Hapag-Lloyd has ordered six ultra-large container vessels (ULCV) of 23,500 TEU capacity each, building on a previous order for six vessels it made at the end of 2020.
In a statement, the container shipping line said the vessels will be outfitted with a state-of-the-art high-pressure dual-fuel engine that will be extremely fuel-efficient.
Their engines will operate on liquified natural gas (LNG), but the vessels will also have sufficient tank capacity to operate on conventional fuel as an alternative.
Hapag-Lloyd is focusing on liquefied natural gas as a medium-term solution, as it reduces CO2 emissions by 15% to 25% and emissions of sulphur dioxide and particulate matter by more than 90%.
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is currently the most promising fuel on the path towards zero emissions. The medium-term goal is to have ships that operate in a climate-neutral way using synthetic natural gas (SNG).
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO, Hapag-Lloyd, “With this investment in the additional newbuildings, we want to take another step in the ongoing modernisation of our fleet – in terms of both ship size and sustainability.
“At the same time, we want to meet the persistently high demand and reduce our slot costs.”
The vessels will be deployed on the Europe-Far East routes as part of THE Alliance and will thereby significantly boost Hapag-Lloyd’s competitiveness in this trade.
They will contribute to the growing global fleet of container vessels on the world’s shipping lanes, which have become increasingly congested due to booming demand caused by e-commerce.
