AP Moller-Maersk has put pen to paper on a newbuilding order for 10 methanol dual-fuel 9,000-teu container ships worth $1.15bn.
Shipbuilding sources said the liner giant has commissioned Singapore-listed Yangzijiang Shipbuilding to construct six firm ships, with options for two to four more.
Maersk’s plans to order methanol dual-fuel neo-panamaxes were first reported in TradeWinds in May. It was said to have signed a letter of intent with the Chinese shipbuilder for up to a dozen vessels of 8,000 teu that involved eight firm ships.
It now appears to have upsized the ships but reduced the number of firm vessels.
In a press release, Maersk confirmed the order for six midsize vessels, all with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol, to be delivered in 2026 and 2027.
It did not mention the option ships it held at the yard.
“With this order, we take another step in the green transformation of our fleet and towards our target of becoming net-zero in 2040. As with all our other vessel orders for the last two years, these ships will be able to run on green methanol,” said Rabab Boulos, Maersk chief infrastructure officer.
“For these six container vessels, we have chosen a design and vessel size which make them very flexible from a deployment point of view. This will allow these vessels to fill many functions in both our current and our future network, thereby offering the flexibility our customers demand. Once phased in, they will replace existing capacity in our fleet.”
The price of the 9,000-teu vessels was not disclosed but brokers believe they will cost about $115m apiece.
Sources said the contract was “freshly inked”.
“The marketing and sales team of Yangzijiang recently made a trip to Europe and Maersk’s deal was one of the contracts that the shipyard inked,” said one source.
A contract with Norway’s Klaveness Combination Carriers for three fuel-efficient Cabu vessels with wind-assisted propulsion was another of the deals that Yangzijiang is believed to have sealed.
Officials declined to comment on the shipyard’s newbuilding activities, citing contract confidentiality.
Maersk’s order is Yangzijiang’s first methanol dual-fuel deal.
The shipbuilder, best known for container ships and bulk carriers, is currently building LNG dual-fuel boxships and LNG carriers.
Maersk’s newbuildings are part of its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero across the entire business by 2040.
Carbon neutral
It has set a 2030 target of transporting 25% of its cargo volumes on green fuels and a principle of ordering only newbuildings that can operate on green fuels.
Maersk was the first mover into methanol as a fuel. It is due to take delivery of one 2,100-teu feeder boxship from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. This will be its first carbon-neutral vessel that can run on very low-sulphur fuel oil or methanol.
It will be deployed in the network of subsidiary Sealand Europe on the Baltic route between northern Europe and the Bay of Bothnia.
Maersk also has 18 newbuildings of 16,000 teu each under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries. These methanol dual-fuel ships were ordered in 2021 and 2022 at an average cost of about $180m apiece.
It is scheduled to take delivery of the first vessel in February 2024 and the rest in 2024 and 2025.
