Hapag-Lloyd has signed contracts with two Chinese shipyards for 24 new container ships.
Of these, 12 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 12 ships, each with a capacity of 9,200 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.
“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,” said Hapag-Lloyd CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen. “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,”
All of the newbuildings will be equipped with low emission, high pressure liquefied gas dual-fuel engines. In addition, these vessels can be operated using bio-methane, 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 said it is fully committed to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement. By 2030, the absolute greenhouse gas emissions of the company’s fleet operations are to be reduced by around one third compared to 2022 – another step toward net-zero fleet operation by 2045.
The shipping company 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 $4 billion USD.
Hapag-Lloyd controls 287 modern container ships with a total transport capacity of 2.2 million TEU.
In other news, the Port of Rotterdam Authority have appointed a new Chief Operating Officer.
