Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: A.P Moller Maersk

• Bunker demand fell 4.2% to 10.8 million mt in 2025
• Average bunker price in 2025 was $539/mt vs $613/mt in 2024
• Spent around $316 million for EU ETS compliance

Shipping company AP Moller Maersk reported lower bunker fuel consumption in 2025 as operational optimisation and efficiency measures reduced overall demand.

Maersk's fleet consumed 10.8 million mt of bunker fuels in 2025, down by 4.2% from 11.3 million mt in 2024, the firm said in its annual report 2025, released on Thursday.

The company bunkered 2.6 million mt of bunker fuels in Q4 2025, down from 2.8 million mt bunkered a year earlier.

Maersk is one of the world's largest consumers of bunker fuel.

Total bunker expenditure fell to about $6.13 billion in 2025 from $7.01 billion the previous year, primarily reflecting a lower average bunker price. Maersk's average bunker price was $539/mt in 2025, compared with $613/mt in 2024.

The firm consumed 35.4 g of marine fuel per TEU per nautical mile in 2025, down from 37.3 g/TEU*NM a year earlier, reflecting a 6.1% improvement in fuel efficiency.

Maersk spent a total of $316 million complying with the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) in 2025, up from $161 million a year earlier.

Shipping's inclusion in the EU ETS required companies to cover 70% of verified emissions for 2025, up from 40% in 2024. The system moves to 100% coverage from 2026, pointing to higher compliance costs ahead.

Maersk posted a EBIT of $3.5 billion in 2025, down from $6.5 billion a year ago. 

The company expects six more dual-fuel vessels to enter its fleet this year.

"During 2025, we took delivery of 10 dual-fuel vessels, bringing our total fleet to 19, with six more vessels scheduled for delivery in 2026," it said.