Maersk orders 12 LNG dual fuel ships

Maersk Chooses LNG for New Container Ships

Maersk Line, a leading global shipping company, has placed an order for 12 large container ships powered by both Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and regular fuel. These ships, with a capacity of 16,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), will be built at a shipyard in China.

Each ship costs about $200 million, bringing the total price to $2.4 billion if Maersk decides to buy all the ships in the contract. The delivery of these advanced vessels is planned for 2028.

CMA CGM and Maersk join forces to accelerate the decarbonization of the shipping industry

Is Maersk Changing its Green Fuel Strategy?

Maersk had initially committed to using green methanol as the primary fuel for its future ships to help the company reduce carbon emissions. However, it seems the company may be reconsidering that plan. Analysts believe that concerns about the limited availability of green methanol could have led Maersk to explore LNG as an alternative fuel option.

LNG, though not entirely carbon-free, produces less pollution than traditional marine fuels and can serve as a temporary solution until greener alternatives like methanol or hydrogen are more widely available.

What This Means for Shipping

This order reflects Maersk’s effort to balance environmental goals with practical challenges. While the company still aims to decarbonize its fleet, this decision shows that the shift to cleaner fuels isn’t always straightforward. The global shipping industry continues to explore a variety of fuel options to meet international climate targets.