Maersk’s second large vessel that can run on green methanol arrived in Koper, Slovenia for the very first time on 16th June and was welcomed in the Port of Koper. Astrid Maersk comes after her sister unit Ane Maersk, launched earlier this year and underscores Maersk's ambition to achieve Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
Operating on the AE12 string which connects Asia and Europe, Astrid Maersk arrived to the Slovene port from Port Said in Egypt before continuing her journey towards Trieste (Italy), Tangier (Morocco) and Singapore.
It is a fantastic and memorable moment and a great pleasure to witness the arrival of Astrid Maersk in Koper, in Slovenia and in the Adriatic. The launch of this class of vessels is a key milestone for Maersk in our journey to decarbonise ocean transportation. Astrid Maersk, together with her sister vessels, enbodies our ambitions in the areas of sustainability and innovation. But this decarbonisation journey requires collaboration from the entire ecosystem, including customers, partners, regulators and all other stakeholders and Port of Koper is one of our key partners. We are in this together and today we have a visible proof that we can move in the right direction.
"Our commitment to sustainability and greener future is stronger than ever. We are advancing towards self-sufficiency, increasing our energy independence, and digitizing processes to reduce our carbon footprint. Over the past few years, we have been electrifying our machinery, replacing many with the most environmentally friendly electric ones. Furthermore, our most ambitious project, the electrification of the quayside, will allow all cargo ships to connect directly to shore electricity by 2029, marking a major step in our climate transition efforts. Our valued partners share this commitment, as these decisions are vital for environmental protection. We therefore welcome our partners’ plans to carry out green transition in their fleet," said Ivić Vodopija, Country Manager for East Adriatic and Central Europe at Maersk.
"Port of Koper is a multipurpose port, handling all types of cargo. The total throughput of the port in 2023 was 22,3 million tons, including 1,066 million TEUs and 916.728 units of vehicles, making Koper the largest container terminal in Adriatic and one of the most important car terminals in Europe," said Gregor Belič Member of the Management Board at Port of Koper.
Over the next five years, their mission will be to provide reliable, high-quality port services in line with sustainable development guidelines, with the aim of becoming the first choice among ports on the southern European transport route. The port’s development will be based on increasing infrastructure capacity, accelerating the introduction of the smart port concept, ensuring adequate staffing, and taking care of sustainability aspects and reducing negative impacts on the environment and society.
Equipped with a state-of-the-art dual-fuel engine that is capable of running on green methanol, Astrid Maersk is the second of the 18 large vessels ordered by Maersk that will be added to Maersk’s fleet during 2024 and 2025. The vessels in the new series have an industry-first innovative design with the bridge and accommodation placed at the very front of the vessel, allowing more cargo to be carried and reducing the consumption per container.
Source: Maersk
