Maersk’s new methanol-powered feeder container ship A P Moller has arrived in Europe, ahead of its official naming ceremony. 

The dual-fuel ship was handed over to the Danish shipping giants from its South Korean shipyard in July and entered Rotterdam for refuelling. It is en route to Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen, where the vessel will be met by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for its naming ceremony. 

The ship now has two weeks to make it to Copenhagen before the 14 September event. 

The ship has not yet been named, and Maersk has not confirmed its name. However, AIS trackers show the ship as the Laura Maersk, currently anchored off the port of Skagen in northern Denmark. 

A P Moller–Maersk head of energy transition Morten Bo Christiansen described the first methanol-fuelled journey as a “significant milestone”. 

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.” 

Maersk has signed several methanol production contracts with global firms, including Shanghai International Port Group and OCI Global. 

The refuelling in Rotterdam was the fourth and final reloading during the ship’s voyage from Ulsan, South Korea, via Singapore, and Port Saïd, Egypt, to Copenhagen. 

Maersk’s order book for methanol and other ‘green’ fuel-powered ships stands at more than 100 after six more were ordered in June.