Maersk to launch ‘world’s first carbon-neutral liner vessel’ by 2023

The Danish shipping giant, A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, known as Maersk, wants to launch its first carbon-free liner vessel by 2023, seven years ahead of schedule. “Thanks to the technical evolutions and clients’ increasing demand for more sustainable transport, the company now wants to accelerate its efforts in reducing the emissions of maritime operations,” the number one shipping company in the world announced in a recent press release.

Maersk wants to launch the carbon-neutral liner vessel within two years, or seven years ahead of the initial 2030-ambition. The company wants to be known for its commitment to sustainability.

Through its marine activities, and also, all future Maersk-owned buildings should have dual-fuel technology installed, enabling either carbon-neutral operations or operations on standard very low-sulfur fuel oil.

Carbon-neutral fleet by 2050

Maersk says its ambition is to lead the way to decarbonize global logistics and have a carbon-neutral fleet by 2050. Around half of Maersk’s 200 largest customers have set – or are in the process of setting – ambitious science-based or zero-carbon targets for their supply chains, and the figure is on the rise.

The container ship will use carbon-neutral e-methanol or sustainable bio-methanol. It will have a capacity of about 2 000 TEU and will sail on intra-regional networks. However, a carbon-neutral future for shipping requires innovation, test, and collaboration across multiple industry partners.

Research and development

A key collaboration partner is the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero-Carbon Shipping, an independent, non-profit research and development center that works across sectors, organizations, research areas, and regulators to accelerate the development and implementation of new energy systems and technologies.

Maersk is an integrated container logistics company active in 130 countries. The company wants to help to connect and simplify its customer’s supply chains. As a global leader in shipping services, Maersk employs about 80 000 people.