Tuesday, February 6th 2024 will be remembered as an historical day in container shipping as the 16,592 TEU ANE MAERSK started her maiden voyage in Ningbo.
This newbuilding is the first mainline ship with methanol dual-fuel propulsion.
She is the second methanol-powered vessel in the container fleet following the 2,136 teu LAURA MAERSK which was christened in mid-September 2023 in Copenhagen & is now trading in Scandinavia.
While Maersk undoubtedly played a crucial pioneering role in introducing methanol as an alternative fuel in liner shipping, some other carriers already have more capacity for methanol dual-fuel ships on order.
The Danish carrier has not only invested in ships, but also took the lead in committing to long-term procurement contracts for sustainably-sourced methanol.
The current orderbook already counts 152 units under construction for a total capacity of over 1.75 Mteu. These numbers are expected to increase as methanol has proved to be the fuel of preference in the recent wave of orders.
Source: Alphaliner
