How can methanol make the shipping industry climate-neutral

The Ane Maesk container ship made its maiden voyage from China to Europe. The is 350 meters long, weighs 172,000 tons and runs on methanol fuel.

It is one of 18 large methanol vessels Hyundai, a Korean ship maker, will build over the next two years. Around 125 methanol-powered container vessels are on order worldwide as the global shipping industry, which accounts for 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, aims to reduce its carbon footprint.

Maersk, a Danish company that operates the Ane Maersk vessel, hopes to reach net zero emissions by 2040 across its entire business. Green methanol is a large part of their strategy as the company hopes it will save 280 tons of carbon dioxide per day compared to heavy fuel oil.