Hapag-Lloyd to convert large containership to LNG

German-based liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is set to start two pilot projects as it looks to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s sulphur dioxide emissions reduction requirements. 

The IMO rules come into force in 2020, and Hapag-Lloyd is preparing two pilot projects, the company said in its half-year financial report.

“These include testing exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS/scrubbers) on two larger container ships and converting a large vessel in the Hapag-Lloyd fleet to liquid gas (LNG),” the company said in the report.

Hapag-Lloyd expects the container shipping to remain a growth industry in the long-term. The shipping company added it plans no significant investment in new ship systems until the end of 2019.

To remind, during the last month, Hapag-Lloyd named the LNG-ready 15,000 TEU containership Afif, which belongs to the category of ultra-large container vessels, the second-largest ship class in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.

With Afif, Hapag-Lloyd operates 17 LNG-ready ships, which are equipped with the technology to use LNG as fuel.