Danish shipping giant Maersk recently held the naming and delivery ceremony for its sixth 16,000TEU methanol dual-fuel container ship at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, completing the world’s first large-scale methanol dual-fuel container ship fleet.
The ship was named Axel Maersk, after Axel Poul Peder Maersk Uggla, grandson of Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, President of the A.P. Moller Foundation.
The Axel Maersk is 336.78 meters long, 53.5 meters wide, and 18 meters deep. It flies the Danish flag and is classified by the American Bureau of Shipping. It can carry about 16,000 TEUs and is equipped with a methanol dual-fuel engine developed by MAN ES. The new ship adopts an innovative design that is the first of its kind in the industry. The crew quarters and bridge are located at the bow, which increases the container capacity while ensuring fuel savings. The chimney is placed on the stern side to provide more space for cargo.
Overall, the cargo carrying capacity of this type of container ship will be 7% higher than that of existing ships in the same class. This separation between accommodation and stack design will also improve the efficiency of the ship in port.
So far, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has delivered six 16,000TEU large methanol dual-fuel powered container ships to Maersk. The first ship in the series, “Ane Maersk”, was named in January 2024. It is also the world’s first large methanol dual-fuel container ship; the second ship, “Astrid Maersk”, was named in April 2024; the third ship, “Antonia Maersk”, was named on August 9, 2024; the fourth ship, “Alette Maersk”, was named on August 27, 2024; the fifth ship, “Alexandra Maersk”, was named on October 9, 2024.
The world’s first methanol dual-fuel feeder container ship, the Laura Mærsk, the number one proponent of methanol fuel, has also been ordered by Maersk and will be completed and delivered by HD Hyundai Mipo on July 10, 2023, with the naming of the vessel by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
As the number one supporter of methanol fuel, the world’s first methanol dual-fuel feeder container ship “Laura Mærsk” was also ordered by Maersk and was built and delivered by HD Hyundai Mipo on July 10, 2023. It was named by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
It is reported that the new methanol dual-fuel powered container ship is the core of Maersk’s decarbonization plan. Compared with traditional fossil fuels (such as marine fuel), methanol can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65% to 90%. Maersk said that this depends on the raw materials and production process of methanol and is calculated based on the life cycle. By 2030, Maersk expects to have a fleet of 25 methanol-powered ships, which can reduce 2.75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.