World’s First Methanol-Powered Container Ship

Laura Maersk holds the title of the World’s first methanol-powered feeder container ship. It was launched in 2023 and is owned by Maersk.

The vessel was constructed as a dual-fuel container ship in South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.

It is 172 meters long and has a width of 32 metres with a gross tonnage of 25,750 tonnes.

The ship was named by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen in Copenhagen, after steamship SS Laura, the first vessel owned by Peter Maersk Moller, the father of the Maersk’s founder.

This ship is quite special since it is part of Maersk’s aim of having a fleet that runs solely on green fuels.

It mainly operates on the Baltic Shipping Route between Northern Europe and the Bay of Bothnia. It is designed to run on methanol as much as possible, with the intent to bunker at Rotterdam Port every 5 weeks.

Laura Maersk flies the Danish flag and is ABS Class certified. It has a speed of 17.4 knots and can sail in sea ice which is a metre thick in the Baltic Sea. It has a deadweight of 32, 614 DWT and a container capacity of 2136 TEU or 398 RFEU.

It means the vessel can load up to 5000 African elephants!

Also, if one lines up 2100 TEU containers, the line would be 13 km long, corresponding to 124 football fields, about two times the length of the Oresund Bridge linking Denmark and Sweden!

Its main engine was developed by MAN Energy Solutions along with Hyundai Heavy Industries while its two auxiliary engines can run on both methanol and diesel.

The auxiliary engines can generate electricity for 38,000 homes!

The world’s first methanol-powered container ship can be filled with 1400 m3 of methanol in its two tanks which are split longitudinally, situated in front of the engine room bulkhead.

The ship can travel up to 6000 nm on green methanol.

When running on methanol, the ship saves up to 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide a day compared to ships sailing on heavy fuel oil.

However, it consumes double the amount of methanol compared to traditional fuel due to lower energy density.

The first methanol-powered container ship has 28 cabins for crew members along with well-designed living quarters, an action room and a recreation room. It also has a galley, provision stores, a dining area and a duty mess.

The ship also features a fitness room, laundry room and a medical treatment room.

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