Hapag-Lloyd, currently the fifth-largest carrier in the container shipping market, reaches a new milestone in its lengthy and illustrious history. The firm, which was founded in 1847, accepted the delivery of its 300th chartered vessel, making its fleet the largest in its history.
Despite not being the largest ship in the fleet, the 24,480-dwt Reederei NORD Group-chartered vessel rises to number 300 in service for Hapag-Lloyd alongside its sister ships, Nordbaltic and Nordpuma. China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) subsidiary HuangPu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co. is building the ships. Each has a capacity of 1,930 TEU, including 313 FEU reefer containers, and is 564 feet (172 meters) long. According to Hapag, they will be utilized to support its larger fleet update and improve its intra-Asia feeder services.
According to the company’s 2023 annual report, it has 260 container ships with a combined capacity of almost 2 million TEU. It was higher than the 1.7 million TEU shipping capacity and 237 boats reported in 2020. Hapag entered the container market less than 60 years ago. According to the company’s history, Sealand’s first container ship was met with suspicion when it arrived in Hamburg in 1966.
The Weser Express (728 TEU) from Bremen, the first European full container service to New York, was launched by Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, a partnership between Hapag and North German Lloyd, barely two years later. The Elbe Express from Hamburg followed two weeks later. When North German Lloyd (NDL) and HAPAG (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft), longtime German competitors, combined in 1970, the unexpected occurred. There were 112 oceangoing ships in the combined fleet at the time.
With 129 owned ships and 171 leased, the company’s present fleet has a capacity of 2.34 million TEU, ranking fifth among the biggest carriers. The business has 37 ships with a combined capacity of 468,000 TEU on order. Additionally, this year is significant for Hapag since its new partnership with Maersk, Gemini, is scheduled to begin in February 2025. As it seeks to take advantage of the new operating arrangement, it anticipates more growth and fleet expansion.
