A.P. Moller – Maersk announced on 17th February 2021 that the company will be operating the world’s first carbon neutral liner vessel by 2023. It is seven years ahead of the company’s initial goal for 2030.
According to the company, all future Maersk owned new buildings will have dual fuel technology installed, enabling either carbon neutral operations or operation on standard very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).
A.P. Moller – Maersk CEO, Søren Skou said:
“A.P. Moller – Maersk’s ambition is to lead the way in decarbonising global logistics. Our customers expect us to help them decarbonise their global supply chains, and we are embracing the challenge, working on solving the practical, technical and safety challenges inherent in the carbon neutral fuels we need in the future. Our ambition to have a carbon neutral fleet by 2050 was a moonshot when we announced in 2018. Today we see it as a challenging, yet achievable target to reach,”
Around half of Maersk’s 200 largest customers have set – or are in the process of setting – ambitious science-based or zero carbon targets for their supply chains, and the figure is on the rise, Maersk said.
Maersk’s methanol feeder vessel will have a capacity of around 2000 TEU and be deployed in one of its intra-regional networks. While the vessel will be able to operate on standard VLSFO, the plan is to operate the vessel on carbon neutral e-methanol or sustainable bio-methanol from day one.
Both the methanol-fueled feeder vessel, as well as the decision to install dual fuel engines on future newbuildings are part of Maersk’s ongoing fleet replacement.
CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands at A.P. Moller – Maersk, Henriette Hallberg Thygesen has also commented on the operations of carbon neutral vessels:
“It will be a significant challenge to source an adequate supply of carbon neutral methanol within our timeline to pioneer this technology. Our success relies on customers embracing this groundbreaking product and strengthened collaboration with fuel manufacturers, technology partners and developers to ramp up production fast enough. We believe our aspiration to put the world’s first carbon neutral liner vessel in operation by 2023 is the best way to kick start the rapid scaling of carbon neutral fuels we will need,”
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Credit: Maersk
