MAERSK has placed an order for six methanol powered containerships.
The new vessels, scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027, will each have a 9000-TEU capacity and dual-fuel engines that allow them to operate on green methanol.
The order brings the number of methanol-enabled ships Maersk has on order to 25.
“With this order, we take another step in the green transformation of our fleet and towards our target of becoming net-zero in 2040,” Maersk chief infrastructure officer Rabab Boulos said.
“As with all our other vessel orders for the last two years, these ships will be able to run on green methanol.”
“For these six container vessels, we have chosen a design and vessel size which make them very flexible from a deployment point of view.
“This will allow these vessels to fill many functions in both our current and our future network, thereby offering the flexibility our customers demand.
“Once phased in, they will replace existing capacity in our fleet,” says Rabab Boulos.
China-based Yangzijiang Shipbuilding is to build the new vessels.
In 2021, Maersk ordered the world’s first methanol-enabled container vessel following a stated commitment to the principle of only ordering newbuilt vessels that could sail on green fuels.
It said the global orderbook now stands at more than 100 methanol-enabled vessels.
Maersk said it will soon take delivery of its first methanol-enabled vessel, which is a 2100 TEU feeder vessel.
