Maersk Line wins award for super slow steaming initiative

Maersk Line was named Sustainable Shipping Operator of The Year for challenging the shipping industry and bringing about significant reductions in energy consumption and emissions.

The award, presented by Sustainable Shipping at an awards ceremony in London on July15, was given to Maersk Line in recognition of the efforts it has made in reducing the environmental impact of its business operations. Maersk Line has proved that the two-stroke engines on its container vessels are able to run continuously at low loads ensuring a more flexible and energy-efficient vessel operation.

In 2007, Maersk Line initiated a comprehensive study on 110 vessels, which shows that despite traditional policy on 40-60% as minimum engine load, it is safe to go as low as 10%. This makes it possible for containerships to sail at half speed, thereby reducing not only fuel costs significantly, but also CO2 emissions.

Being able to select any given speed down to 10% engine load, enables a more flexible voyage and schedule planning as well as vessel savings amounting to 10-30% fuel and CO2. For a post-Panamax container ship it amounts to saving USD 1 million equal to 3,500 tonnes fuel and 10,000 tonnes CO2 per year.

Maersk Line has collaborated with leading engine manufacturers, which have changed their recommendations accordingly.

More than 100 Maersk Line vessels have utilized super slow steaming since 2007, and the entire fleet is now capable of sailing at this new low speed.