Integrated container logistics firm AP Moller-Maersk has signed a contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyards for the construction of the world’s first methanol-fuelled feeder vessel.
The 172m-long vessel will operate under the Danish flag and be classified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). It will feature dual engine technology, helping it to run using methanol or very low Sulphur fuel.
The 2,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) feeder vessel is expected to be delivered by mid-2023.
It will provide services in the network of Maersk subsidiary Sealand Europe, sailing on the Baltic shipping course between the Bay of Bothnia and Northern Europe.
The vessel’s methanol propulsion configuration will be developed by MAN Energy Solutions, Hyundai Engine and Machinery and Himsen. AP Moller-Maersk fleet and strategic brands CEO Henriette Hallberg Thygesen said: “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 decarbonise their supply chains.”
AP Moller-Maersk fleet technology head Ole Graa Jakobsen said: “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.”
In February, AP Moller-Maersk announced its plans to launch the world’s first carbon-neutral liner vessel in 2023, as part of its efforts to decarbonise marine operations.
The company has revealed that many of its clients have set, or are in the process of setting, science-based or zero-carbon targets for their supply chains.
