Maersk’s world-first green methanol container vessel was christened today by Ursula von der Leyen, 13th president of the European Commission in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The container vessel was built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea, and is destined for service in the Baltic Sea. It has a container capacity of 2,100 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit). The vessel travelled 21,500-kilometer journey from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea all the way to Copenhagen.
I name you, Laura Maersk. As you sail the waters of the world, may your journeys be smooth and your tasks successful. May you bring happiness to the crew and a safe haven for all who board you and may you bring prosperity and pride to all. I wish you Godspeed!
… said the vessel’s Godmother, Ursula von der Leyen
Apart from being the world’s fist container vessel sailing on methanol, the ship has garnered media attention several times since its introduction, including the first-ever ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation.
Last week, Maersk and Equinor signed an agreement securing supply of green methanol for Maersk’s landmark, new methanol-enabled feeder vessel during its initial months of operation from September 2023 and into the first half of 2024.
Meanwhile, there is a new green methanol venture for the A.P. Moller Group, C2X. C2X is aiming to make a significant contribution to a fossil-free future by accelerating the availability of green methanol at scale, which will serve to defossilise the chemical, shipping and aviation sectors.
C2X has a team of 60 people with backgrounds from chemicals, renewables, construction of mega-projects, shipping and finance. C2X will develop green methanol from various pathways depending on specifics of the location.
They are pursuing advantaged and scalable green methanol projects located near the Suez Canal in Egypt and the port of Huelva in Spain, as well as other opportunities across several geographies.
The venture is majority owned by A.P. Moller Holding with A.P. Moller – Maersk as minority owner.
