A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has placed an order for six mid-sized containerships, each with dual-fuel engines that can run on green methanol.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group will construct six 9,000 TEU boats for delivery between 2026 and 2027.

This order comes two weeks after OCI Global (Euronext: OCI) announced it is fuelling the first ever green methanol-powered containership in partnership with Maersk.

Rabab Boulos, Chief Infrastructure Officer at Maersk, said: “With this order, we take another step in the green transformation of our fleet and towards our target of becoming net-zero in 2040.

“As with all our other vessel orders for the last two years, these ships will be able to run on green methanol.”

Following a pledge to solely purchase newbuild boats that can sail on green fuels, Maersk reportedly bought the world’s first methanol-enabled container carrier in 2021.

After only two years, the worldwide orderbook includes more than 100 methanol-capable vessels.

Maersk currently has 25 methanol-capable boats on order after purchasing six more vessels.

Boulos explained: “For these six container vessels, we have chosen a design and vessel size which make them very flexible from a deployment point of view.

“This will allow these vessels to fill many functions in both our current and our future network, thereby offering the flexibility our customers demand. Once phased in, they will replace existing capacity in our fleet.”

The first methanol-enabled tanker, a 2,100 TEU feeder vessel, is scheduled to be delivered to Maersk later this summer.

Maersk just announced plans to convert an existing ship into a dual-fuel methanol-powered vessel, allowing it to sail on green methanol.