A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) on Thursday (28 November) celebrated the arrival of its newest dual-fuel methanol container vessel in Singapore today, as part of her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe. 

The vessel, named A.P. Møller in honour of Arnold Peter Møller, the founder of A.P. Moller - Maersk, is the ninth vessel in Maersk’s fleet capable of operating on methanol.

Ms. Chan Su-Shan, the wife of the CEO of Temasek Holdings in Singapore, was the godmother of the “A.P. Møller”. Robert Uggla, Chair of the Board of Directors, A.P. Moller - Maersk hosted the name giving ceremony, which was attended by Mr. Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, Mr. Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, CEO of Temasek, Mr. Ong Kim Pong, Group Chief Executive of PSA, Mr. Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), as well as key representatives from the government in Singapore, Maersk customers and employees.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey of decarbonising the maritime industry. The arrival of 'A.P. Møller' in Singapore not only showcases the advancements in shipping technology but also reinforces our commitment to support solutions that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mr Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport.

“We are glad to collaborate with Maersk and look forward to furthering our efforts to make Singapore a leading hub for new maritime fuels.”

A.P. Møller is part of a series of 18 large dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 2025. Built at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea, she can carry 16,592 standard containers (TEU). Seven of these large dual-fuel methanol vessels joined the Maersk fleet in 2024.

Maersk is proud to introduce our newest dual-fuel methanol vessel in Singapore, home to Maersk Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, and a key part of our Ocean network and integrated supply chain. 

This launch showcases our dedication to decarbonisation in the region. The energy transition of our industry is a joint-effort, and we are collaborating with authorities across the region, including Singapore, to advance decarbonisation initiatives. 

“This effort is further supported by an increasing number of customers choosing our ECO Delivery solutions. Now, we urge the International Maritime Organisation to adopt regulations that close the price gap between fossil and new fuels, encouraging even more customers to come onboard,” said Ditlev Blicher, President of Asia Pacific at Maersk.

In July 2023, the inaugural ship-to-containership methanol bunkering for the Laura Maersk was conducted in Singapore with the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. This was also the first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering in the country, marking a long-lasting partnership and support for Singapore's ambition to supply methanol at scale and become a key offtake location for alternative maritime fuels like methanol.

Photo credit: A.P. Moller - Maersk
Published: 29 November, 2024

Hong Kong-based dry bulk shipping company Pacific Basin Shipping Limited (Pacific Basin) on Thursday (28 November) announced it has ordered a total of four 64,000 dwt dual-fuel low-emission vessels (LEVs) capable of running on both green methanol as well as fuel oil.

Pacific Basin has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mitsui & Co.that will give the company access to volumes of green methanol that will enable the LEVs and, through emissions pooling, other conventionally-fuelled Pacific Basin vessels, to comply with and even benefit from coming FuelEU Maritime rules and expected IMO global greenhouse gas fuel standard rules. 

Two of the four vessels are contracted jointly with Nihon Shipyard Co. and Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for delivery in 2028 and 2029, and two are contracted with Mitsui & Co. for delivery in 2028 and 2029. 

The vessels are all to be built to a design by Nihon Shipyard Co. that will be optimised for fuel economy with the newest and most efficient engines as well as extra upgrades to further enhance the vessels’ operational capabilities and safety features.

The LEVs’ dual-fuel engines make them capable of running on both conventional fuel oil and biofuel as well as green methanol which, when produced using sustainable feedstocks and renewable energy, will generate emissions that can be classified as “low carbon” or even “net zero” on a lifecycle basis. 

Drawing on the collaborative work with its Japanese partners since May 2022, the company remains confident that green methanol is currently the most appropriate low-carbon marine fuel for its first generation of LEVs, but it will continue to reassess the benefits of different fuels as green fuel technology, safety, availability and pricing develops.

The firm is in dialogue with several green fuel suppliers and producers to develop its access to bio-methanol and e-methanol, as well as biodiesel.

Mr. Martin Fruergaard, CEO of Pacific Basin, said: “Ordering these vessels aligns with our longstanding

initiative to develop commercially viable and efficient dual-fuel low-emission vessels, and represents a major milestone in our long-term plan to transition to net zero emissions by 2050.”

“This move reconfirms our belief in our market going forward and in the business case for such LEVs, and it aligns with our sustainability goals, enhances our fleet’s ability to comply with increasing decarbonisation regulations, positions us at the forefront of innovation in our sector, and affords us several strategic early-mover benefits that will be important in the years ahead.

“With this newbuilding order, we are creating significant growth optionality for Pacific Basin, enabling growth through additional LEV newbuilding orders and/or long-term charters of newbuildings with purchase options, while maintaining discipline in our acquisition of high-quality modern second-hand Handysize, Supramax and Ultramax vessels to renew our fleet while selling older and less efficient Handysize vessels.”

Photo credit: Pacific Basin Shipping
Published: 29 November, 2024

Japan’s Tsuneishi Shipbuilding on Monday (25 November) said it has launched the world’s first 65,700 metric tonnes (mt) methanol dual fuel bulk carrier TESS66 AEROLINE (TESS66) on 22 November in Tsuneishi Factory. 

This vessel is designed to operate with a low environmental impact using methanol fuel while utilising TESS66’s features of high load carrying capacity and fuel efficiency and is scheduled for delivery next spring. 

The large-capacity methanol fuel tank was placed on to maintain safety and simplicity in cargo loading and unloading, while at the same time ensuring loading performance. 

The vessel has a cargo hold capacity of 81,500 m3 and a deadweight of 65,700 mt, inheriting the characteristics of TESS66, which is the top class of loading capacity in Ultramax category. 

Mr. Date Masatoshi, Managing Executive Officer of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, said: “We were able to build and launch our first vessel of next generation, which we have been developing to achieve carbon neutrality in accordance with the ‘Technology Development Roadmap’ incorporated into our medium-term management policy.”

“Starting with full in-house manufacturing of pressure tanks for LPG carriers delivered in January this year, we have also started full-scale manufacturing of LNG fuel tanks and the technology developed in the full in-house manufacturing of pressure tanks is being applied to the production of methanol fuel tanks.”

“In the future, we will further strengthen our technology deployment and collaboration with group companies to build the vessels of methanol dual-fuelled at our overseas factories and lead the decarbonisation of the shipbuilding and shipping industry as an environmentally friendly company.”

Photo credit: Tsuneishi Shipbuilding
Published: 28 November, 2024