Hapag-Lloyd adds ninth LNG dual-fuel 23,600 TEU giant to the fleet

Pressing ahead with fleet expansion, German container shipping major Hapag-Lloyd has christened the ninth LNG dual-fuel 23,660 TEU containership, Bangkok Express.

The newbuild was officially christened on February 4, 2025, at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Okpo, South Korea.

Following the christening ceremony, Bangkok Express set sail on its maiden voyage to Busan.

As understood, the vessel will enter Hapag-Lloyd’s Far East–North Europe service within the Gemini network, starting in Ningbo. From there, it will sail via Tanjung Pelepas and Tanger Med before arriving in Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven in April 2025.

Bangkok Express is the latest addition to the company’s “Hamburg Express” class – a series of 12 dual-fuel container ships powered by LNG and designed to run on future-ready alternatives like green methane.

With a length of 399 meters and a capacity of 23,660 TEU, these newbuildings are “the largest container ships” ever to sail under the German flag, according to Hapag-Lloyd.

The vessels in the “Hamburg Express” class are expected to significantly boost efficiency per container transported and reduce emissions by 20 to 25% in the near future. 

The eponymous flagship of this series, Hamburg Express, was christened at the Container Terminal Burchardkai in the Port of Hamburg on November 4, 2024.

In other recent news, Hapag-Lloyd and its partner A.P. Moller-Maersk launched the Gemini Cooperation, a long-term operational partnership between the two shipping colossal, on February 1, 2025, intending to “reshape” global container shipping.

The German giant also revealed long-term financing totaling $4 billion for the 24 LNG dual-fuel containerships booked in October 2024 at China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and New Times Shipbuilding.