Hapag-Lloyd to retrofit 15,000 TEU box ship to operate on LNG

FEBRUARY 5, 2019 — Hapag-Lloyd is to retrofit its 15,000 TEU ship containership Sajir to operate using liquefied natural gas (LNG). In future, the engine system will be able to operate on either LNG or low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO).

The Sajir is one of 17 LNG-ready ships that entered the Hapag-Lloyd fleet with its acquisition of UASC.

The contract for the retrofit was signed at the end of last week with Hudong Hondhoa Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. The conversion will be carried out in the Shanghai-based shipyard Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co., Ltd.

During its time in the yard, the ship’s fuel system and its existing heavy fuel oil-burning engine will be converted into a dual fuel engine. The plan will be to operate the vessel using LNG, but to also be able to use low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) as a backup.

“By converting the Sajir, we will be the first shipping company in the world to retrofit a container ship of this size to LNG propulsion,”says Richard von Berlepsch, Managing Director Fleet Management at Hapag-Lloyd. “By carrying out this unprecedented pilot, we hope to learn for the future and to pave the way for large ships to be retrofitted to use this alternative fuel.”