Danish Shipping: Over 80% of New Ship Tonnage to Sail on Green Fuels

by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak (Offshore Energy) More than half of new vessels currently being built for Danish shipping companies will be able to sail on green fuels, trade and employer association Danish Shipping said. -- Danish shipping companies currently have 67 new ships in the order book, which will be delivered from shipyards around the world in the coming years. This increases the number of Danish vessels in the order books for the third year in a row.

The ordered tonnage has increased by 7% compared to the same time last year, and if one looks at the ships’ tonnage, the green development appears even more clearly. Over 80% of the new tonnage can sail on green fuels.

Earlier this year, Denmark-based container shipping major AP Møller-Mærsk commissioned the world’s first container ship, Laura Mærsk, which can sail on green e-methanol.

During COP28, Maersk, together with a group of other container shipping companies, signed a declaration calling for concrete regulatory measures needed to accelerate the industry’s green transition. On the same day, the Danish government announced that Denmark and the USA will join forces with the Maersk McKinney Møller Center for Zero CarbonShipping to finance and execute pre-feasibility studies of green corridors in the Global South– shipping routes where ships can bunker green fuels. READ MORE

Excerpt from Bioenergy International: Denmark-headed fuel supply systems company Eltronic FuelTech A/S, an Eltronic Group company, has announced that it is now the first to offer equipment for supplying fuel from tanks to engines on methanol-powered ships that can save shipping companies both money as well as energy while enhancing safety.

In the wake of this milestone, Eltronic FuelTech has now launched a new fuel supply system – a so-called Low-flashpoint Fuel Supply System (LFSS) – for this particular class vessel.

In doing so, players in the shipping industry can now have an integrated fuel supply system from the fuel tank to the engine comprising a single supply system and fuel valve train which improves safety, cuts costs, and saves energy the company says. READ MORE

Excerpt from Offshore Energy: Laura Maersk will receive green methanol from Equinor in the Port of Rotterdam until European Energy starts producing e-methanol from its new plant, which is set to be commissioned in the second half of 2024.

When operating on methanol while at sea, the feeder vessel achieves impressive emissions reductions, with the potential to save up to 100 tons of CO2 daily compared to conventional fuel usage. Additionally, when considering the overall greenhouse gas impact, methanol delivers a substantial reduction of approximately 65%, according to information provided by Maersk.

Moreover, there is potential for even greater reductions, potentially reaching up to 95%, contingent on the specific production methods employed for the methanol.

The 2,100 TEU container vessel, powered by green methanol, and classed by ABS, was built at South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. It is the first methanol-powered containership to be delivered to Maersk.

By the end of this decade, Maersk envisions that 25 of their vessels will be sailing on green methanol, saving a 2.75 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. READ MORE