HD Hyundai holds christening of methanol-powered ship

South Korea’s HD Hyundai Co. announced on Monday that it held a christening ceremony on Thursday at the Port of Copenhagen in Denmark for the eco-friendly container ship Laura Maersk, the world’s first to use methanol as its main fuel.

Built by the conglomerate’s shipbuilding affiliate Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, the vessel is the first of 19 methanol-propelled ships from HD Hyundai ordered by A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world’s No. 2 shipping company.

HD Hyundai said the vessel is the world’s first 2,100 TEU (thermal energy units)-class container carrier that uses methanol as its main fuel. One TEU is one 20-foot container.

The Laura Musk departed from Ulsan in July and arrived at the Danish port on Wednesday after a voyage of about two months and 21,500 km.

Commercial eco-friendly ships are those powered by liquefied natural gas, methanol and electricity.

“I’m confident that Laura Musk will become an important milestone for carbon neutrality,” HD Hyundai CEO Chung Ki-sun said at the ceremony. “We will accelerate the realization of a green ocean through the development of innovative and leading technologies.”

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com