Hapag-Lloyd christens Hamburg Express in Port of Hamburg

Hamburg Express – the flagship of Hapag-Lloyd’s Hamburg Express class – was christened at the Container Terminal Burchardkai in the Port of Hamburg.

The ship’s naming patron, Eva Maria Tschentscher – Hamburg’s First Lady and the wife of Hamburg’s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher – performed the traditional christening of the container ship, which currently operates on the Far East service between Asia and Europe, says an official release.

“With the Hamburg Express, we are setting new standards in technology and sustainability," says Rolf Habben Jansen, Chief Executive Officer, Hapag-Lloyd. "She will reinforce our status as the number one in quality and efficiency for our customers, especially on the strategically important Far East-Europe routes."

The Hamburg Express is the seventh ship in a series of 12 newbuildings being built at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in South Korea. With a length of 399 metres and a capacity of 23,660 TEU, these newbuildings are the largest container ships ever to sail under the German flag, the release added.

The vessels in this class of ships, thanks to their size, innovative design and LNG dual-fuel engines, will significantly boost efficiency per container transported and reduce emissions by 20 to 25 percent in the near future.

Hapag-Lloyd reported a 75 percent decline in group profit at $791 million for the first half of 2024 on lower rates. Revenue declined 12 percent to $9.5 billion as against $10.8 billion in H12023.

Getting ready for Gemini
In February 2025, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd launch their operational collaboration Gemini Cooperation, and the ambition is to deliver a flexible and interconnected ocean network with schedule reliability above 90 percent.

"Since the two companies unveiled the new long-term collaboration in January 2024, they have been working on finalising the details of the operational collaboration which covers a joint ocean freight network on East-West trades."

First published on logupdateafrica