end-of-life and leaving the Maersk managed fleet.
The company said when all 19 vessels on order are deployed and have replaced older vessels, they will generate annual carbon dioxide emissions savings of around 2.3 million tonnes.
