Hyundai Mipo is set to build a feeder vessel to sail on methanol or traditional very low sulphur fuel following a contract with A.P. Moller Maersk (Maersk).
The feeder vessel will be fitted with dual engine technology, enabling operations powered by low-carbon fuel sources.
The feeder will be 172m long, carry 2100 TEU, and will sail in the network of Sealand Europe, a Maersk subsidiary, on the Baltic shipping route between Northern Europe and the Bay of Bothnia.
Delivery is expected by mid-2023.
Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet & Strategic Brands, Maersk, commented, “This groundbreaking container vessel shows that scalable solutions to properly solve shipping’s emissions challenge are available already today.
“From 2023 it will give us valuable experience in operating the container vessels of the future while offering a truly carbon neutral product for our many customers who look to us for help to decarbonise their supply chains.”
The methanol propulsion configuration for the vessel will be developed by MAN Energy Solutions and Hyundai Engine and Machinery (main engine) and Himsen (aux engine) in collaboration with Hyundai Mipo and Maersk.
Classification society will be American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
Ole Graa Jakobsen, Head of Fleet Technology, Maersk, added, ”Developing this vessel is a significant challenge, but we have already come a long way in our work with the yard and the makers to reach this milestone.
“While we are pioneering these solutions for our industry, we are working with well-proven technologies and the cost potential from further scaling is becoming very clear to us.”
