Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has signed an agreement with MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) and is set to retrofit dual-fuel methanol power into one of its container ships by 2024, a first for the shipping industry.
Maersk said it aims to replicate the retrofitting on sister vessels as they go for special survey in 2027.
Leonardo Sonzio, head of fleet management and technology at Maersk, highlighted how the conversion of their original ships is an essential part of their net zero emissions target and how it will pave the way for future projects.
“We have set an ambitious net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business and have taken a leading role in decarbonising logistics. Retrofitting of engines to run on methanol is an important lever in our strategy.
“With this initiative, we wish to pave the way for future scalable retrofit programs in the industry and thereby accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to green fuels. Ultimately, we want to demonstrate that methanol retrofits can be a viable alternative to new buildings.”
This partnership follows MAN ES' earlier dual-fuel projects, which included re-engineering the dredger, Samuel de Champlain, in 2019. MAN ES replaced its diesel-electric MGO combustion propulsion system with three LNG-powered MAN 6L35/44DF engines and added an LNG storage system on board.
Sonzio added: “Having teamed up with MAN ES, we are now ready to demonstrate how retrofitting vessels with methanol dual-fuel capabilities can be done.”
Furthermore, aligning with decarbonisation goals, Maersk intends to obtain at least 730,000t of green methanol by the end of 2025, along with previous partnerships for the procurement of green methanol for its vessels.
In addition to aiming for net-zero emissions by 2040, Maersk said it has established realistic near-term objectives for 2030 to guarantee compatibility with the Paris Agreement and the Science Based Objectives initiative approach.
According to Maersk, this equates to a 50% decrease in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet against 2020 and 25% of its container capacity will be transported using green fuels by 2030.
