German carrier Hapag-Lloyd took one significant step this week towards the use of low-emission fuels in the shipping business. The carrier recently announced entering a multi-year agreement with energy giant Shell Western LNG B.V (Shell) for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.
A press release mentioned the LNG will be used for the carrier’s ultra large dual-fuel container vessels of 23,500+ TEU.
“We are excited about our agreement with Shell to explore further decarbonisation opportunities as it allows both businesses to drive impactful change in the industry,” said Jan Christensen, Senior Director Global Fuel Purchasing at Hapag-Lloyd.
Referring to the 2nd Life Cycle GHG Emission study, Hapag-Lloyd believes using LNG will enable it to immediately reduce the CO2 intensity of these vessels by up to 23% compared to conventional fuels. The study adds that the use of LNG could reduce SOX emissions to zero due to the negligible amount of sulphur in LNG fuel.
Bunkering for these twelve new vessels is expected to commence during the second half of 2023, and LNG will be supplied in the Port of Rotterdam, announced Hapag-Lloyd. In addition, the carrier noted that the modern ships covered by this agreement “will be deployed on Europe-Far East routes and call at major ports including Rotterdam, Hamburg, Singapore, and Shanghai.”
Earlier in February, the German carrier also announced its plan to retrofit around 100 ships with new propellers and bulbous bows as part of its Fleet Upgrade Programme. The retrofitting "will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and represent a big step towards achieving our sustainability goals," highlighted the carrier in a statement.
The first 70-tonne propeller was loaded onto the “Sofia Express” at Hamburg Port. “The new propeller is the first of about 100 that will be delivered to us in the years ahead by Mecklenburger Metallguss (MMG), in the northern German town of Waren an der Müritz,” reports Martin Grieger, Director of Fleet Upgrade.
