STORY: First methanol-powered container ship named in Copenhagen
DATELINE: Sept. 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:24
LOCATION: Copenhagen
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the first methanol-powered container ship
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President of European Commission
3. various of the container ship
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President of European Commission
5. various of methanol-powered container ship docking in the harbour outside the headquarters of Maersk in Copenhagen

STORYLINE:

Visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen officially gave the name "Laura Maersk" to the world's first methanol-powered container ship on Thursday in Copenhagen, hailing its owner "a pioneer, shaping the economy of the future."

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President of European Commission
"I name you 'Laura Maersk' as you sail the waters of the world. May your journeys be smooth, and your tasks successful. May you bring happiness to the crew and be a safe haven for all who board you. And may you bring prosperity and pride to all. I wish you godspeed."

The ship belongs to the fleet of Danish-owned shipping consortium A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk). According to Maersk, the container, with 2,100 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit), is the first ship of its kind to sail on green methanol, reducing polluting emissions by at least 65 percent. It is also able to use ordinary bunker oil.

Maersk has announced plans for 20 more methanol-powered ships. The fleet includes six mid-sized 9,000 TEU container vessels with dual-fuel engines capable of operating on green methanol, which will be built by China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and delivered between 2026 and 2027.

Additionally, Maersk further enhanced its commitment to green methanol fuel by signing a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) about a methanol marine fuel project in March 2023.

According to Maersk, it will work with the Port of Shanghai to carry out services of vessel-to-vessel bunkering and fuel tank storage in the near future. In the long run, "the parties will explore how to form an all-round energy strategic partnership to promote the extension from bunkering services to the upstream of the green methanol industry chain," the company said in a press release.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): URSULA VON DER LEYEN, President of European Commission
"We are turning a noble generational task into a new growth strategy. On this journey, only the horizon is our limit. I am confident because we know our destination and our sailing ships together are on a clear course. We count on you. We know we can rely on you. So let's do the action that is necessary. Thank you very much."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Copenhagen.
(XHTV)