Danish shipping giant Maersk is planning to order up to fifteen 3,500 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ships, according to shipping analysts at Alphaliner.
Alphaliner reports that Maersk has issued tenders to a number of Chinese shipyards. According to Trade Winds, these shipyards include Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong and Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard. Because of the vacant space situation at the above shipyards, sources say Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding is also under Maersk’s consideration.
So far, excluding the latest disclosure of up to 15 methanol dual-fuel containerships, the number of Maersk’s methanol-fueled newbuilding orders has reached 25 vessels, which will be delivered between 2024 and 2027. In June this year, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding announced the signing of a construction contract with Maersk for six 9,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ships, which is the first methanol-powered container ship order undertaken by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, and the first time Maersk has placed an order for a methanol-dual-fuel ship in China. If the Chinese shipyard is chosen again, it will be the second methanol dual-fuel vessel ordered by Maersk from Chinese shipyard.
It is understood that Maersk first purchased a methanol dual-fuel container ship in 2021 and ordered the world’s first 2,100TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship from Hyundai Mipo Shipbuilding in South Korea in July of the same year. The landmark newbuilding was launched on April 4, 2023 and delivery was completed on July 10th.
Maersk held a gala naming ceremony for the vessel last month in the presence of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who acted as godmother and named the vessel ‘Laura Mærsk’, which is now operating in the Baltic Sea. The vessel has an overall length of 172 meters, a beam of 32.2 meters, a design speed of 17.4 knots and is classed by the ABS.
In addition to Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong and Zhoushan Changhong International shipyard, “reserve member” Taizhou Sanfu Shipbuilding has signed a number of LNG or methanol dual-fuel-powered vessels through continuous transformation and upgrading. In July 2022, Taizhou Sanfu shipyard was firstly awarded two 1300TEU methanol dual-fuel container vessels by Norwegian ship owner MPC Container Ships, marking the shipyard’s entry into the field of methanol-powered container vessel construction, and the first fabricated vessel formally commenced construction in July this year. The successful construction of the vessels proves that Sanfu Shipbuilding has shown a leap forward development in transformation and upgrading, and has successfully opened a “new track” in the field of new energy ship types after successfully building conventional power multipurpose vessels, Chemical Tankers, bulk carriers and containers.
