HAPAG-Lloyd has announced plans to upgrade 150 ships to technically modernise its fleet and reduce carbon emissions.
The launch of the company’s Fleet Upgrade Program follows the loading of the first retrofit propeller in Port of Hamburg.
Optimised for energy efficiency by German manufacturer MMG, the propeller will be installed on Hapag-Lloyd’s 7500-TEU Ningbo Express in Dubai this September.
Hapag-Lloyd said installing the propeller would enable the ship to save between 10% and 13% fuel and carbon emissions, depending on sailing conditions.
The company plans to equip at least 86 ships with the new propellers, while 36 vessels will receive a new, flow-optimised bulbous bow.
Hapag-Lloyd COO Maximilian Rothkopf said the company aims to be carbon 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% already by 2030,” Dr Rothkopf said.
“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.”
During dry dock stays, a resistance-reducing coat of anti-fouling paint will also to be applied to all vessels on the part of the exterior hull beneath the waterline.
The company expects the investment volume of the Fleet Upgrade Program will be within the three-digit million range.
Most of the measures are expected to be carried out by 2025.
