Maersk to ship Amazon goods on vessels running on methanol and biofuels
Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk has renewed its agreement with e-commerce corporation Amazon to transport its goods on vessels running on green methanol and biofuels.
PHOTO: Methanol bunkering of A.P. Moller-Maersk's methanol-fuelled feeder vessel at the Port of Rotterdam last week. OCI
Maersk will transport Amazon's goods in 20,000 forty-foot equivalent units (FFE) containers, using biofuels as primary shipping fuel, the shipping company said. Amazon will also have the option to ship its goods on Maersk's methanol-powered feeder vessel and its upcoming methanol ships. These ships will use green methanol as a primary fuel and biofuel as a secondary fuel.
Maersk recently acquired its first 2,100 TEU capacity dual-fuelled methanol feeder vessel. The vessel is currently en route to Denmark's Copenhagen port, after making its final refuelling stop in Rotterdam for its maiden voyage.
"We’re excited to have containers on Maersk’s first methanol-enabled feeder vessel and to continue using their biofuel," Amazon Global Transportation's vice president Adam Baker said.
The shipping company will use International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) certified second-generation biofuel blends derived from waste-based feedstocks.
The agreement has been renewed for 2023-2024, making it the fourth consecutive year that both companies have arranged container shipping using low-emission fuel options such as methanol-powered feeder vessels.
Maersk estimates this deal will “contribute to a reduction in 44,600 metric tons of CO2e [carbon dioxide equivalents] vs standard bunker fuel, roughly equivalent to 50 million pounds of coal burned.”
These biofuel options “offer emission reductions that enable immediate and externally verified GHG savings for customers, without compensatory measures like offsetting,” it said.
By Aparupa Mazumder
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