BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 29. A.P. Moller - Maersk has completed the first commercial ship-to-ship ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea container vessel in the United States, supplying its dual-fuel alcohol-enabled Tangier Maersk with 100% U.S.-produced corn ethanol, the company said.
The operation is part of Maersk’s efforts to assess multiple potential fuel pathways as the shipping industry moves toward lower-emission operations. The bunkering provided Maersk with operational experience related to the use of ethanol as a marine fuel, including considerations around infrastructure, sourcing and supply chains.
“Achieving lower-emission logistics requires turning new technologies into practical, scalable solutions,” said Ditlev Blicher, Maersk Regional President for North America.
“This bunkering operation aboard Tangier Maersk provides valuable real-world experience with alternative fuels in commercial shipping. The insights gained will help drive the development of more sustainable supply chains,” he added.
The operation follows earlier ethanol trials conducted aboard Laura Maersk and Antonia Maersk, as Maersk continues to examine ethanol alongside other alternative fuels.
Ethanol added to Maersk’s multi-fuel strategy
Maersk has been expanding its fleet of vessels capable of operating on alternative fuels as part of its broader energy-transition strategy.
The company says its approach is based on a diversified, fuel-agnostic portfolio, reflecting uncertainty over which lower-emission fuels will ultimately scale across global shipping. Its options include bio- and e-methanol, ethanol and bio-LNG, while Maersk has also said it expects to explore other technologies and fuels, including ammonia, over the longer term.
Ethanol has attracted Maersk’s attention partly because it already has an established production and distribution infrastructure. In an earlier trial aboard Laura Mærsk, the company tested blends containing 10% and 50% ethanol with methanol and said the initial 10% ethanol test confirmed that the fuel could be safely integrated into the engine while maintaining performance. Maersk said it subsequently planned to test 100% ethanol.
The company has also highlighted the United States as the world’s largest ethanol producer, with the U.S. and Brazil together accounting for about 80% of global ethanol production, according to Maersk. At the same time, it says the sustainability of crop-based ethanol depends on factors including lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions, traceability, certification and responsible sourcing.
Maersk expands dual-fuel fleet
Maersk’s ethanol work builds on its earlier deployment of methanol-enabled container ships.
Laura Mærsk, which entered service in September 2023, was the world’s first methanol-enabled container vessel, according to Maersk.
The company subsequently expanded its dual-fuel fleet. Maersk reported that it took delivery of 10 new dual-fuel methanol vessels in 2025, bringing its total fleet of dual-fuel vessels to 19, with six additional vessels scheduled for delivery in 2026.
The company has also committed to ordering only new owned vessels with dual-fuel engines, according to its published energy-transition materials.
Maersk has set a target of net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions across its business by 2040, while its fleet renewal strategy is intended to increase the share of vessels capable of operating on lower-emission fuels.
The company said the Tangier Maersk bunkering operation will provide additional practical experience as it evaluates the availability of fuels, regulatory requirements and operational readiness needed to develop scalable alternative-fuel supply chains. For Maersk, the latest operation does not represent a single-fuel commitment but rather another step in testing different technologies and fuel pathways that could support the shipping industry's energy transition.
