Maersk’s "fast-track project" to put the first potentially carbon-neutral container vessel into operation by 2023 is 54 days from completion, according to the company
The recently launched and as-yet unnamed 32,300-dwt Maersk feeder vessel took on its first green methanol bunker earlier in the week.
The bunkering operation and voyage now underway from the site of the vessel’s construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea, has made it the first container ship ever to sail on green methanol.
Maersk called the vessel’s voyage "an important milestone," and said "our journey to be net zero [in greenhouse gas emissions] by 2040 has started".
The 2,100-TEU container feeder ship is headed to Copenhagen, Denmark for its naming ceremony and is scheduled to arrive in 54 days, according to the countdown clock on Maersk’s web page dedicated to the voyage.
"With this vessel, we have taken an important step in our journey towards net-zero emissions. Our hope is to show the way - not only for Maersk but for the entire logistics industry," Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said.
ABS also hailed the voyage as a "milestone in the history of alternative marine fuels".
The feeder vessel is the first of 19 dual-fuel engine vessels on order from Maersk to ABS class that will be capable of sailing on green methanol. When all 19 vessels on order are deployed and have replaced older vessels they will, when operating on green methanol, generate estimated annual CO2 emissions savings of 2.3M tonnes.
“This vessel represents a paradigm shift and requires new thinking in every area from design and operation to skills and training to bunkering and shoreside engagement,” said ABS chairman and chief executive Christopher J Wiernicki. “Green methanol holds significant promise to contribute to the decarbonisation of our industry.”
Clarksons Research data on ship orders in 2023 showed 62 orders for newbuildings capable of sailing on methanol, but a new Lloyd’s Register report said pricing, availability and carbon accounting could hold back wider expansion for the fuel.
18 April 2023
AP Moller-Maersk has released a short video of the vessel’s launch on its social media platforms, as the company has taken to announcing the completion of each benchmark in the build of the vessel that began with a contract signing for an initial order for eight carbon-neutral, methanol-fuelled container vessels, with an option for four more vessels in 2021.
Two years on, the company’s first vessel has been moved from drydock to the water.
“The launching was successfully completed... and the construction is continuing,” says Maersk head of newbuilding Henrik Ekmann.
The "fast-track project" to put the first potentially carbon-neutral container vessel in operation by 2023 remains on schedule, according to the company.
"This was enabled by extensive product and design development from a large number of key suppliers and driven forward by our procurement and fleet technology teams. In the coming months, construction and commissioning will be completed and Maersk will take delivery, from Hyundai Mipo [shipyard], of the vessel during the summer [of 2023]," the company said.
21 March 2023
AP Moller - Maersk has released renderings for the newbuild vessel, which will be capable of running on green methanol and equipped with a dual-fuel engine.
Maersk announced a contract to build at least a dozen box ships capable of running on green methanol in August 2021 and has since increased its commitment to total nearly 20 vessels.
Posting on Twitter, the company said, "We are thrilled to unveil the design of our first green fuel-powered vessel. The build is on, and it’s soon to be delivered by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard."
Since its decision to build the potentially carbon-neutral vessels, and as the company has increased its green methanol newbuild vessel commitment, Maersk has also invested heavily in building a methanol supply chain for its vessels. In December, the company signed its ninth agreement for renewable methanol supply. Notably, many of the agreements have included funding that essentially enables green methanol production companies at early stages of development to build facilities, with Maersk often committing to cover full offtake of green methanol supplies once production has begun.
In spite of the company working to establish multiple strategic partnerships around the supply of green methanol, Maersk still lists fuel availability, supply levels and price as primary challenges for its plans to decarbonise.
"The availability of green energy and fuels in sufficient quantities and at cost-competitive price levels remains the main challenge for the decarbonisation of global shipping. Maersk alone needs approximately 6M tonnes of green methanol per year to reach its 2030 milestone fleet emissions target and even larger amounts by 2040 for its fleet to reach net zero," Maersk said in late 2022.
Maersk has calculated the 19 vessels capable of running on green methanol that are scheduled to be in operation in coming years will require approximately 750,000 tonnes of green methanol annually.
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