Danish shipping giant Maersk will put its first large methanol-enabled vessel into service in early February on the AE7 string, which connects Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
The Ane Maersk marks the first in its planned fleet of 18 such vessels that will be built to run on "green" methanol. The rest of the fleet is to be delivered between 2024 and 2025, Maersk said at the launch of the Ane Maersk in Ulsan, South Korea on 26 January.
Maersk is working on sourcing "green" methanol as a bunkering fuel for this fleet, it added.
The Ane Maersk is also the second container vessel in the world that can run on "green" methanol, with the first being the Laura Maersk feeder vessel that was put into service in September 2023.
The shipping industry sees low-carbon methanol as a promising alternative fuel that can help it cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and comply with International Maritime Organization requirements. This has prompted shipping industry participants to increasingly look at ways to source and produce low-carbon methanol.
Maersk defines "green" methanol as methanol fuel with 65-95pc lifecycle GHG reductions compared with fossil fuels.
