Maersk orders methanol fuelled containership from Hyundai Mipo

The 2,100 teu, methanol/very low sulphur fuel oil dual-fuel, feeder containership is due to be delivered by the South Korean shipbuilder in mid-2023. The Danish-flagged vessel will be deployed by the Sealand Europe brand in the Baltic between Northern Europe and the Bay of Bothnia.

“This groundbreaking container vessel shows that scalable solutions to properly solve shipping’s emissions challenge are available already today. From 2023 it will give us valuable experience in operating the container vessels of the future while offering a truly carbon neutral product for our many customers who look to us for help to decarbonize their supply chains,” said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, AP Moller - Maersk.

The main engine is being developed by MAN Energy Solutions and Hyundai Engine and Machinery, and the auxiliary engine by Himsen in collaboration with Hyundai Mipo and Maersk. The vessel will be classed by. American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

“Developing this vessel is a significant challenge, but we have already come a long way in our work with the yard and the makers to reach this milestone. While we are pioneering these solutions for our industry, we are working with well-proven technologies and the cost potential from further scaling is becoming very clear to us,” said Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology, AP Moller - Maersk.

Related:Maersk to launch first carbon neutral, methanol-fuelled containership by 2023

While many top containership owners are looking to LNG as interim fuel to reduce emissions with a potential pathway to zero carbon operations using synthetic LNG, Maersk views methanol as a better alternative, and plans to never order another vessel that runs solely on carbon-based fuels.

Maersk said that more than half its largest customers have, or are in the process of setting, science-based or zero carbon targets for their supply chains.