Maersk Holds Naming Ceremony for Latest Vessel of Its Dual-Fuel Methanol Fleet

14 October 2024

Alexandra Maersk. (Image credit: A.P. Moller – Maersk)

A.P. Moller - Maersk has celebrated the naming of its latest dual-fuel methanol container vessel Alexandra Maersk. UK’s Maritime Minister Mike Kane, representatives of the IMO, customers and Maersk employees joined the festive event at the Port of Felixstowe, UK. Elaine Condon, Director of People & Culture at Primark, is the godmother of the ship, representing the close logistics and sustainability partnership between Maersk and its customer Primark.

Alexandra Maersk is the sixth vessel in Maersk’s owned fleet, which is able to sail on methanol in its main and auxiliary engines. It is the fifth ship in a series of 18 large dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 2025. Each can carry more than 16,000 standard containers (TEU).

“It’s a privilege to join the naming ceremony for the Alexandra Maersk—one of the first container vessels to run on green methanol. This is exactly the kind of innovation we need to deliver a greener, cleaner maritime sector that is better for people and for our planet. Delivering greener transport is one of our top priorities, and we will do so by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions and investing in alternative fuels and technologies,” said Mike Kane, UK’s Maritime Minister.

Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean is based on reduced GHG emission fuels like bio-diesel which is used on vessels across the Maersk fleet, and now also green methanol which our newest vessels like Alexandra Maersk are capable of sailing on.

“It’s great to see customers like Primark taking action and partner with us to decarbonize ocean transport. True progress in the green transformation requires collective effort. To accelerate the transformation, we need the International Maritime Organization help closing the price gap between green and fossil fuels to make the green choice the best choice for all. Last week’s IMO meeting on that matter was a step in the right direction, but much work remains in the coming months. We remain hopeful and continue to do all in our power to progress the green transition of shipping,” added Vincent Clerc, CEO of A.P. Moller – Maersk.

The new methanol enabled ships are at the core of Maersk’s ambitious decarbonization plans as low emission methanol can reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 65% to 90% compared to conventional fossil fuels such as bunker oil (depending on the feedstock and production process of the methanol, calculated on a life cycle basis).

Following the tradition of naming Maersk vessels after members of the founding family, Alexandra Maersk is named after Alexandra Mærsk-Møller (1868–1953) who was an older sister of Mr. A.P. Møller, the founder of A.P. Moller – Maersk.