Maersk has recently revealed a video of its highly-anticipated 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) dual-fuel ship. This groundbreaking ship can operate on either methanol or very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), and its introduction has since spurred the construction of several other methanol-fueled vessels at shipyards throughout Asia.
The ship was ordered two years ago and is scheduled to be delivered from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard within the next couple of months. It will be deployed in the Baltic.
This vessel is emblazoned with the slogan “All the way to zero” across its hull, signifying its commitment to reducing carbon emissions. The ship has now been moved from the drydock into the water for the first time, marking a significant milestone in its construction process.
Henrik Ekmann, the head of newbuilding and retrofit at Maersk, commented on the ship’s successful launch, stating that “Launching these mega structures takes precision and care, extensive product and design development from a large number of key suppliers and driven forward by our procurement and fleet technology teams.”
Maersk has also commissioned a series of 16,000 TEU methanol dual-fuelled ships, which are currently under construction in South Korea. Other shipping companies have followed in Maersk’s footsteps, with many ordering methanol-fueled vessels of their own.
Methanol is rapidly becoming a popular alternative fuel choice across multiple sectors of the shipping industry, including dry bulk and tanker orders, as well as among major cruise companies. According to DNV, a leading classification society, methanol was the second most popular alternative fuel choice for newbuild orders in 2021 after LNG. As of the end of last month, there were 106 methanol-fueled ships on order, and 68 of them were containerships.
Source Maersk