World's First Container Vessel Methanol Dual Fuel Retrofit Project Enters Substantial Stage

Fabrication efforts have been started on the world’s first-ever container vessel methanol dual-fuel retrofit for Maersk at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard. On March 8, the first steel was cut out of the prefabricated blocks to convert the 14,000-TEU Maersk Halifax into dual-fuel methanol propulsion during a ceremony at a shipyard in China.

Representatives of Maersk and the classification society ABS witnessed the steel-cutting event, guided by Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard’s CEO Xia Songkang, which marked the formal start of the Retrofit program. Maersk signed a deal with China’s Shipyard in October 2023 for the first methanol dual-fuel retrofit project. Prefabrication work is underway ahead of the Maersk HalifHalifax’scted arrival at the beginning of July 2023.

The vessel will likely spend almost three months at the yard for much-needed repair and conversion efforts. MAN Energy Solutions supplies the project engine. Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard stated that it has built around 500 tons of gantry cranes for its dock number 3 so that it can focus on retrofit operations.

Dr. Uwe Lauber, the CEO of MAN Energy SolutiSolutions’Seatrade Maritime News, said that the company hopes to complete 50 retrofits each year worldwide, potentially increasing to 70 to 80, provided resources are available.

The company has an agreement with Cosco Shipping, which mandates retrofitting four container ships with sophisticated methanol dual-fuel engines. Maersk has been pioneering the use of methanol as fuel in large container vessels. The 16,000 TEU vessel Ane Maersk was titled at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in late January 2024. The vessel happens to be the first in a set of 18 large methanol-enabled new builds that Maersk ordered.

Reference: Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard

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