Hapag-Lloyd has signed two contracts with two Chinese shipyards for a total of 24 new container ships. All of them will be equipped with liquefied gas dual-fuel engines, capable of operating on biomethane, while the vessels are also ammonia-ready.
Of the 24, twelve newbuildings – each with a capacity of 16,800 TEU – will be built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group. These units will be used to expand the capacity of services that are already in place.
An additional twelve ships, each with a capacity of 9200 TEU, have been ordered from New Times Shipbuilding Company Ltd. and will replace older units in the Hapag-Lloyd fleet that will be nearing the end of their service life in this decade.
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Biomethane and ammonia-ready
All of the newbuildings will be equipped with state-of-the-art low emission high pressure liquefied gas dual-fuel engines that are extremely fuel-efficient. In addition, these vessels can be operated using biomethane, which can reduce CO2e emissions by up to 95 per cent compared to conventional propulsion systems.
The new ships will also be ammonia-ready. Hapag-Lloyd will take delivery of the new vessels between 2027 and 2029. The newbuildings will have a combined capacity of 312,000 TEU and involve a combined investment volume of around USD 4 billion. A long-term financing of USD 3 billion has already been committed.
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One of the largest investments to date
‘This investment is one of the largest in the recent history of Hapag-Lloyd, and it represents a significant milestone for our company as it pursues the goals of its Strategy 2030, such as to grow while also modernising and decarbonising our fleet,’ says Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. ‘Operating a fleet of more efficient vessels will also enhance our competitive position, and thanks to the increase in capacity, we will continue to offer our customers a global, high-quality product.’
The container liner wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by one third by 2030, compared to 2022 and hit net-zero fleet operation by 2045. This goal will be achieved by investing in modern, efficient newbuildings, slow steaming, fleet modernisation and the use of new propulsion technologies and alternative fuels.
In April, the company announced it was retrofitting five vessels to methanol propulsion.
Hapag-Lloyd controls 287 container ships with a total transport capacity of 2.2 million TEU. It also operates the largest fleet sailing under the German flag.
Picture: One of Hapag-Lloyd’s 15,000 TEU container ships, the Afif (photo by Hapag-Lloyd).
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