Inspenet, July 15, 2023.
Green methanol: the sustainable fuel
Shipping company Maersk has taken delivery of the world’s first dual-fuel, green methanol-powered container ship (HMD Hull #4168) at one of Hyundai Mipo’s shipyards in South Korea. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co was also involved in the construction process for the vessel.
This delivery comes just two years after the order was placed, which has led to the number of methanol-powered container ships on the global order book exceeding 100, according to DNV data.
Most of the details of the ship, including the official announcement of its name, will be kept secret until a celebration scheduled for September 14 in Copenhagen, as part of a week of festivities organized by the shipping company. However, the vessel’s AIS signal indicates the name Laura Maersk and it is registered under the flag of Denmark.
Before the celebration, the ship will make a voyage of approximately 11,000 nautical miles from South Korea to Europe. For this, the Danish company and fuel supplier OCI Global have secured an adequate supply of green methanol to fuel the entire delivery haul.
In addition, the ship is part of the Solstice Project for the construction of new vessels. The order was placed at the end of June 2021 and Maersk has announced that the ship will be used as a feeder vessel on its Baltic Sea routes.
In this context, Leonardo Sonzio, Maersk’s head of technology and fleet management, commented that “an additional 5,000 engineering hours went into the development of this containership compared to a normal newbuild. The ship also incorporates other environmentally friendly technologies, including the ability to operate on land-based power. Maersk has also launched training programs for both the ship’s crew and its shore-based staff.”
“The other big challenge is building the green methanol supply and fueling infrastructure. By ordering the large number of vessels, Maersk believes it has demonstrated early demand for green methanol and the company is investing in developing a global supply chain.”
In early April 2023, the new container ship was launched at the shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. At the end of June, the ship underwent four days of sea trials to check its equipment. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will have the honor of being the ship’s godmother at the naming ceremony, thus ushering in a new era in container shipping.
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