The new vessel, 16,200-TEU Ane Maersk, is named after Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, chairwoman of Maersk Group until 2022
The vessel’s naming ceremony comes just over three months after its launch in 2023 and four months after AP Moller-Maersk named its very first methanol-fuelled vessel, 2,100-TEU container feeder vessel Laura Maersk.
While the newer, larger methanol-fuelled Ane Maersk is named after the long-time chairwoman of the Maersk Group Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, Laura Maersk was named after Maersk’s founder AP Moller’s father’s first vessel, the steam ship Laura, purchased in 1886.
Ms Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla’s eldest granddaughter served as Ane Maersk’s godmother and christened the vessel by breaking a champagne bottle over the bow.
Ane Maersk is the first of Maersk’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025. In early February, it will enter service on the Asia-Europe routes.
"This series of vessels will have a transformative impact on our ambition to progress on our industry-leading climate ambitions. It is a visual and operational proof of our commitment to a more sustainable industry. With Ane Mærsk and its sister vessels, we are expanding our offer to the growing number of businesses aiming to reduce emissions from their supply chains," Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said in a statement.
Ane Maersk and its sibling vessels in the new series have an industry-first design with the bridge and accommodation placed at the front of the vessel, which ensures fuel-efficient operations. Maersk says the overall design, including situating the vessel’s funnel at the stern, allows for greater container capacity and improved port efficiency.
Ane Maersk first hit the water in early October 2023 at South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard, where the naming ceremony was held in January.
Posting on its social media feeds, the company said of the vessel, at the time called ’hull no 3322’, "She floats. The first in a new series of 12 methanol-enabled container ships, made her launching and undocking milestone this weekend. Unveiling the first photos of our large oceangoing vessel class with dual-fuel engine able to operate on green methanol ... Measuring at 350 m in length and 53-m beam width, with capacity to carry 16,200 TEU for our customers. We are partnering with industry leaders Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd and MAN Energy Solutions for delivery of the first large container vessel in early 2024."
Steel for Ane Maersk was cut in December 2022. The vessel’s float out in October 2023 came less than a month after the christening of Maersk’s first green methanol ship, 32,300-dwt, 2,100-TEU feeder ship Laura Maersk, which completed its maiden sailing from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan to Copenhagen, Denmark, on methanol fuel.
Maersk is an early mover in the methanol-powered vessel segment with its initial order coming in 2021. Maersk subsequently signed a letter of intent with China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to build eight (with an option for four more) 8,000-TEU wide-beam container vessels, and the company’s total commitment to methanol currently stands at more than two dozen dual-fuel, methanol-fuelled vessels on order ranging from 2,000-TEU container capacity to 17,000-TEU.
Maersk has simultaneously undertaken a drive to secure quantities of methanol through investment and partnerships with companies and governments around the world. In one such venture, Maersk is supporting the SunGas green methanol plant, that is expected to start operations in 2027 for a planned 400,000 tonnes per annum production facility.
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