Maersk ticks first large containership methanol conversion off the list

After 88 days at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard in China, the conversion of Maersk Halifax, a 14,000 TEU containership owned by Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk, into a methanol dual-fuel vessel has been completed, enabling the ship to return to operation.

As part of what was described as the industry’s first methanol dual-fuel conversion project, Maersk Halifax entered the Chinese shipyard in July this year for the three-month conversion and upgrade process.

The retrofit operation was completed at the end of October and Maersk Halifax departed anchorage at the yard on November 4, 2024.

Following the completion of sea trials, the containership has returned to operation, servicing the Trans-Pacific trade, according to Leonardo Sonzio, Head of Fleet Management and Technology at Maersk.

As reported earlier, Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) conducted the engine conversion. Besides replacing machine parts and enabling the engine to operate on methanol, the retrofit operation at the yard also involved adding new fuel tanks, a fuel preparation room, and a fuel supply system.

In addition, the hull was expanded to accommodate the fuel tanks, extending the ship’s length by 15 meters to 368 meters and increasing the capacity from around 15,000 to 15,690 TEU.

“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. 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,” Sonzio concluded.

In line with its net-zero goal by 2040, Maersk is planning to expand the retrofit project on a number of sister vessels when going for a special survey in 2027.

Meanwhile, the shipping giant keeps expanding its fleet with dual-fuel newbuilds. Just recently, the naming ceremony for the fifth 16,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel containership, Alexandra Maersk, was held in Felixstowe, UK.

Maersk’s first large methanol-powered vessel, Ane Maersk, was named in January 2024, at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) in Ulsan, South Korea. Astrid Maersk, the second vessel in this series, was inaugurated in Yokohama, Japan, in April this year.

The third large dual-fuel methanol-enabled ship was christened by Danish wind power major Vestas and named Antonia Maersk at a ceremony held in Denmark, while the fourth ship Alette Maersk got its name at a ceremony held in Los Angeles this August.