A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has named its latest dual-fuel methanol container carrier, ‘Alexandra Maersk’, at the Port of Felixstowe.
UK Maritime Minister Mike Kane, International Maritime Organization (IMO) representatives, customers, and Maersk staff attended the festive celebration.
Elaine Condon, Director of People & Culture at Primark, serves as the ship’s godmother, highlighting Maersk’s tight logistical and sustainability collaboration with its customer Primark.
Alexandra Maersk is the sixth vessel in Maersk’s fleet that can run on methanol in both its main and auxiliary engines.
It is the fifth of 18 huge dual-fuel methanol vessels that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025. According to Maersk, each vessel can transport more than 16,000 TEU.
READ: Maersk christens its first large methanol-enabled boxship
Mike Kane, UK’s Maritime Minister, said: “This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to deliver a greener, cleaner maritime sector which is better for people and for our planet. Delivering greener transport is one of our top priorities and we will do so by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and investing in alternative fuels and technologies.”
Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean is based on low-GHG emission fuels such as biodiesel, which is utilised on Maersk boats across the fleet, and now green methanol, which our newest vessels, such as the ‘Alexandra Maersk’, can sail on.
READ: Maersk christens second methanol-enabled vessel
Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk, stated: “It’s great to see customers like Primark taking action and partner with us to decarbonise ocean transport. True progress in the green transformation requires collective effort. To accelerate the transformation, we need the IMO help closing the price gap between green and fossil fuels to make the green choice the best choice for all.
“Last weeks IMO meeting on that matter was a step in the right direction, but much work remains in the coming months. We remain hopeful and continue to do all in our power to progress the green transition of shipping.”
The new methanol-enabled ships are at the heart of Maersk’s ambitious decarbonisation plans, as low-emission methanol can reduce GHG emissions by 65 per cent to 90 per cent compared to conventional fossil fuels such as bunker oil (depending on the methanol feedstock and production process, calculated on a life cycle basis).
Alexandra Maersk is named after Alexandra Maersk-Møller (1868-1953), an elder sister of A.P. Møller, the founder of A.P. Moller – Maersk, in keeping with the company’s practice of naming vessels after founding family members.
In September, Maersk co-hosted Japan’s first “methanol bunkering simulation” at the Port of Yokohama.
