AP Moller Maersk continues to build out the green methanol bunkering infrastructure needed in Yokohama for its 16,000 teu green methanol-powered container vessels under construction.
Maersk has teamed up with the City of Yokohama and Tokyo-based global chemical company Mitsubishi Gas Chemical under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the parties, as Maersk confirmed earlier this week.
The collaboration will focus on examining operational feasibility and developing port facilities required for green methanol bunkering at the Port of Yokohama.
The port stands as Japan’s deepest water berth, boasting a total length of 1,600 meters and a draft of 18 meters. It features advanced STS cranes, capable of reaching out up to 24 rows.
Maersk wants to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 throughout its entire business, and for this purpose 25 of the company´s container vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of sailing on green methanol.
The implementation of this initiative “heavily relies on the establishment of port bunkering infrastructure for methanol worldwide.”
Since the opening of Yokohama Port in 1859, it has served as a pivotal gateway to Japan and Asia. As part of its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, Yokohama is at the forefront of developing Japan’s green shipping corridors, as Maersk notes.
Masashi Fujii, president of Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, said: “We believe that the establishment of methanol as a ship fuel supply base in Japan is an important initiative that will contribute to international maritime transport and carbon neutrality of Japan.”
