Image: Hapag-Lloyd

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Hapag-Lloyd has ordered the installation of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) aboard 10 of its 13,000-TEU, Hamburg-class vessels.

The first retrofit is due to start in March aboard the Hamburg Express at Qingdao Beihai shipyard in China, and the boxship operator estimates that all 10 installations will be completed by the end of 2020.

Explaining the strategy behind the scrubber programme, Hapag's COO Anthony Firmin said: "Using compliant low sulphur fuels is the key solution for Hapag-Lloyd. However, we want to make sure we test and make use of all relevant solutions, which is why we decided to also retrofit our Hamburg Class vessels with EGCS."

Hapag confirmed in August that it was preparing two pilot projects associated with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) upcoming 0.5 percent global cap on fuel sulphur content in January 2020: the testing of scrubbers on two large container ships and the conversion of a large vessel to LNG propulsion.

The Hamburg-headquartered shipper says it has 17 new vessels in its fleet which can be modified to use LNG, and that the conversion of a 15,000-TEU ship to LNG in 2019 "will then test whether LNG is a suitable alternative to low sulphur fuel".

As previously reported, Hapag consumed 3.3m tonnes of bunker fuel during the first nine months of 2018 - an increase of 0.5m tonnes, or 17.9 percent, on the 2.8m tonnes used during the prior-year period. It follows the merger with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), which was officially completed on May 24, 2017.