In a bid to support its customers who aim to decarbonise their supply chain, AP Moller - Maersk has signed a contract with Hyundai Mipo Dockyards to build a feeder vessel with a dual-engine technology.
Maersk announced the intention to order the vessel on 17 February 2021 and the vessel will have the capability to sail on either methanol or traditional very low Sulphur fuel.
More than half of Maersk’s largest customers have set – or are in the process of setting ambitious science-based or zero-carbon targets for their supply chains, making the order another critical step in the Maersk efforts to support the rising number of customers calling for carbon-neutral products.
The feeder that will fly the Danish flag is 172 meters long and sail in the network of Sealand Europe, a Maersk subsidiary, on the Baltic shipping route between Northern Europe and the Bay of Bothnia.
The methanol propulsion configuration for the vessel will be developed by MAN Energy Solutions and Hyundai Engine and Machinery (main engine) and Himsen (aux engine) in collaboration with Hyundai Mipo and Maersk. Classification society will be American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Maersk said.
According to Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO, Fleet & Strategic Brands, A P Moller - Maersk, this groundbreaking container vessel shows that scalable solutions to solve shipping’s emissions challenge properly are available already today. Furthermore, from 2023 it will give the company valuable experience in operating the future container vessels while offering a truly carbon neutral product for its environmentally-conscious customers.
Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology, A.P. Moller - Maersk, said developing this vessel is a significant challenge, but Maersk has already come a long way in its work with the yard and the makers to reach this milestone.