The company “AP Moller Maersk” shipping announced that its newest ship, which runs on methanol fuel, will soon sail near South Korea, as the Danish shipping giant seeks to reduce emissions from its activities in one of the most polluting industries for the environment.
The company, based in Copenhagen, unveiled the container ship named “Anne Mærsk” at the shipbuilding arsenal of Hyundai Heavy Industries in the South Korean city of Ulsan. The company stated that the ship, measuring 350 meters in length, will begin operations in February next year, as the largest container ship powered by green methanol capable of traveling long distances across oceans.
According to “Merc” (the company), the capacity of the ship is equivalent to 16,592 twenty-foot containers or 29,000 African elephants. It will sail between China and other Asian countries, as well as the Middle East and Europe.
According to Lorenzo Sonzio, the Fleet and Technology Manager at Maersk, “We aspire to transport 25 percent of the cargo volume using green fuel by 2030.” He also added that, “To achieve this goal, we have a plan in place to replace the current fleet with ships that run on green fuel.”
“Mærsk” intends to operate 25 vessels capable of running on green methanol by 2027, and they already have one vessel operating on green methanol that was launched last year, although it is smaller in size and capable of shorter distances compared to the new vessel.
It is worth mentioning that the International Maritime Organization seeks to achieve the goal of zero emissions by 2050, although Maersk’s ambitions are to achieve this goal by 2040 through the use of environmentally friendly fuels as a main pillar of this strategy, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Danish shipping group “Maersk” said on Friday that the services of the shipping line “EMC” between India and the eastern coast of the United States, which passes through ports in the Middle East, will no longer pass through the Red Sea, but will sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
On Wednesday, Maersk stated that explosions near the Bab el-Mandeb strait had forced two of their ships, operated by their American subsidiary and carrying supplies for the US army, to turn back while crossing the strait northward under the protection of the US Navy.
According to a statement from Maersk, the two ships were notified of nearby explosions and were intercepted by the accompanying US Navy, who also intercepted several projectiles. They mentioned that they would suspend the passage of their US unit ships through the Red Sea.
The American unit, “Maersk Line Limited,” operates the two ships and transports shipments belonging to the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Agency for International Development, and other government bodies. Maersk stated that the two ships are included in the Maritime Security and Voluntary Maritime Bridge program with the US government, which provides protection for American maritime passage through the strait. The Ministry of Defense manages the Maritime Security and Voluntary Maritime Bridge program for the transportation of forces, supplies, and equipment during times of war or national emergencies.
“Mærsk” mentioned that the two ships did not sustain any damages and their crews were unharmed. Additionally, the United States Navy accompanied them during their return to the Aden Gulf.
An American official stated that no ships were injured. The official, who requested anonymity, clarified that “Houthi missiles did not hit any US warships or commercial ships.” The US Central Command said that the Houthi group in Yemen launched three anti-ship ballistic missiles towards the container ship “Maersk Detroit” as it was crossing the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday. The statement added that there were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship.
