Hapag-Lloyd to make 150+ ships fit for the future

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has embarked on a massive fleet upgrade program in an effort to reduce the fleet’s CO2 emissions. The program will encompass more than 150 of the company’s vessels in the next five years.

As informed, the investment volume of the fleet upgrade program will be in the three-digit million range.

Together with the €2 billion ($2 billion) order for twelve LNG ships placed two years ago, this large-scale measure demonstrates that Hapag-Lloyd is rigorously investing in sustainable ship operations for the long term.

“We aim to be climate-neutral by 2045. To reach this goal, we have set ourselves the interim target of reducing the CO2 intensity of our own ships by 30 per cent already by 2030,” Maximilian Rothkopf, COO of Hapag-Lloyd AG, commented.

“To do so, we are investing in new future-proof ships while simultaneously focusing on making our existing fleet fit for the future. The fleet upgrade program will boost the energy efficiency of the entire fleet.”

With the loading of the first retrofit propeller in the Port of Hamburg, Hapag-Lloyd has launched the comprehensive program aiming to technically modernise the existing fleet.

The propeller, which has been optimised for energy efficiency by the German manufacturer MMG, will be installed on Hapag-Lloyd’s 7,500 TEU Ningbo Express in Dubai in September.

As a result, the ship saves between 10 and 13 per cent fuel and CO² emissions, depending on the sailing condition.

In total, there are plans to equip at least 86 ships with the new and more efficient propellers. At the same time, 36 vessels will receive a new, flow-optimised bulbous bow.

During the scheduled dry dock stays, a resistance-reducing coat of anti-fouling paint will also be applied to all vessels on the part of the exterior hull beneath the waterline.

Most of the measures will be carried out by 2025 and make a significant contribution to helping the company to achieve its climate targets.

With a fleet of 253 containerships and a total transport capacity of 1.8 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is the world’s fifth-biggest liner shipping company, according to Alphaliner’s TOP 100 figures.