In Denmark, Maersk has begun testing a new marine fuel blend of 90% methanol and 10% ethanol aboard the Laura Mærsk, the world’s first container ship powered by methanol. The goal is to evaluate how ethanol performs in dual-fuel engines and whether it can be used across the company’s fleet. The ship will operate on the blend for the next month.
“We have a number of things we would like to test out,” said Peter Normark Sørensen, Senior Fuel Transition Manager at Maersk. “For instance, are there any differences between the standard methanol and the E10 in, say, ignition quality, in the way the fuels are burning. Are there any differences or similarities on the corrosion, on the lubricity, and not the least, are the emissions different between the two. For instance, the NOx emissions is one of the things that is crucial here.”
The Laura Mærsk has run exclusively on methanol since 2023. Maersk said the E10 trial could help expand fuel sourcing options and provide data to support future fuel decisions for other methanol-capable vessels in its fleet.
More on the story
Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
