Hapag-Lloyd Marks Milestone with Largest Fleet in 178-Year History

Hapag-Lloyd is marking a milestone in the long and storied history of the carrier which is today the fifth largest in the container shipping segment. The company took delivery of a chartered vessel which becomes the 300th it is currently operating, making the fleet the largest in the history of the company which traces its origins to 1847.

“Today, we’re celebrating a significant milestone that will be making waves - quite literally! With the launch and delivery of the charter vessel Nordatlantic, Hapag-Lloyd AG now operates more ships than ever before,” the company wrote in a social media posting.

The 24,480 dwt vessel, which is under charter from Reederei NORD Group, is far from the largest in the fleet but it becomes number 300 with its sister ships, Nordbaltic and Nordpuma, to follow in service for Hapag-Lloyd. The vessels are being built by HuangPu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co., a division of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). Each measures 564 feet (172 meters) with a capacity of 1,930 TEU including 313 FEU reefer containers. Hapag says they will be used to strengthen its intra-Asia feeder services and support its broader fleet upgrade.

“This milestone reflects not only the growth of our fleet but the dedication of our teams and the trust of our partners worldwide,” writes Hapag. “According to Hansa Online, Hapag-Lloyd’s capacity grew by an impressive 18.7 percent in 2024, reaching a total of 2.3 million TEU – a testament to our continued focus on connecting global trade.”

In its 2023 annual report, the company said it had 260 container vessels with a capacity of approximately 2 million TEU. It was up from 2020 when it reported 237 vessels and a shipping capacity of 1.7 million TEU.

 

Hapag's first containership, Weser Express, started service in 1968 with a capacity of 728 TEU (Hapag-Lloyd)

 

It is less than 60 years since Hapag entered the container segment. They note in the company history that Sealand’s first container vessel arrived in Hamburg in 1966 and was viewed with skepticism. However, just two years later, Hapag-Lloyd Container Linien, a cooperation between Hapag and North German Lloyd inaugurated the Weser Express (728 TEU) from Bremen, the first European full container service to New York followed just two weeks later by the Elbe Express from Hamburg.

The unthinkable happened in 1970 when long-time German rivals HAPAG (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft) and North German Lloyd (NDL)  merged. At the time, the combined fleet was 112 ocean-going vessels.

The current fleet consists of 129 owned vessels and 171 on charter with a total capacity of 2.34 million TEU placing the company fifth in Alphaliner’s ranking of the largest carriers. They calculate the company has 37 vessels on order with a total capacity of 468,000 TEU.

This year also marks a milestone for Hapag as its new cooperation with Maersk, Gemini, is due to start in February 2025. It looks for continued growth and fleet expansion as it pursues the opportunity of the new operating agreement.

 

Hamburg Express introduced in 2024 is part of the company's new LNG fleet with a capacity of 23,660 TEU (Hapag-Lloyd)