Maersk to order 50-60 dual-fuel vessels as part of fleet expansion

Shipping giant Maersk is set to order 50-60 dual-fuel vessels as part of its fleet expansion strategy, including ships capable of running on LNG and methanol, the company announced on August 7.

The new fleet will comprise a mix of owned and chartered vessels, totaling 800,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). Of this, approximately 300,000 TEU will be owned capacity, while the remaining 500,000 TEU will be secured through time-charter agreements.

“To ensure the long-term competitiveness of the fleet and its ability to deliver on decarbonisation goals, Maersk has chosen a combination of methanol and liquefied gas dual-fuel propulsion systems,” the Danish company stated.

Maersk believes that green methanol will likely emerge as the most competitive and scalable solution for decarbonisation in the near term. However, the company also anticipates a multi-fuel future for the industry, which includes the use of liquefied bio-methane.

Once these vessels are delivered, around 25% of the Maersk fleet will be equipped with dual-fuel engines.

Maersk has also begun securing offtake agreements for liquefied bio-methane (bio-LNG) to ensure that the new dual-fuel gas vessels contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reductions this decade.

Previously, Maersk announced orders for 25 owned dual-fuel methanol vessels; five are already in service, with 20 on order, providing around 350,000 TEU of dual-fuel capacity.