World News
Maersk Completes First Sailing on 100% Ethanol Marine Fuel
Container shipping company A.P. Moller - Maersk has completed its first vessel sailing using 100% ethanol fuel during the first quarter of 2026.
The company had previously tested ethanol-methanol blends containing 10% and 50% ethanol on its dual-fuel methanol-powered ships, it confirmed in an interim report released this month.
Ship & Bunker reported in December that Maersk was trialling a 50/50 ethanol-methanol blend on its 2,100 TEU feeder vessel Laura Maersk.
"Ethanol offers another scalable, lower-emission fuel option for decarbonisation and the successful trial using 100% ethanol underscores the potential to create greater optionality for Maersk’s dual-fuel methanol fleet," Maersk said.
The latest development comes as the company continues expanding its dual-fuel fleet strategy. By the end of the first quarter of 2026, Maersk had 21 dual-fuel ships in operation, with a further 33 ships on order.
Ethanol is increasingly being viewed as a viable alternative marine fuel alongside methanol.
Because the two alcohols share similar chemical properties, ethanol can be stored in the same tanks, blended in any ratio and used with the same bunkering infrastructure, requiring only minor software and injection valve modifications to existing methanol dual-fuel engines.
Andrea Lazzaro, Head of business development at WinGD, told Ship & Bunker in an interview in March that ethanol should be considered as a building block to achieve net-zero emissions.
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 937.00 | 3.50 | 1341.00 | 12.50 |
| Rotterdam | 763.00 | 6.00 | 1434.50 | 5.50 |
| Houston | 805.50 | 16.00 | 1422.00 | 15.00 |
| Fujairah | 969.00 | 0.50 | 1751.00 | 7.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 919.00 | 1.00 | 1552.00 | 6.00 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 868.50 | 6.00 | 1487.00 | 6.50 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 958.50 | 5.00 | 1598.00 | 19.50 |
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