[Offshore Energy/August 29, 2024] German liner major Hapag-Lloyd has taken delivery of the new liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel 23,660 TEU containership from South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean.

Hamburg Express is the sixth newbuild of the company’s latest Hamburg Express class, a series of twelve ships that are “the largest containerships” ever to sail under the German flag.

In total, the shipping company ordered a dozen 23,500+ TEU ships at Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).

Hamburg Express will be officially christened in Hamburg by First Lady Eva-Maria Tschentscher on November 4.

The new series of containerships will be outfitted with high-pressure dual-fuel engines that will operate on LNG, but they will also have sufficient tank capacity to operate on conventional fuel as an alternative, according to Hapag-Lloyd.

Thanks to their new dual-fuel technology, they will also be able to operate using non-fossil fuels, such as bio-methane and e-methane, and thereby generate hardly any CO2 emissions.

Shell Western LNG B.V (Shell) signed a multi-year agreement with German shipowner for the supply of liquefied natural gas.

The containerships in the Hamburg Express class operate on the cargo-intensive Far East route between Asia and Europe.

The addition of new environmentally friendly vessels has helped German container shipping major Hapag-Lloyd counteract the prolonged capacity bottleneck caused by geopolitical tensions.

Earlier on, the firm welcomed several LNG dual-fuel 23,600 boxships, including Berlin Express, Manila Express, Singapore Express, Iquique Express, and Damietta Express.