On 28 August, Hapag-Lloyd AG announced the successful delivery of the “Hamburg Express” from Hanwha Shipyard.
This new vessel, with a capacity of 23,660 TEU, is the latest addition to Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet. The “Hamburg Express” is the seventh vessel in a series of 12 ships, known as the “Hamburg Express” class, which are the largest container ships ever to sail under the German flag.
We are incredibly proud to welcome this new addition to our fleet!
… said the company in a statement
| Type | Container ship |
| Tonnage | 143,262 GT |
| Length | 366.52 m (1,202 ft) |
| Beam | 48.35 m (159 ft) |
| Draught | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Capacity | 13,177 TEU |
This delivery comes amid a period of sustained demand for new container ships. According to Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO, while only six ships with a capacity of 4,746 TEU were contracted in the fourth quarter of 2023, leading some to believe that the container ship contracting spree that began in 2021 had cooled, the appetite for new ships remains high. Year-to-date contracting has already exceeded the 2023 full-year total, bringing the total capacity contracted since the start of 2021 to 10.47 million TEU.
The official christening of the “Hamburg Express” is scheduled for November 4th in Hamburg, where First Lady Eva-Maria Tschentscher will perform the ceremony.
