Hapag-Lloyd orders eight from HHI

The Hamburg-based shipping line Hapag-Lloyd is responding to the forecast market expansion in the container trade by ordering eight 8,750 TEU container carriers for delivery in December 2009 (two ships) and in the first half of 2010. It is planned to deploy the newbuildings on the routes to and from Asia, which continue to account for the highest growth in container transport.

The newbuildings are to be built at the South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries. They will have a length of 335m, a beam of 43m and have a deadweight capacity of 103,000 tonnes.

“With this order, Hapag-Lloyd is giving fleet homogeneity and thus savings in operational costs priority over opting for a ship size capable of transporting over 10,000 TEU. We have had very positive results with the five units we already deploy. They are efficient and incorporate state-of-the-art technology, and they can be flexibly deployed on various routes if required by the market situation,” explained Michael Behrendt, chairman of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd.