Astrid Maersk, 2nd large methanol-enabled vessel, arrives at Koper

Astrid Maersk, the second large vessel of Maersk that can run on green methanol*, arrived in Koper, Slovenia for the first time on June 16.

"Astrid Maersk comes after her sister unit Ane Maersk, launched earlier this year and underscores Maersk's ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040," says an official release.

Operating on the AE12 string which connects Asia and Europe, Astrid Maersk arrived at the Slovene port from Port Said in Egypt before continuing her journey towards Trieste (Italy), Tangier (Morocco) and Singapore, the release added.

"It is a fantastic and memorable moment and a great pleasure to witness the arrival of Astrid Maersk in Koper, in Slovenia and in the Adriatic," says Ivić Vodopija, Country Manager, East Adriatic and Central Europe, Maersk. "The launch of this class of vessels is a key milestone for Maersk in our journey to decarbonise ocean transportation. Astrid Maersk, together with her sister vessels, embodies our ambitions in the areas of sustainability and innovation. But this decarbonisation journey requires collaboration from the entire ecosystem including customers, partners, regulators and all other stakeholders and Port of Koper is one of our key partners. We are in this together and today we have visible proof that we can move in the right direction."

Gregor Belič, Member of the Management Board, Port of Koper adds: "Our commitment to sustainability and a greener future is stronger than ever. We are advancing towards self-sufficiency, increasing our energy independence and digitising processes to reduce our carbon footprint. Over the past few years, we have been electrifying our machinery, replacing many with the most environmentally friendly electric ones. Furthermore, our most ambitious project, the electrification of the quayside, will allow all cargo ships to connect directly to shore electricity by 2029, marking a major step in our climate transition efforts. Our valued partners share this commitment as these decisions are vital for environmental protection. We therefore welcome our partners’ plans to carry out a green transition in their fleet."

The total throughput of Port of Koper in 2023 was 22.3 million tonnes including 1.066 million TEUs and 916,728 units of vehicles, making it the largest container terminal in Adriatic and one of the most important car terminals in Europe, the release added.

(*Maersk defines green fuels as fuels with minimum 65 percent greenhouse gas emissions reductions on a lifecycle basis compared to reference fossil fuel.)