The world’s first vessel to run entirely on “green methanol” fuel has entered service in the fleet of Danish shipping giant Maersk. The dual-fuel feeder vessel is going from South Korea to Copenhagen, where it will be christened in a September ceremony. The 172-meter-long ship, built in Ulsan by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, is set to sail along one of the busiest shipping routes to Europe and is designed to operate on both standard very low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) and carbon-neutral e-methanol or sustainable biomass from day one.

Maersk is working with several partners to produce the green methanol needed to power the ship, and the company plans to build a global network to produce the renewable fuel. It has partnered with CIMC ENRIC, European Energy, Green Technology Bank, Orsted, Proman, and WasteFuel. The company expects the new vessel to burn about 5,000 tons of cleaner fuel each year.

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Unlike the more familiar gasoline and diesel used in conventional ships, methanol is a colorless liquid that does not pollute the oceans or create toxic gases when burned. It is also easy to store on board because, unlike batteries or tanks of hydrogen, it does not take up much space in the cargo hold. The fuel can be delivered by a traditional bunker ship, and Maersk has said that it will seek to use it for as many of its future container ships as possible.

On its maiden voyage, the Laura will stop in Singapore, Egypt, and Rotterdam to refuel with green methanol at those ports. The ship will be bunkered with OCI Global’s ISCC-certified green methanol made in the United States from captured biogas extracted from landfills. The company says the methanol will provide 65% – 80% lifecycle reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Maersk’s decision to move to green methanol is part of a more significant push by the industry to cut its environmental impact. Shipping accounts for about 3 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases, and reducing those emissions is crucial to limiting global warming. The company aims to have its fleet of about 270 vessels running on methanol by 2025.

The Laura, ordered in 2021, is the first of 25 carbon-neutral methanol-powered vessels Maersk has on order with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The next larger model — the container ship M/V NEXUS — is scheduled to start sailing in the Baltic Sea in October. The NEXUS is more significant than the Laura and can transport 2,136 20-foot (TEU) containers. The Laura will continue to sail on the busy North Sea route before moving to the Baltic. The company will then begin using it in the northern European trade lane to destinations in Russia and Finland. The ship is expected to be fully operational in the North Sea by early 2023.