The world’s first large methanol-enabled container vessel has been named Ane Mærsk at a ceremony in the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.
The vessel is named after Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, chair of the AP Møller Foundation and AP Møller Holding. Ane’s eldest granddaughter christened the vessel by breaking a bottle of champagne over its bow.
Ane Mærsk is the first of the carrier’s 18 large methanol-enabled vessels that will be delivered between this year and next, and is the world’s second methanol-enabled containership. Last year Maersk took delivery of the 2,100 teu Laura Maersk, the world’s first containership to be powered by a methanol-fuel engine. The bridge and accommodation are placed at the front of the vessel, which Maersk said “ensures fuel efficient operations”.
Ane Mærsk will enter service on the AE7 string, connecting Asia and Europe, at the beginning of next month.
AP Møller-Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said: “This series of vessels will have a transformative impact on our ambition to progress our industry-leading climate ambitions. It is visual and operational proof of our commitment to a more sustainable industry. With Ane Mærsk and her sister vessels we are expanding our offer to the growing number of businesses aiming to reduce emissions from their supply chains.”
Maersk defines “green fuels” as “fuels with low to very low GHG emissions over their life cycle, compared to fossil fuels”.
“Low” refers to fuels with 65-80% life cycle GHG reductions compared to fossil fuels, and ”very low” refers to fuels with 80-95% life cycle GHG reductions compared to fossil fuels.
