Let's say newbuilding price for 14,000-teu ultra-large containership is $130m. Its total bunker fuel price for 25 years costs around $1.3bn, about ten times higher than the ship price.
In case of automobile, total fuel price over its persisting period (12 years) would be hard to double the price of a motor vehicle.
Therefore, fuel efficiency for ships would be far more important than hybrid electric vehicle.
Shipbuilding specialized analyst Lee Sok-Je explained that containership, which consumes comparatively more fuels, equipped with fuel economizer by 10%, can reduce fuel costs that correspond to ship price.
Such fuel economizers cost about 10-15% of newbuilding price. But fuel cost reduction can offset additional cost in a couple of years.
Lee said that A.P. Moller-Maersk is showing noticeable movement regarding fuel efficiency. Maersk has invested in eco-friendly vessels for over 10 years and it is already making 5-10% difference in operating margin, compared to other competitors.