Maersk Pushes Ahead With Ethanol–Methanol Fuel Blend on Laura Maersk

AP Moller-Maersk has taken another step in its alternative fuels strategy by significantly increasing the share of ethanol in a trial fuel blend on one of its container vessels. 

The test is being carried out on the 2,100 TEU feeder vessel Laura Maersk, the company’s first ship designed to operate on methanol. After initially running the vessel on a blend containing around 10% ethanol, Maersk has now moved to a 50/50 mix of ethanol and methanol. 

According to a recent company update on LinkedIn, this higher-blend trial is part of a broader roadmap that ultimately includes testing the vessel on pure ethanol (100% ethanol fuel). The move shows how Maersk is not only committed to methanol as a key alternative marine fuel, but is also actively exploring how other low-carbon options can be integrated into its existing methanol-ready platform. 

Multiple Fuel Pathways, Not a Single Bet

Maersk has consistently positioned itself as an early adopter of methanol in deep-sea shipping, and the Laura Maerskhas become a flagship example of that strategy. But the company is clear that methanol alone will not solve shipping’s decarbonisation challenge.

In the LinkedIn update, Emma Mazhari, head of energy markets at Maersk, underlines that the firm sees “multiple fuel pathways” as essential if the industry is to meet its climate objectives. In practice, that means deliberately testing different fuels and technologies rather than relying on a single solution. 

The ethanol–methanol blend trial is a concrete example of this approach:

• Methanol remains the core alternative fuel Maersk has backed early.
• Ethanol is now being layered into the mix, first at low percentages, then at 50/50, with a view to a future 100% ethanol trial.

This incremental method allows Maersk to build operational experience and data at each step – on engine performance, handling, safety, energy efficiency and emissions – before moving to more ambitious blends.

Why Ethanol Is Getting More Attention in Shipping

Interest in ethanol as a marine fuel has been growing, and that trend was also visible at the IBIA Annual Convention in Hong Kong last month. Discussions there highlighted that as road transport becomes increasingly electrified, demand for ethanol in the automotive sector is likely to grow more slowly, or even plateau in some markets. 

For ethanol producers, this creates a strong incentive to look for new demand segments, and shipping is an obvious candidate:

• Shipping needs large volumes of low-carbon fuels over the long term.
• Ethanol production and logistics are already established in many regions.
• Compatibility with existing or adapted engine technologies is improving.

For bunker buyers and shipowners, ethanol’s potential advantages include relatively well-understood production routes and the possibility of using it in blends with other alternative fuels, as Maersk is now demonstrating with methanol.

What This Means for the Bunker and HSFO 380 Market

While this particular trial is focused on alternative fuels rather than conventional HSFO 380, it is directly relevant to anyone involved in bunkering, fuel supply and long-term fuel strategy:

• Fuel mix is diversifying: Traditional HSFO and VLSFO will remain part of the mix for some time, but large players like Maersk are clearly shifting a portion of future demand toward low- and zero-carbon options.
• New bunker products will emerge: As more vessels become methanol- and potentially ethanol-capable, suppliers and traders will need to manage more complex product portfolios alongside HSFO 380, VLSFO, MGO and bio-blends.
• Port positioning matters: Ports and suppliers that move early on methanol and ethanol infrastructure are more likely to capture future alternative-fuel demand from major liner operators.
  

For stakeholders in the Persian Gulf and wider regional bunker hubs, developments like this are important signals. Even if current volumes of methanol or ethanol bunkers remain small compared to HSFO 380, the direction of travel is clear: leading global carriers are testing, refining and gradually scaling new fuel types.

Looking Ahead

Maersk’s decision to increase the ethanol share to a 50/50 blend with methanol – and its stated intention to trial 100% ethanol – is another milestone in the shipping industry’s fuel transition. 

For shipowners, charterers and bunker buyers, the key takeaway is that future fuel strategies will not be binary. Instead of “fuel A versus fuel B”, the market is moving toward a portfolio approach, where:

• Fossil fuels like HSFO 380 continue to play a significant role in the near to medium term.
• Alternative fuels such as methanol, ethanol, LNG, ammonia and others each take a share, depending on vessel type, trade route, regulatory exposure and corporate decarbonisation targets.
• Monitoring technical trials like the one on Laura Maersk helps market participants anticipate which fuels are likely to move from small pilot projects into mainstream bunker demand over the coming decade.