A.P. Moller - Maersk orders 6 additional ships powered by methanol dual-fuel engines

13 October 2022

A.P. Moller - Maersk has ordered a further six large ocean-going container vessels powered by methanol dual-fuel engines. The six vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and have a nominal capacity of approximately 17,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units).

Maersk ordered the engines with an expressed intention to operate them on renewable (‘green’) methanol. If green methanol is not available, the ships can operated using commercial (i.e., natural gas-based) methanol or diesel fuel. Maersk has made several small scale investments in renewable fuel start-ups to help develop green methanol production base.

Maersk has set a net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business. This includes a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet compared to 2020 and a principle of only ordering newbuilt vessels that can be operated on green fuels.

With the order, Maersk has in total ordered 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol. Maersk announced its first order for methanol-capable ships in August 2021.

Benchmarked against conventional fuel capabilities, additional capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the methanol dual-fuel capability is in the range of 8-12%, which is an improvement compared to when Maersk ordered eight vessels with the same technology last year.

The six 17,000 TEU vessels are all to be delivered in 2025 and will sail under the flag of Denmark. They all come as part of Maersk’s ongoing fleet renewal program and their capacity will replace an equal amount of capacity reaching end-of-life and leaving the Maersk managed fleet.

Source: Maersk