Hapag-Lloyd improving its fleet
The Hamburg-based carrier Hapag-Lloyd is set to launch its first retrofit programme in the next five years. The investment volume “will be in the three-digit million range”, the shipping line said in a media release. The goal is to modernise the technology of its existing fleet.
A new 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 will save from 10 to 13% fuel and carbon emissions. In the long run 86 ships are set to receive a more efficient propeller.
At the same time, 36 vessels will be equipped with a flow-optimised bulbous bow. During the scheduled dry dock stays, a resistance-reducing coat of anti-fouling paint will also to be applied to all vessels on the exterior hull beneath the waterline. Most of the measures will be carried out by 2025.
Maximilian Rothkopf, COO of Hapag-Lloyd AG, said that “we aim to be climate-neutral by 2045. To reach this goal, we’ve set ourselves the interim target of reducing the CO2 intensity of our ships by 30% by 2030.” (sh)