In continuation of its fleet renewal programme initiated in 2021, A.P. Moller-Maersk says it is in the process of signing newbuilding orders and time-charter contracts for dual-fuel vessels matching the planned renewal pace of around 160,000 TEU per year.
Rabab Boulos, Maersk COO said: “Our fleet renewal programme is fundamental to maintaining competitive edge in our ocean business, and it is a cornerstone in decarbonising our operations. As the shipyard orderbooks have been filling up quickly and lead time for vessel deliveries have increased significantly, we decided to place orders and charter contracts of 800,000 TEU dual-fuel vessels, which ensures a steady flow of needed capacity for our network for the years 2026-2030 while building a competitive toolkit.”
The ordered capacity will be a mix of owned and chartered, to allow Maersk to maintain financial and operational flexibility while continuing to own a significant part of its strategic tonnage. The vessels will come in different sizes offering network optionality. In line with Maersk’s commitment to decarbonisation, all vessels will be dual-fuel with the intent to operate them on low emissions fuel. To ensure the long-term competitiveness of the fleet and its ability to deliver on the decarbonisation goals, Maersk has chosen a mix of methanol and LNG/bio-LNG dual-fuel propulsion systems. While Maersk believes that green methanol is likely to become the most competitive and scalable pathway to decarbonisation in the short term, the company foresees a multi-fuel future for the industry which includes liquefied bio-methane. Once the vessels have been delivered, around 25% of the Maersk fleet will be equipped with dual-fuel engines.
Ahmed Hassan, Maersk Head of Asset Strategy and Strategic Partnerships said: These orders will not add to the overall capacity and over time every vessel coming in will be replacing a scrapped vessel having reached end of life, ensuring that we maintain our fleet size at around 4.3m TEU. By diversifying our fleet and fuel options, we gain the flexibility, knowledge, and experience to cater to a future with multiple fuel paths. We thank our partners for working with us to move the industry further towards enabling a future with decarbonised ocean transport.”
The orders will reach a total of 50-60 combining both owned and chartered dual-fuel vessels equaling 800,000 TEU. About 300,000 TEU will be owned capacity while the remaining 500,000 TEU is planned through time-charter agreements. The exact split of propulsion technologies will be determined considering the future regulatory framework and green fuels supply.
Maersk has commenced the work of securing offtake agreements for liquified bio-methane (bio-LNG) to ensure that the new dual-fuel gas vessels provide GHG emissions reductions in this decade. Maersk has previously announced orders for 25 owned dual-fuel methanol vessels; five in service and 20 on order providing around 350,000 TEU of dual-fuel capacity.
Image: Maersk sees a dual-fuel future, including bio-gas and methanol as well as LNG (source: Maersk)
