THE first of Maersk's large, ocean-going methanol-fuelled containerships was floated out of the building dock over in South Korea, marking it as a key milestone in its plans to introduce 24 methanol-fuelled containerships between 2024 and 2027.

Construction of the first of these large ships began in December 2022 at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea with the first steel cut. The hull was launched on October 6 and the vessel is due to enter service in early 2024, according to The Maritime Executive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The ship is the first of a series of 12 ships, each of which will have a capacity of 16,200 TEU. They will be 1,148 feet in length and 175 feet in width and Maersk previously reported they would be approximately 178,000 dwt.

The original order was announced in August 2021 and valued by Hyundai at US$1.4 billion and later expanded when Maersk exercised an option for four additional vessels. The first eight are each due for delivery in 2024 with the additional four scheduled for 2025.

The company said it spent nearly five years studying operations and developing the new layout. The design reportedly allows for 20 per cent improved energy efficiency per transported container when compared to the average for vessels of a similar size. The new ships also will be approximately 10 per cent more efficient than Maersk's 15,000 TEU Hong Kong class.

Maersk as part of its policy to only order new, owned vessels that come with a green fuel option, ordered in October 2022 a further six vessels from Hyundai with an expanded capacity of 17,000 TEU. These ships are expected to be delivered in 2025. In June 2023, Maersk also confirmed an order for six mid-sized dual-fuel methanol container vessels from China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group. These vessels, which will have a capacity of 9,000 TEU, are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.

Maersk is currently rumoured to be preparing another order for methanol-fuelled containerships. So far, Maersk has said the vessels are all slated as replacements for existing ships as the company pursues its decarbonization transition.