Maersk has celebrated the naming of its newest dual-fuel methanol container vessel, Alexandra Maersk, in a ceremony held at the Port of Felixstowe, UK. The event was attended by UK Maritime Minister Mike Kane, representatives from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Maersk customers, and employees. Elaine Condon, Director of People & Culture at Primark, served as the ship’s godmother, underscoring the strong partnership between Maersk and Primark in promoting sustainable logistics.
Following the tradition of naming Maersk vessels after members of the founding family, Alexandra Maersk is named after Alexandra Mærsk-Møller (1868–1953), the older sister of Mr. A.P. Møller, founder of A.P. Moller – Maersk.
The Alexandra Maersk is the sixth methanol-powered ship in Maersk’s fleet and the fifth of 18 dual-fuel vessels scheduled for delivery by 2025. Each ship can carry over 16,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), reflecting Maersk’s commitment to decarbonizing ocean transport.
The new methanol-enabled ships are at the core of Maersk’s ambitious decarbonization strategy. Low-emission methanol has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 65% to 90% compared to conventional fossil fuels, such as bunker oil, depending on the feedstock and production process of the methanol. This transition to green methanol is crucial to Maersk’s long-term sustainability goals, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, a target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Mike Kane, the UK Maritime Minister, lauded Maersk’s innovation, saying, “It’s a privilege to join the naming ceremony for the Alexandra Maersk—one of the first container vessels to run on green methanol. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to deliver a greener, cleaner maritime sector, which is better for people and our planet.”
Primark CEO Paul Marchant echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that their partnership with Maersk helps reduce emissions in ocean shipping. “By using Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean product and replacing fossil fuels with green fuel alternatives, we are reducing our emissions and supporting our goal to halve carbon emissions across our value chain by 2030.”
Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean initiative is built on the use of reduced-emission fuels, such as bio-diesel, across its fleet, with the latest vessels, like Alexandra Maersk, now able to run on green methanol. The exact emission reductions from green methanol vary, with biogenic methanol achieving around 65-70% reduction in GHG emissions, while e-methanol, produced synthetically, can offer up to 90% savings on a life cycle basis.
Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc stressed the importance of collective efforts to accelerate the green transition in shipping. He called for further action from the IMO to close the price gap between green and fossil fuels, making sustainable shipping the most viable option for all.
