Maersk Reaches Milestone with Delivery of 12th Large Methanol Containership

Maersk methanol-fueled containership — Maersk has taken delivery on the 12 ships in its first class of dual-fuel methanol vessels

Maersk marked another milestone in the company’s efforts to prepare for the transition to alternative fuels reporting the delivery of the twelfth vessel in its first series of large dual-fuel methanol containerships. Delivery of the new vessel took place in South Korea seventeen months after the naming of the first ship in the class.

The newest is Axel Maersk, named after Axel Poul Peder Maersk Uggla, a grandson of Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla, chair of the A.P. Moller Foundation and the naming inspiration for the first vessel of the class. Maersk went with names starting with “A” for the entire class, Ane, Alette, Antonia, Alexandra, Alva, Astrid, Angelica, A.P. Møller, Axel, Albert, Adrian, and Arthur Maersk.

The ships were all built at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan where the final vessel was named on May 27. She came two months after Adrian Maersk was named in Rotterdam. The vessels are all being deployed on the company’s new East-West Network established for the Gemini Cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd. Adrian Maersk the company reported would be sailing Asia to the Mediterranean while others in the class are sailing to Northern Europe. Axel Maersk departed for Shanghai, where it is due on June 4 on its maiden voyage.

Each of the ships is 189,500 dwt and approximately 337 meters (1,105 feet) in length with a capacity of 16,000 TEU. MAN Energy Solutions developed the dual-fuel engine which is designed for methanol or gas and can use traditional methanol as well as the future e-methanol or bio-methanol as it becomes available in sufficient quantities. They are registered in Denmark.

Maersk wrote online in announcing the delivery, “We’re proud to be onboard the enter transition. The journey continues …”

This year Maersk is scheduled to also take delivery on six additional dual-fuel methanol containerships. It placed a follow-on order with HD Hyundai in October 2022 for the additional vessels. While they will be similar to the first series the company reports the second series will have a nominal capacity of approximately 17,000 TEU for each vessel.

The ships are part of a large fleet modernization effort Maersk announced in 2024. It had previously ordered from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group six 9,000 TEU dual-fuel methanol vessels for delivery in 2026 and 2027. In the second half of 2024, it completed orders for a total of 20 dual-fuel vessels with a total capacity of 300,000 TEU. The order was split between Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and New Times Shipbuilding in China and Hanwha Ocean in South Korea. The vessels will each be equipped with liquified gas dual-fuel propulsion systems, although in August 2024 the company noted it had elected a mix of methanol and liquified gas dual-fuel propulsion systems as it waits for the development of production and supply chains for bio-methanol to be developed.