Barcelona Mærsk’s Delivery Completes The Company’s Landmark Methanol Ship Series

A.P. Moller–Maersk has taken delivery of Barcelona Mærsk, the sixth and final vessel in its 17,480-TEU dual-fuel methanol container ship series.

The vessel was handed over at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, where it was built.

With this delivery, Maersk now has around 19 methanol-capable ships in operation, meeting a deployment target the company had originally set for the end of last year.

Barcelona Mærsk is part of Maersk’s Equinox Mk-II class, which follows the earlier Ane Mærsk class with a capacity of 16,592 TEU.

The Equinox Mk-II vessels have a wider beam and an improved design, and they are currently the largest methanol-powered ships in Maersk’s fleet.

The ship was christened during a ceremony at the Ulsan yard. Maersk has said the vessel was named by Berit Vincentz Andersen, a senior communications advisor from its Fleet Management and Technology team, in the presence of the crew, Maersk staff and representatives from the shipbuilder.

Barcelona Mærsk, designed to run on both conventional marine fuels and methanol, is powered by an eight-cylinder MAN B&W G95ME-C10.5-LGIM dual-fuel engine built by Hyundai-MAN.

The vessel is fitted with two methanol fuel tanks located forward of the engine room, with a combined capacity of about 16,000 cubic metres.

When fully bunkered with methanol, the ship can sail up to 23,000 nautical miles. This range allows it to complete full round voyages on major routes such as the Asia–Europe AE3 service using alternative fuel.

Maersk has indicated that using green methanol can cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent compared with traditional fossil fuels, with possible daily savings of around 280 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

It aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and has identified methanol as a key fuel in this transition.

The company defines reduced-emission fuels as those that deliver at least a 65 per cent reduction in lifecycle emissions compared with standard fossil fuels, measured at 94g CO₂e per megajoule.

Alongside methanol, Maersk has also added LNG-fuelled newbuildings to its plans to ensure flexibility as supplies of green fuels continue to develop.

References: BunkerMarket, Port News

Source: Maritime Shipping News