Maersk concludes dual-fuel methanol conversion on large containership

A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk)’s containership, Maersk Halifax, has

methanol.

The retrofit operation took 88 days at China’s Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard and

was completed by the end of October 2024.

Leonardo Sonzio, Head of Fleet Management and Technology at Maersk, said:

“Following the completion of the sea-trials, Maersk Halifax has returned to

operation and is now servicing our customers on the Transpacific trade.”

The engine modification was completed by MAN Energy Solutions. Aside from

repairing machine parts and converting the engine to run on methanol, the yard’s

refit operation included installing new fuel tanks, a fuel preparation room, and

a fuel delivery system.

The hull has also been enlarged to accommodate the fuel tanks. With this

alteration, the ship’s length was increased by 15 metres to 368 metres, boosting

its capacity from about 15,000 to 15,690 TEUs.

Sonzio added: “Since we set the ambitious climate goal of reaching net zero

emissions by 2040, we have explored the potential in retrofitting existing

vessels with dual-fuel engines.

“In the coming year, we will take learnings from this first conversion of a

large vessel.Retrofits of existing vessels can be an important alternative to

newbuilds in our transition from fossil fuels to low-emission fuels.”

Maersk Halifax, one of 11 vessels of Maersk’s Hong Kong class, departed the

yard on 4 November 2024.

Recently, Maersk discovered that three out of four European shippers have

suffered supply chain interruption in the previous 12 months, with more than

half having major financial implications.