Maersk’s world-first green methanol container vessel has reached the Port of Rotterdam, and it’s expected to reach its destination, Copenhagen, in fifteen days, finishing its 21,500-kilometer journey from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea.
As it completes breakthrough after breakthrough, the revolutionary ship has drawn worldwide interest. Since its announcement, the vessel has made headlines multiple times, including the first ever ship-to-ship methanol bunkering operation and the first methanol bunkering at Port Said.
This is not a surprising fact, given that methanol is regarded as one of the most promising alternative fuels, and this vessel floating on it serves as a beacon of hope that methanol use is a reality and perhaps decarbonisation is a step closer.
This journey is an important step in our efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, as it will allow us to gain the necessary operational experience to operate the new engines and the fuel.
… A.P. Moller-Maersk’s Head of Energy Transition, Morten Bo Christensen, had commented on the endeavour.
As previously stated, according to Maersk’s official countdown, the ship is expected to arrive in Copenhagen in fifteen days for its christening ceremony. Whatever the ship’s name is, it will be recognised in the future as the name of the vessel that completed the first-ever journey on methanol.
This may be the world’s first journey on methanol, but it definitely won’t be the last. Major shipping companies that have set decarbonization strategies and targets are continuously expanding their order books with more methanol-fuel vessels, with almost 50 vessels ordered by Evergreen and Maersk alone.
