Maersk Completes First Containership Methanol Retrofit

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday November 18, 2024

Container line AP Moller-Maersk has completed its first retrofit of one of its boxships to run on methanol.

The retrofit of the Maersk Halifax to dual-fuel methanol propulsion was carried out over 88 days at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard in China, the company said in a statement on its website on Monday.

The company expanded the vessel's hull to accommodate larger fuel tanks, increasing its capacity from about 15,000 TEU to 15,690 TEU.

Following sea trials, the ship has now returned to normal operations on the Trans-Pacific trade.

"Since we set the ambitious climate goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040, we have explored the potential in retrofitting existing vessels with dual-fuel engines," Leonardo Sonzio, head of fleet management and technology at Maersk, said in the statement.

"In the coming year, we will take learnings from this first conversion of a large vessel.

"Retrofits of existing vessels can be an important alternative to newbuilds in our transition from fossil fuels to low-emission fuels."