Maersk Christens Methanol-Fueled Ship

AP Moller-Maersk A/S declared a "breakthrough" for global shipping as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led a naming ceremony on Thursday for the Danish company's green methanol-enabled container vessel.

The 2,100 twenty-foot-equivalent feeder ship got the name "Laura Maersk" at the ceremony in the Port of Copenhagen "when the ship's godmother, President von der Leyen, christened the vessel by breaking a champagne bottle over the bow", the shipping giant said in a press release.

Maersk says the vessel built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyards Co. Ltd. is the first in the world to run on bio-methanol. The Laura had already successfully refueled for the first time over a month ago in Singapore, according to a news release by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore July 27.

"This ship, this moment, embodies Europe's decision to pioneer the fight against climate change", von der Leyen told the ceremony, according to a transcript on the European Commission website. "We are turning a noble generational task into a new growth strategy. On this journey, only the horizon is our limit. I am confident because we know our destination and our sailing ships together are on a clear course".

The Laura is a key step toward Maersk's plan of sailing entirely on green fuels as part of its goal to become carbon-neutral by 2040, the company said in the media release. Maersk had sold its oil production business to TotalEnergies SE. Maersk Oil had about one billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves then, according to a TotalEnergies press release March 8, 2015 announcing the completion of the $7.45 billion acquisition signed 2017.

Moving closer to its target of carrying at least 25 percent of its ocean cargo capacity using green fuels by 2030 based on a 2020 baseline, Maersk has ordered 24 more methanol vessels for delivery between 2024 and 2027 and set "a policy to only order new, owned vessels that come with a green fuel option", Thursday's announcement said.

Maersk defines green fuels as those with 65-95 percent life cycle reductions in greenhouse gas emissions relative to fossil fuels, above the minimum 60 percent the European Union has set for biofuels in Directive 2009/30/EC of April 23, 2009.

"Laura Maersk is a historic milestone for shipping across the globe", Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said in a statement. "It shows the entrepreneurial spirit that has characterized Maersk since the founding of the company. However, more importantly this vessel is a very real proof point that when we as an industry unite through determined efforts and partnerships, a tangible and optimistic path toward a sustainable future emerges".

Maersk announced the signing of the construction contract for the Laura with the South Korean builder July 1, 2021. In August that year Maersk announced it had sealed a partnership with fellow Danish firm European Energy A/S for the long-term supply of the ship's green methanol. "REintegrate [a European Energy subsidiary] and European Energy will establish a new Danish facility to produce the approx. 10.000 tons of carbon neutral e-methanol that Maersk's first vessel with the ability to operate on green e-methanol will consume annually", it said August 19, 2021.

Maersk announced June 13, 2023 it had found the first supplier for the Laura's bio-methanol in OCI Global, which produces its green methanol in the USA using biogas captured from decomposing organic waste.

"The biogas is upgraded to biomethane and injected into the gas grid and the methanol is produced from the biomethane in the grid on a mass-balance basis", Maersk explained. " This way, green methanol can be produced in existing facilities using existing infrastructure and plants enabling a quick production. The method can contribute to a greener gas grid while capturing harmful methane emissions that would arise from the waste feedstock if left untouched".

Earlier this month it announced an agreement with Equinor ASA for the fuel supply for its next voyage, produced from manure. "It is critical to get energy majors to the table and start supplying future fuels at scale", Rabab Boulos, chief infrastructure officer at Maersk, said in a statement about the deal announced September 8. "This is the form of engagement we need to continue accelerating the pioneering journey towards a green fuel economy for global shipping. 

"With more than 100 methanol enabled vessels on order across the industry, the demand for green fuel production is rising and will continue to do so in the years to come".

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com