Maersk has now identified four fuels that will help the container line achieve its ambition of become carbon-neutral by 2050. But several barriers must first be overcome before the fuels can be considered real alternatives.
The world’s biggest container line, Maersk, is currently working with four types of fuel for the future. The four fuels being examined are ammonia, methanol, biodiesel and lignin fuels, which are made from biomass such as rice, informs Maersk’s sustainability report, issued in connection with the group’s annual report for 2020. “In response to the increased urgency of delivering on decarbonisation, we believe that the right thing to do is to leapfrog to pure net zero vessel technology without any transitional technologies,” writes Maersk in the report.
The conclusion comes after Maersk has spent the past two years hard at work trying to identify which fuels are capable of replacing the traditional bunker oil in order to achieve the group’s target of being climate neutral by 2050. Maersk has on several occasions said that the first carbon neutral vessels must be ready to enter the fleet by 2030 at the latest. If not, it will not be possible to achieve the long-term target. Most recently, CEO Søren Skou said that Maersk plans to order its first carbon neutral vessels in three years.
Source : Shipping Watch
