Photo courtesy Maersk
The 2017-built Maersk Halifax has become the first large containership to be converted to methanol fuel, Maersk announced on Monday.
The extensive retrofit operation, which concluded at the end of October, took place at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard in China over a span of 88 days. The project involved significant modifications to the vessel, including the installation of new fuel tanks, a fuel preparation room, and a fuel supply system.
To accommodate the changes, the ship’s hull was also lengthened by 15 meters, increasing the ship’s overall length to 368 meters and boosting its capacity from approximately 15,000 to 15,690 TEU.
“We are happy to announce that Maersk Halifax successfully has been retrofitted into a dual-fuel methanol vessel. Following the completion of the sea-trials, Maersk Halifax has returned to operation and is now servicing our customers on the Trans-Pacific trade,” said Leonardo Sonzio, Head of Fleet Management and Technology at Maersk.
The engine conversion was carried out by MAN Energy Solutions, focusing on replacing machine parts to enable methanol operation. This innovative approach aligns with Maersk’s ambitious climate goals, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 and meeting near-term targets for 2030 that align with the Paris Agreement.
“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,” said Sonzio. “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”.
The Maersk Halifax, one of 11 vessels in Maersk’s Hong Kong-class, departed the shipyard on November 4th.
The successful conversion, first announced by Maersk in June 2023, represents a significant step forward in the shipping industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and embrace cleaner fuel alternatives to meet stringent International Maritime Organization emissions targets.
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