Hapag-Lloyd Names Newest LNG-Ready ULCS at London Gateway

Photo: Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd AG officially named its newest containership ‘AFIF’ at DP World’s London Gateway on Monday.

The Ultra-Large Container Vessel (UCLV) has a capacity of 15,000 TEU, making it the second biggest ship in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet. The ship is 385.5 meters long and 51 meters wide.

Afif is also one of Hapag-Lloyd’s 17 “LNG-ready” ships, meaning it can be converted to LNG fuel in the future.

Afif was officially christened by the UK’s shipping minister, Nusrat Ghani, who broke the sacrificial bottle of champagne against the bow. The name “Afif” is of Arabic origin and means “purity” and “honesty”; also, Afif is a city in central Saudi Arabia.

The ship was ordered in early 2017 by  United Arab Shipping Lines (UASC), which merged with Hapag-Lloyd in May, and built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in South Korea.

Afif sails on the FE4 service, also known as Far East Loop. From Southampton, the ship will sail to Yantian, Shanghai, Busan and Ningbo before returning to Europe.

Hapag-Lloyd AG operates or has cargo on 11 services into and out of DP World London Gateway from the Far East, South America, Australia, the USA, Pakistan, India, South Africa and the Caribbean.

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