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.
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
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ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Oppenheimer
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