Hapag Lloyd’s new dual-fuel container vessel floated by DSME

The first of several Hapag Lloyd’s Ultra Large Container Vessels was floated in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The vessel is the first in a coming series that will be dual-fuelled and will be the largest in Hapag Lloyd’s fleet.

The vessel was ordered in December 2020 and its keel was laid in the drydock of DSME in September 2022. Hapag has reported that the vessel will have a capacity of 23,500 TEU. It will have a length of 1,312 feet and a beam of 200 ft. The vessel will be powered by MAN high-pressure type engines that have a maximum power output of 58,270 kW. The vessel has been named “BERLIN EXPRESS” and will be replacing a smaller container vessel of the same name.

The ship is the first in a series of 12 container ships on order from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME). The last of these ships will be delivered by the end of 2024. They will then be deployed on the Europe-Far East routes and will compete with the 24,000 TEU ultra-large vessels of MSC, OOCL and Evergreen coming out of Chinese shipyards. The entire series is expected to have cost Hapag around $2 billion.