Hapag-Lloyd and Seaspan Corporation have completed the first conversion under their joint methanol retrofit programme, delivering the Seaspan Yangtze as a dual-fuel vessel capable of operating on methanol.

The 10,100 TEU container ship has been upgraded from a conventional MAN S90 engine to a dual-fuel engine, making it the first of five vessels to be converted under the programme. The remaining four ships — Seaspan Amazon, Seaspan Ganges, Seaspan Thames and Seaspan Zambezi — are scheduled to follow. The total investment across all five retrofits is estimated at around $120m.

The programme is a three-way collaboration between Hapag-Lloyd, Seaspan Corporation and Everllence. According to Hapag-Lloyd, each conversion has the potential to reduce CO₂e emissions by approximately 30,000–50,000 metric tonnes per vessel per year when operating on low-carbon methanol.

Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director Fleet at Hapag-Lloyd, remarked: "Retrofitting existing vessels is an important lever on our way to decarbonize our fleet operations by 2045. The successful conversion of the Seaspan Yangtze shows that technical innovation and close cooperation with strong partners can make proven vessels ready for the use of low-carbon fuels. For our customers, this is another concrete step towards more sustainable supply chains."

Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd operates a fleet of 301 container ships with a total transport capacity of 2.5 million TEU, and holds equity stakes in 21 terminals.