Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea has floated out the first of Maersk’s series of 12 methanol-fuelled large (16,200 TEU) containerships.
The first steel for this ship was cut in December 2022, and delivery is scheduled for early 2024. The vessels are 350m long and 53.5m wide. The dual-fuel methanol engines are designed by MAN B&W. The first batch of eight vessels will be delivered during 2024, and the additional four, ordered under an option to the main contract, in 2025.
The design of these ships differs from previous Maersk containerships. The most notable variation is the accommodation block and bridge moved forward, which Maersk believed will allow for more efficient cargo operations. For similar reasons, the funnel is located on the port side. The relocated superstructure meant that the hull stiffening had to be re-thought, and attention was paid to the hydrodynamics. The result is a design said to be about 10% more efficient than the previous generation of boxships, and with the increased capacity this translates to a 20% saving in CO2 emissions per container. With a 16,000m3 fuel capacity the new vessels will be able to complete a roundtrip between Asia and Europe without refuelling.
As well as these vessels, and the recently-delivered Laura Maersk methanol-fuelled feeder ship, Maersk has on order six mid-sized 9,000 TEU methanol container vessels at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China, scheduled for 2026/27 delivery. Maersk has said it plans to introduce 24 methanol-fuelled containerships by 2027 to replace existing vessels, so further orders seem imminent.
