Top 10 box carrier HMM will reportedly opt for "methanol burning engines on a new series of compact 8,000 teu capacity container ships, according to Ship & Bunker.
Industry specialists Alphaliner this week said the box carrier is in talks with a number of yards in its native South Korea for up to nine such vessels.
Methanol has been identified as one of several potential future marine fuels to help the industry meet its IMO 2030 and IMO 2050 decarbon ization goals.
Backing for methanol has grown considerably this year following orders for methanol-powered tonnage by Maersk, CMA CGM, and COSCO - respectively the world's second, third, and fourth largest carriers by capacity. HMM is rated as the world's eighth largest carrier by capacity with 3.1% of market share," according to Alphaliner.