Decarbonising oceans

Why green fuels matter

For more than a century, shipping has relied on just one type of fuel: oil.

Today, we see the emergence of a patchwork of new greener fuel options. While many are promising, adoption will ultimately depend on advances in fleet technology and the capacity to secure green fuels at a scale and cost that makes them competitive against oil.

To ensure a measurable impact in this crucial decade, we are spreading our investments across several alternatives that we are confident can make a difference both now and in the near term.

Our ambition

We will deliver an emergency response to the climate crisis and take leadership in decarbonising global supply chains.

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Our targets

~50%

Reduction in carbon intensity (EEOI) by 2030 (2020 baseline)

≥25%

Cargo transported with green fuels by 2030

Highlights in 2023

Laura Mærsk arrives

The world’s first container vessel capable of running on green methanol.

24 new vessels on order

Maersk’s new methanol-capable container vessels include 18 large (16,000/17,000 TEU) arriving 2024/2025, and six 9,000 TEU arriving 2026/2027.

Industry-first green fuel agreement

Maersk signs a large scale offtake agreement with Goldwind, securing 500,000 tonnes of green methanol volumes annually starting in 2026.

Priorities and actions

Based on our pathway analysis of viable future green fuels for ocean shipping, we are prioritising the exploration of three alternative fuel types.

Biodiesels

Maersk's policy is to only use second-generation bio-diesel. Derived from waste as residue as feedstocks, biofuels have significant impact potential. Suitable as drop-in fuel in existing vessels, they are already powering our fleet and are sold under the Maersk ECO Delivery label.

Uptake of biofuel solutions may be limited by the availability of suitable biomass feedstock and competing demand from road and aviation.

Green methanol

Bio-methanol and e-methanol can be produced from sustainable biomass and renewable electricity. They have well-known handling and are powering vessels today.

We are prioritising green methanol solutions as they will enable us to have a greater impact on the sustainability of global supply chains in this decade.

Green ammonia

E-ammonia can be produced at scale from renewable electricity and contains zero carbon.

Green ammonia currently presents safety and toxicity challenges, and challenges at ports. While it could be the most promising future option, it may take longer to scale.

Safeguarding the environmental sustainability of green fuels

To ensure that green fuels are sourced and assessed in an environmentally responsible manner, Maersk has requirements for biomass feedstocks and green fuels covering all uses across the company.

These requirements are governed by three pillars: certification, lifecycle GHG savings, and acceptable feedstocks. New green fuels are assessed on a lifecycle analysis basis and in addition to climate change, we consider a broad range of environmental indicators such as biodiversity, ecosystems, resources and materials depletion, human health and ecotoxicity, air and water quality.

Maersk green fuel requirements

Maersk biofuel sustainability requirements

Maersk methanol sustainability requirements

All the way to zero

Laura Mærsk, the first of our new green fuel powered fleet of container vessels, arrived in 2023. Learn more about our new fleet and our ambition to achieve net zero by 2040, in line with our Science Based Target initiative’s validated targets – the first in the shipping industry. Discover the innovation, strategy and partnerships that resulted in the first major landmark to decarbonising ocean container transportation. All the way to zero.

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Featured highlights and case stories

Record efficiency achieved in 2023

In 2023, Maersk continued increasing the energy efficiency of our fleet through more fuel-efficient operations and the continuous roll-out of efficiency technologies on owned and time charter vessels including new and improved propellers, bulbous bows, and shore power enablement.

Combined with the continued use of second generation biodiesel in our fleet, we managed to lower our emissions intensity measure, EEOI, from 13.0 in 2022 to a record low of 11.68 in 2023. In 2023 we also implemented better governance and forecasting processes for EEOI and leading indicators, to be able to better track and act on progress during 2024.

The industry’s first green methanol retrofit

In 2021, Maersk became the first container shipping company to order methanol enabled vessels. Our firm intention was to show the industry that a demand exists for green marine fuels and incentivise the scale-up of production capacity.

In addition to ordering new methanol-enabled vessels, Maersk also announced in 2023 our intentions to convert an existing 14,000 TEU vessel from a traditional diesel engine to a dual-fuel methanol engine. This first-of-its-kind project will help demonstrate that new builds are no longer the only pathway to decarbonisation. A vessel conversion will take place in 2024, with the intention of replicating the retrofit on additional vessels in the coming years.

Supporting the ramp up of green fuels

Securing green fuels at scale continues to be a challenge, while production capacity, regulatory support and infrastructure continue to mature. Maersk continues exploring multiple pathways toward securing the volumes needed to achieve our 2030 and 2040 science-based targets.

To help further catalyse this ramp up, AP Moller Holding, together with A.P. Moller-Maersk as a minority owner, created a seed investment in C2X – an independent company that will build, own and operate assets to produce green methanol at scale. C2X plans to bring three million tonnes of green fuels to market annually starting in 2030, and large projects are underway in Egypt and Spain.

Maersk ECO Delivery: accelerate your net zero commitments

We are working closely with a broad range of customers to expand our green fuel offerings. Maersk ECO Delivery substitutes fossil fuels with low-GHG alternatives and harnesses our new technologies and vessels to provide an easier option for customers seeking to ship their cargo sustainably.

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Maersk Emissions Dashboard

Whether you are looking for improved visibility over ocean freight greenhouse gas emissions data, or enhanced emissions reporting and optimisation across your logistics set up, the Maersk Emissions Dashboard is a single point solution for keeping your emissions targets in sight.

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