The world’s first methanol-enabled container vessel “Laura Maersk”, made her maiden call to London Gateway yesterday (27 September) to be followed by a second UK maiden call in the port of Felixstowe on Friday. Customers of Maersk were able to visit the low GHG emission ship, which sails entirely on green fuels.
“We are very proud to have Laura Maersk in the UK. This innovative vessel is an important
proof that the decarbonisation of supply chains is feasible. Laura Maersk is a game changer
in an hard to abate industry,” says Gary Jeffreys, Maersk’s Area Managing Director UK &
Ireland.
“Combining low emission landside transport solutions with the soon to be delivered
larger vessels running on green methanol will allow us to start offering green end to end
solutions for our customers. This will be the first of many initiatives to get us to net zero.”
In demonstration of Maersk’s continued commitment to its Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG) agenda, a rainbow container will be discharged from the “Laura Maersk”
on her maiden call in London Gateway. The container will be delivered to Maersk’s brand
new 685,000 sq ft warehouse at Segro East Midlands Logistics Park, moving via rail in
partnership with Maritime Transport directly into East Midlands Gateway from the port.
The final mile will be carried out using an electric HGV - the first of its kind operated in the UK by Maersk in partnership with the Swain Group. Maersk will be expanding this fleet of electric
trucks in the near future with moves from rail head to warehouse in East Midlands Gateway,
as well as deliveries to customers’ premises in the locality, being serviced by electric truck.
This will allow Maersk to offer “green corridors” to customers in the future, connecting all
parts of the supply chain sustainably. The warehouse itself has been constructed with
sustainability in mind. It features a fully-mounted photovoltaic (PV) array and with the
construction having made extensive use of recycled materials where possible.
“Laura” is a proud Maersk name deeply rooted in some of the company’s very early
innovative landmarks. When Captain Peter Maersk Moller bought his first steamship in 1886,
he named her “Laura”. With its steam engine, “Laura” was a product of the second industrial
revolution, making its impact on the shipping industry significant. Furthermore, “Laura” was
the first vessel to wear the white seven-pointed star on a light blue background. This symbol
later would become the logo of A.P. Moller - Maersk.
Maersk has an ambitious 2040 target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions and aims to
transport a minimum of 25% of Ocean cargo using green fuels by 2030. Last year Maersk
transported already more than 2% of its total ocean volume with low GHG emission bio
fuels, supported by its customers who book the green product ECO Delivery Ocean. The
saved emissions by “Laura Maersk” will be contributed to customers’ cargo under ECO
Delivery.
The 2,100 TEU (twenty-foot-equivalent) feeder vessel is an important step toward the longterm objective of gradually renewing the entire Maersk fleet to operate solely on green
fuels. Maersk has 24 additional methanol vessels on order (capacity between 9,000 and
17,000 TEU) for delivery between 2024 and 2027 and a policy to only order new, owned
vessels that come with a green fuel option. Furthermore, Maersk will retrofit existing container vessels with methanol engines.
Maersk is also working with a pool of dedicated partners from the energy sector to produce a sufficient supply of green fuels for its upcoming green methanol vessels. The green methanol supply for “Laura Maersk” is secured. However, all 25 methanol ships are equipped with dual fuel engines that allows them to sail also on green bio-diesel.