A.P. MOLLER Maersk has announced it has completed orders for a total of 20 dual-fuel container vessels, concluding its fleet renewal plan announced in August.
The Danish shipping line confirmed all 20 ships will be equipped with liquified gas (LNG) dual-fuel propulsion systems, and vary in size from 9000 to 17,000 TEU.
The agreements see a total of eight vessels ordered from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (China), six from New Times Shipbuilding (China), and six from Hanwha Ocean (South Korea).
The first vessels will be delivered in 2028, with the last delivery to take place in 2030, according to Maersk.
Anda Cristescu, head of chartering & newbuilding at Maersk commented, “We are pleased to have signed agreements for 20 vessels and thereby completed the acquisition of 300,000 TEU capacity as announced in August”.
“These orders are a part of our ongoing fleet renewal program and in line with our commitment to decarbonisation, as all the vessels will have dual-fuel engines with the intent to operate them on lower emissions fuel
“Due to their different sizes, the vessels will be able to fill many roles and functions within our future network and give us a lot of deployment flexibility when they are ready to enter our fleet. Once phased in, they will replace existing capacity in our fleet.”
Maersk’s August fleet update further announced the intention to charter a range of methanol and liquified gas dual-fuel vessels totalling 500,000 TEU capacity.
The shipping line confirmed it has now finalised these charter contracts across several tonnage providers, and says when phased in, the charter vessels will replace existing capacity.
The news of the newbuilds follows the arrival of Maerk’s newest dual-fuel methanol container vessel in Singapore as part of its maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.
The vessel, named A.P. Møller in honor of Arnold Peter Møller, the founder of A.P. Moller – Maersk, is the ninth vessel in the fleet capable of operating on methanol.
A.P. Møller is part of a series of 18 large dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 2025.
Built at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea, the ship can carry over 16,500 TEU. Seven of these large dual-fuel methanol vessels joined the Maersk fleet in 2024.
Ditlev Blicher, president of Asia Pacific at Maersk said following the arrival of the vessel in Singapore, “Now, we urge the International Maritime Organisation to adopt regulations that close the price gap between fossil and new fuels, encouraging even more customers to come onboard”.
