AP Moller-Maersk has signed a deal with Hyundai Heavy Industries to build eight ocean-going container vessels that will be able to run on carbon-neutral methanol and low sulphur fuel. The dual-fuel vessels, which will have a capacity for around 16,000 TEU containers each, will be delivered from the first quarter of 2024. The Danish shipping company said the vessel expenditure is included in the $7 billion planned for 2021-2022. The contract is one of several recent moves Maersk has introduced to make its logistics more sustainable for the future. Others include the launch of a bio-methanol sourcing agreement in Europe, and it has also invested in US-based sustainable fuel start-up WasteFuel. Maersk said the methanol-powered vessels would replace older vessels in its fleet and save annual CO2 emissions of around 1m tonnes. The company added it would operate the vessels on carbon-neutral e-methanol or sustainable bio-methanol as soon as possible, subject to the significant production ramp-up required for proper carbon neutral methanol production. The vessels feature a methanol propulsion technology developed in collaboration with partners including Man ES, Hyundai (Himsen) and Alfa Laval. According to Maersk, they represent a significant scale-up of the technology from the previous size limit of around 2,000 TEU.
The company has signed a partnership agreement for the supply of e-methanol fuel with Reintegrate, a subsidiary of Danish renewable energy company, European Energy. Working closely with Maersk, REintegrate, and European Energy will set up a Danish facility to produce the sustainable fuel. The methanol facility will use renewable energy and biogenic CO2 to produce the e-methanol, and production is expected to start in 2023. The first vessel is expected to use approximately 10,000 tonnes of carbon-neutral e-methanol annually. In the US, meanwhile, Maersk has invested in Californian start-up WasteFuel, which is focused on turning waste into sustainable aviation fuel, green bio-methanol, and renewable natural gas. Maersk said the investment would enable WasteFuel to develop biorefineries that utilise the most effective technologies available to produce sustainable fuels from unrecoverable waste that would otherwise degrade and release methane and other harmful emissions into the atmosphere. Maersk’s warehousing and distribution subsidiary, Performance Team, has also recently invested in a fleet of 16 battery electric trucks supplied by Volvo for distribution in southern California. The trucks will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year.