2025 in container shipping: methanol, ammonia and LNG

Methanol-fuelled ship orders

It was all about methanol last year and this theme will be carried forward in the container ship sector for 2025. The arrival of Laura Maersk in 2023 was an iconic moment: the arrival of the first dual-fuel methanol container ship. Maersk has followed this up with a slew of methanol-fuelled box ship deliveries, including, at the end of 2024, the news Maersk Halifax has been converted into a dual-fuel vessel able to operate on methanol – the first methanol container ship retrofit. The challenges of supply are also being faced by the container ship industry, with several signing deals to ensure they can get hold of this fuel. For example, Hapag-Lloyd has struck an agreement for the delivery of 250,000 tonnes of green methanol per year.

Surge in LNG orders

But against methanol, we have seen a surge in LNG-fuelled orders – something that will continue next year, especially as Maersk has made a major move towards LNG by signing up for 20 box ships to be fuelled by LNG. The latest alternative fuel insight from DNV says LNG continues to be the main driver, accounting for 23 vessels, with 15 of these coming from the container segment.

Ammonia makes inroads

In last year’s ‘trends for 2024’, CS&PT called ammonia the ‘new kid on the block’. It is no longer quite as new and is making real inroads into the cargo ship sector, with a slew of AIPs, designs and some ammonia-ready orders, such as Hapag-Lloyd’s order for 24 ammonia ready ships. CS&PT’s interview with MSC Group’s Bud Darr highlights this trend well. “Once it enters the marketplace in a green form it will be very valuable,” he said.

MSC is also looking at projects that include ammonia. Mr Darr says, “We are looking at ways we can do that both on the small and large scale and we are looking at various technologies that might allow us to produce hydrogen as needed. One project in our cargo division we are developing with a partner is using a cracker that turns ammonia into hydrogen as you need it, and theoretically, you could do that on a ship. Ammonia could be the primary fuel, the cracker would turn it into nitrogen and hydrogen, and the hydrogen could be used as a pilot or principle fuel.”

The role of ports

Ports are crucial to container shipping’s decarbonisation journey. They need to provide the alternative fuel hubs these ships need to get to net zero, and they also need to provide shore charging facilities. Container ports are making large inroads with these fields and this will only increase next year. They are also playing key roles within green corridors. For example, Port of Long Beach is a key member of the Green Shipping Corridor being developed between Shanghai and the US West Coast.  Port Readiness Level tool, developed by a group of advanced ports of the World Port Climate Action Program and IAPH’s Clean Marine Fuels Working Group, is being made available by IAPH as an initial manual self-assessment tool following successful testing by the Port of Rotterdam.

Finally, charging infrastructure for box ships in container ports will continue to increase. In December 2024, Ocean Network Express and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group trialled an alternative marine power container for shore power – the first trial of its kind in China.