In 2018, Maersk announced that it would have a 100% carbon-neutral shipping network by 2050. At the time of the announcement it was a moon stroke and it is considered an impossible limit. While it is still a long way from reality, it seems that the Danish ship giant is taking huge first steps towards this solution. place an order for eight ships for the new ocean Hyundai Heavy Industries flexible fuellinings. The ships will be delivered in 2024, with an option for four more in 2025.
As our global economy continues to grow its insatiable hunger for economically produced Chinese products, emissions to transport them to the oceans continue to rise. These new ships will replace eight machines in the current fleet as they are decommissioned, which means that in the near future some of the things you buy from Amazon and Alibaba may have been shipped without having to generate additional carbon. . The new ships, capable of carrying 16,000 containers each, it will be built to make routes from China to Europe and across the Pacific Ocean.
“Maersk’s ambition is to lead decarbonisation global logistics. Our customers expect us to help them decarbonize its global supply chains, and we are taking on the challenge, working to address the practical, technical and safety challenges inherent in the carbon-neutral fuels we need in the future, ”he said. Søren Skou, CEO of AP Moller–Maersk.
The ships will be built to burn “green methanol” that can be made by combining hydrogen and capturing it. CO2 in the air. Some consider hydrogen itself to be the fuel of the future for large-scale shipment like this, but it is much more difficult to transport and store aboard a cargo ship. So-called green methanol does not need to be treated differently from traditional methanol and does not require pressure tanks or refrigeration.
However, there is a big hurdle to overcome with green methanol, which is a cost. Maersk’s competitor, DFDS (also based in Denmark), says green methanol will not be used in shipping, maybe never due to the extreme price. “The limited availability of sustainable carbon combined with the huge potential demand from the aviation and cement industries makes green methanol less financially attractive for long-term transportation, as other industries will be able to pay more than us, but we’re still investigating her,” says DFDS.
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These new Maersk ships will also be able to run on traditional “bunker fuel” diesel.
Maersk is the largest shipping company in the world since at least 1996, and according to Electrek sends one in five cargo containers. More than 90 percent of the world’s international cargo is shipped by sea freight, and industry is responsible for between 2 and 3 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. If the company is committed to refining its own green methanol and using it on these ships, it will greatly reduce global emissions. If all this is good and the transport giant continues to fuel its fleet of ships, nothing will change.