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The container shipping liner company has introduced the design of its eight 16,000-TEU container vessels powered by carbon-neutral methanol
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The unique design allows a 20% improved energy efficiency per transported container compared to the average vessels in this size
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The first of the new methanol-powered ships is scheduled to be in operation at the beginning of 2024
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The entire series is expected to save around one million tons of annual CO2 emissions, offering customers carbon-neutral transportation at scale on ocean trades
A.P. Moller-Maersk has introduced the design of its eight 16,000-TEU container vessels powered by carbon-neutral methanol, the first of these scheduled to be in operation at the beginning of 2024.
The carrier said that the ambition for the design is to make the new vessels service customers “in a smarter way” while contributing to clients’ carbon-neutral transportation goals.
It said the unique design allows a 20% improved energy efficiency per transported container when comparing to the industry average for vessels in this size.
Additionally, the entire series is expected to save around one million tons of annual CO2 emissions, offering customers carbon-neutral transportation at scale on ocean trades.
The vessels will be 350 meters long and 53.5 meters wide, and will look significantly different from what has been seen before for any larger container vessels. The crew accommodation and bridge will be located at the bow to enable increased container capacity. The funnel will be in the aft, and only on one side of the vessel, thereby providing further space for cargo. This separation between accommodation and funnel will also improve efficiency when at the port.
“The making of this took nearly five years, and all while crossing uncharted naval design territory,” said Palle Laursen, chief technical officer, A.P. Moller-Maersk.
To enable this new design, several challenges had to be addressed. Crew comfort had to be ensured with the accommodation placed in this more exposed location. Moreover, adequate hull strength was also a key parameter to safeguard, with the accommodation block normally working as a hull “stiffener” when placed further backwards. New arrangements for lifeboats and navigational lights had to be developed, plus new cameras to support the captain’s view when navigating.
The series, to be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, comes with an innovative dual-fuel engine setup that can operate on methanol and conventional low-sulfur fuel. With fuel capacity, the vessels will be able to complete an entire round-trip, for example Asia-Europe, on green methanol.
Maersk first announced plans to launch a groundbreaking series of eight large container vessels capable of being operated on carbon-neutral methanol last August.
The new vessels come as part of Maersk’s ongoing fleet renewal program and will replace tonnage of more than 150,000 TEUs which is reaching end-of-life and leaving the Maersk managed fleet between 2020 and the first quarter of 2024.
Image courtesy of Maersk
