On 18 May the world’s first methanol-powered containership, Laura Maersk, called at Gothenburg, marking a new regular feeder service from the Swedish port. The 2,100TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) vessel will operate between the Port of Gothenburg and Bremerhaven.
‘Already today, many of the customers importing and exporting via Gothenburg have chosen lower-emission ocean transport enabled by green fuels [Maersk defines green fuels as fuel with minimum 65% GHG savings on a lifecycle basis compared to fossil reference fuel] and thereby reduced the greenhouse gas footprint in their supply chain,’ said Birna Ödefors, Area Managing Director Nordics at A.P. Moller Maersk.
‘With the arrival of Laura Maersk on a weekly basis, we are now connecting Gothenburg to a green corridor in Northern Europe and giving Swedish-based customers direct access to the World’s first methanol-enabled container vessel.’
Laura Maersk is the first vessel in Maersk’s initiative to use renewable methanol as a marine fuel. The shipping company has an additional 20+ methanol-powered ships on order due for delivery between 2024 and 2027.
‘Laura Maersk is a true sustainable shipping milestone and it is exciting to see her in service here at the Port of Gothenburg,’ said Jacob Minnhagen, Senior Market Development Manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority.
‘Fundamentally, it’s the increasingly ambitious transition goals of shipping companies that drive the development, with Maersk being one of the leading players in the field today.’
The Port of Gothenburg is aiming to become Scandinavia’s largest hub for renewable energy, with renewable methanol ‘seen as a key component in the fuel mix.’ In addition to Bremerhaven and the Port of Gothenburg, the new service calls at the ports in Helsingborg, Halmstad, and Kalundborg.
Photo by Michael Brakhage
