Hapag-Lloyd Secures Green Methanol Supply for Retrofitted Containerships

Hapag-Lloyd has secured a major agreement with Beijing-based clean energy provider Goldwind for the annual supply of 250,000 tonnes of green methanol.

The deal marks a crucial step in the shipping giant’s decarbonization journey, with the green methanol blend expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent.

“We are fully committed to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement… This will bring us an important step closer to our goal of achieving net-zero fleet operations by 2045,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG.

The green methanol supply could potentially reduce Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet operations’ CO2e emissions by up to 400,000 tonnes annually compared to conventional fuels. This aligns with Hapag-Lloyd’s ambitious target to cut absolute fleet GHG emissions by approximately one-third by 2030, compared to 2022 levels.

The agreement will directly support Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet modernization efforts, including powering five 10,100 TEU vessels being converted to methanol dual-fuel propulsion systems in 2026. Hapag-Lloyd charters the five vessels from Seaspan. The vessels due for retrofits are the Seaspan Amazon, Seaspan Ganges, Seaspan Thames, Seaspan Yangtze, and Seaspan Zambezi. 

This initiative, combined with the company’s recent order of 24 LNG-powered container ships, demonstrates Hapag-Lloyd’s commitment to a multi-fuel strategy for maritime decarbonization.

Goldwind plans to establish a new green methanol production facility in Hinggan League, China, adjacent to its existing operations. “This collaboration proves once again that Goldwind can win the trust of one of the most important shipping companies,” said Chairman, Wu Gang.

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