In Korea, Oceanpress reports on May 9 in Seoul, Maersk disclosed at the “Global Maritime Decarbonization 2025” seminar that four of its 12 delivered methanol dual-fuel container ships are operating on grey methanol due to persistent engine issues and limited access to green fuel, despite ordering 25 such vessels.
Ola Straby, Maersk’s senior ship design specialist, said, “We are experiencing ongoing issues with the methanol dual-fuel engines installed on the container ships, and as a result we are burning grey methanol.” He added, “The engine is running but it requires too much maintenance. We need to fix that.”
While Maersk has conducted about 30 methanol bunkering operations—including ship-to-ship, quay-based, and specialized deliveries—the lack of standardized procedures remains a challenge. “The most important learning Maersk has made is that standardization matters, and methanol bunkering is not standardized at all,” Straby said.
Only the 2,100 TEU Laura Maersk, a feeder vessel delivered in 2023, has continuously operated on green methanol and biodiesel. Maersk anticipated at the outset that green methanol supply would be insufficient, Straby noted. Grey methanol, while enabling engine trials, emits more greenhouse gases than LNG.
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Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
