World’s 1st large methanol-powered containership makes maiden call to Tanger Med

Ane Maersk, the world’s first large methanol-powered containership, has made its inaugural call at Tanger Med Port Complex in Morocco.

The green boxship was welcomed with a water salute, “marking the energy transition taking place on the high seas”.

The 16,592 TEUs ship, owned by Danish shipping giant Maersk, is en route from the Port of Colombo to Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, London, Le Havre, and back to Asia.

“Our vessel entered the AE7 string connecting Asia and Europe last month, and is leading the charge in a new series of large container vessels powered by methanol. We continue to work diligently on sourcing and bunkering solutions for our methanol-enabled fleet,” the company said in a LinkedIn update.

Ane Maersk was christened at South Korean shipyard HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) in Ulsan in January this year. It was named after Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla, the Chair of the A.P. Moller Foundation and A.P. Moller Holding and the youngest daughter of Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, a Danish shipping magnate.

The 350-meter-long containership is the first of Maersk’s eighteen large methanol-enabled vessels that will be delivered between 2024 and 2025. It is the world’s second methanol-enabled container vessel — the first being Laura Maersk.

In early February, Ane Maersk completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) green methanol bunkering at Ulsan Port, South Korea. Green methanol was supplied by Golden Sunny Hana, a bunkership owned by South Korean shipping company Hana Marine.