Maersk’s methanol-powered container vessel is the first in a fleet of the ship as part of the company’s efforts to have a diverse green fuel mix. Credit: A P Moller-Maersk.

OCI Global has signed a deal to use its green methanol product for the maiden voyage of the Maersk’s world-first methanol-enabled container vessel. 

Danish company Maersk announced that the vessel’s debut 21,500km trip this summer from South Korea to Denmark will be fuelled by OCI Global’s green bio-methanol fuel. 

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Morten Bo Christiansen, head of energy transition for A.P. Moller – Maersk, admitted that the company had not been expecting to secure green methanol for the voyage due to the infancy of the market. 

Christiansen said: “We are very proud to have achieved this significant milestone. We expect a diverse green fuel mix for the future, with green bio-methanol from biomass waste being available now.” 

Produced in the US, OCI’s green methanol comes from biogas captured from decomposing organic waste in landfills which is then upgraded to biomethane, injected into a gas grid and produced from the biomethane on a mass-balance basis. 

Maersk’s selection of OCI is not surprising as the company is the largest green methanol producer in the world, placing up to 200,000 tons per annum equivalent and with plans to increase production. 

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The fuel company is currently obtaining all relevant approvals and permits to commercially bunker its product to the Maersk vessel at ports along its route, including the Port of Rotterdam and in regions where OCI will be the first commercial bunker operator of methanol. 

OCI Global CEO Ahmed EL-Hoshy said his company was delighted to be partnering with Maersk on the project: “This marks another significant milestone in our global leadership in supplying and trading renewable and low carbon fuels to decarbonise energy-intensive industries.

“With the maritime industry facing increasing regulatory scrutiny, its decarbonisation is urgent and OCI is playing a crucial role in helping the sector meet its environmental goals through our existing methanol capabilities.”

The deal with OCI isn’t the first step that Maersk has taken into the green methanol market as earlier this year it signed a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai International Port Group for a project at the Shanghai port. 

That project will see the two organisations work together on a study of green methanol vessel-to-vessel bunkering. 

The shipping company has also signed a letter of intent with SunGas Renewables to offtake full volumes of green methanol from facilities being built in the US, whilst a partnership with Carbon Sink will see that company also building green methanol facilities in the US. 

OCI’s supply of green methanol for the maiden voyage of Maersk’s first methanol-enabled ship is also just the beginning of a push towards methanol for Maersk with a fleet of six large ocean-going ships, also enabled to use the fuel and built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, set to arrive in 2024.