Peter van Rijn never thought that he would be the captain of the world's first methanol-powered vessel, which has been hailed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a “milestone” in the shipping industry's drive towards decarbonisation.
As he stood on Thursday on the bridge of the Laura Maersk in the port of Copenhagen, Mr van Rijn said that he felt the weight of history as well as the hopes of a new generation that views fighting climate change as one of its top priorities.
“Shipping is quite conservative,” he told reporters on the day of the Laura Maersk's christening, which was attended by Ms von der Leyen and top Maersk executives.
“Now we have made the change, and this change is starting.”
The brand new 172-metre-long vessel, which can carry 21,000 containers weighing a little more than 32,000 tonnes, completed its maiden journey to the Danish port from Ulsen, South Korea, where it was built over the course of two years. It is now expected to be deployed in the Baltic Sea.
The Laura Maersk is named after the Danish shipping firm's first steam-powered vessel that set sail in 1886. Its name was chosen to reflect that it represents “an Industrial Revolution of a green character”, according to Maersk chairman Robert Uggla.
“I have a daughter, she's turning 17, and quite busy thinking about the future,” said Mr van Rijn, 55. “She said to me: what are you doing for the environment? I can give her an example now.”
Last year, Danish shipping giant Maersk unveiled a plan to gradually abandon the use of fuel oil to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets set by the EU as part of the Paris Agreement.
The Laura Maersk will help reduce the firm's carbon dioxide emissions by 100 tonnes a day, compared to the same vessel running on fuel oil, according to the company. Close to 20 other such ships will set sail by 2025.
Most of its crew, including Rounak Chatterjee, the ship's chief officer, shared the captain's excitement, saying there was “no point in being humble”.
“For the rest of time, this will be the first vessel [running on e-methanol] and I'll be the first chief officer on it,” he told The National.
“Human kind is borrowing from this planet.
“So it better start paying the debt back because one day, Mother Nature will come back for the debt and we will have nothing to pay her with.”
New challenges
Green methanol, also known as e-methanol, is composed of waste CO2 and “green hydrogen”, which is created by using renewable energy to split water molecules.
But switching to low-emission fuels comes with new challenges. Maersk's leaders have highlighted that current global production is below the industry's needs, while its cost is two to three times higher than conventional fuels.
Customers willing to pay for a so-called green premium are usually lifestyle companies that are close to customers, and Maersk has recently struck deals with Amazon and Volvo, said the shipping company's head of energy transition Morten Bo Christiansen.
The company is expecting green fuels to become more competitive in the future with new measures kicking in soon, including the EU's carbon tax, which will be enacted from 2027.
There are other challenges related to running a ship on e-methanol, a much more flammable liquid than traditional fuel.
E-methanol can catch fire at 11°C, whereas biodiesel's flame point is about 60°C, said the Laura Maersk's crew.
To avoid risks of fire, the ship's tanks are padded with nitrogen to remove oxygen, said chief engineer Flemming S Christensen.
The vessel also has dual-fuel engines. E-methanol needs to be ignited with a pilot fuel, which on the Laura Maersk is biodiesel.
Maersk currently ships 2.5 per cent of all its containers using biodiesel and wants to bring that figure up to 25 per cent by 2030.
Adapting to an e-methanol run ship was “confusing” at first, but “not that bad” after all for the crew, which benefitted from extra training in Finland, said Mr Christensen.
“Since we started up in Ulsen and until we hit Europe, we have actually been on methanol for 95 per cent of the time, which is – I would say – a huge accomplishment,” he added.
More on Quran memorisation:
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
Company%20profile
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The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
