Los Angeles. The Alette Maersk was the first container ship to cross the Pacific Ocean powered by methanol, a low-carbon fuel, marking a milestone in the shipping industry’s efforts to reduce its climate impact.
But when the 1,150-foot-long ship arrived in the Port of Los Angeles from China last week, there was nowhere in the United States to buy more green fuel, forcing it to rely heavily on petroleum-derived marine fuel for the return trip.
At a ship christening event on Tuesday, AP Moller-Maersk officials said the industry, which is responsible for about 3 percent of greenhouse gases, needs more and cheaper green fuel if it is to decarbonize at the pace scientists and world governments say is necessary to fight climate change.
“We are racing against time,” said Vincent Clerc, Maersk’s chief executive.
The firm aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and has emerged as a leader in the energy transition in its sector, with five green methanol vessels in the water and another 20 on order.
Still, that represents just a fraction of its 700 owned and chartered vessels. The new ships are also dual-fuel, meaning they are equipped to run on fossil fuels when needed, such as when green methanol is too expensive or unavailable.
Green methanol costs up to three times more than fossil fuels
Green methanol can be made from agricultural and food waste, or from carbon dioxide and hydrogen using renewable electricity.
This fuel now costs two to three times more than fossil fuels, according to Maersk representatives, and its global production is currently minuscule.
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– 2024-09-02 20:59:21
