The 2,100 TEU (twenty-foot-equivalent) feeder vessel with a methanol-enabled engine, is the first of it’s kind. The new container ship, Laura Maersk, ordered in 2021, has two engines: one moved by traditional fuels and another run with green methanol — an alternative component, which uses biomass or captured carbon and hydrogen from renewable power. The new vessel emits 100 tons of carbon dioxide fewer per day compared to diesel-based ships.
The name Laura has a long and important history for Maersk. In 1886, Captain Peter Mærsk Moller bought his first steamship and named it Laura. Laura was powered by a coal-fired steam engine and marked the second industrial revolution’s influence on shipping. It was also the first ship to wear the iconic white seven-pointed star on a light blue background, a symbol that remains integral to the company. Watch a video of the naming ceremony here.
