Maersk orders 6 new green methanol 17,000 TEU container vessels
With the new order, Maersk will take delivery of 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol.
Danish carrier A.P.Moller-Maersk has ordered six more large ocean-going vessels that can sail on green methanol.
"The six vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and have a nominal capacity of approx. 17,000 TEUs. They will replace existing capacity in the Maersk fleet," says an official statement.
Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO, Fleet & Strategic Brands, Maersk says: "Our customers are looking to us to decarbonise their supply chains, and these six vessels able to operate on green methanol will further accelerate the efforts to offer our customers climate neutral transport. Global action is needed in this decade in order to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to a 1.5°C temperature rise."
Maersk has set a net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business, and has also set tangible near-term targets for 2030 to ensure significant progress. "This includes a 50 percent reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet compared to 2020 and a principle of only ordering new build vessels that can be operated on green fuels."
With the new order, Maersk has, in total, ordered 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol.
"Green methanol is the best scalable green fuel solution for this decade, and we are excited to see several other shipowners choosing this path," says Palle Laursen, Chief Fleet & Technical Officer, Maersk. "It adds further momentum to the rapid scaling of availability needed to bring down the premium on green methanol and accelerate the evolution of climate neutral shipping."
The six 17,000 TEU vessels are to be delivered in 2025 and will sail under the flag of Denmark. "When all 19 vessels on order are deployed and have replaced older vessels, they will generate annual CO2 emissions savings of around 2.3 million tonnes."
Maersk has reiterated its strategy of maintaining a fleet capacity at a maximum of 4.3 million TEU as a combination of Maersk managed and time-chartered vessels, the release added.
