Maersk floats out first 16,000-TEU methanol box ship

The first of Maersk’s series of large methanol-ready container ships hit the water in early October at South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard. The float out came less than a month from the christening of Maersk’s first green methanol ship, 32,300-dwt feeder ship Laura Maersk, after the vessel completed its maiden sailing from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan to Copenhagen, Denmark, on methanol fuel. 

Posting on its social media feeds, the company said of the vessel currently 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 the first of Maersk’s large, methanol-fuelled box ships was cut in December 2022. The ocean shipping giant is an early mover in the methanol segment with its initial order coming in 2021. Maersk has 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 25 dual-fuel, methanol-ready 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 tonne per annum production facility. 

And last week, Maersk-backed C2X, which aims to build a large-scale green methanol production facility to enable and accelerate large-scale production of green methanol in Egypt close to the Suez Canal, inked a comprehensive Framework Agreement with the company’s Egyptian sponsors and partners.