EQS-News: Hapag-Lloyd concludes green financing of its 24 new container ships

Hapag-Lloyd concludes green financing of its 24 new container ships 

• Long-term financing fully secured for USD 4 billion investment
• Transaction in keeping with Hapag-Lloyd’s updated Green Financing Framework
• Framework certified externally by DNV in accordance with the requirements of the LMA’s Green Loan Principles

Hapag-Lloyd will use green financings for the 24 large container ships it ordered in October 2024. The newbuildings will have a combined capacity of 312,000 TEU and involve a combined investment volume of around USD 4 billion.

The financing consists of four components. Around USD 900 million of the purchase price will be financed using the company’s own funds. A total of USD 500 million will be made available from two banks in the form of bilateral mortgage loans. Another part, in the amount of USD 1.8 billion, will be financed via three leasing structures, and USD 1.1 billion will be financed via a syndicated credit facility backed by the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure). The financing share amounts to a total of around 80% of the investment volume, with maturities ranging between 10 and 18 years.

The financing will be carried out on the basis of Hapag-Lloyd’s Green Financing Framework, which in turn complies with the standards of the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA). This has been verified by an independent expert opinion of the international classification society DNV, as has the high efficiency of the ships and their compliance with the EU Taxonomy.

“We are continuously modernizing our fleet in order to deliver a high quality of service and to achieve our ambitious decarbonization goals,” said Mark Frese, CFO/CPO of Hapag-Lloyd AG. “The successful conclusion of several attractive financial transactions confirms that green financing components are becoming increasingly important. In addition, we are pleased to be able to finance newbuild projects in China for the first time with the Sinosure transaction.”

Hapag-Lloyd is fully committed to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement. By 2030, the absolute greenhouse gas emissions of the company’s fleet are to be reduced by around a third compared to 2022 – in what will be another step towards net-zero fleet operation by 2045. The 24 ships will be built in China and equipped with state-of-the-art, low-emission and fuel-efficient high-pressure liquefied gas dual-fuel engines. In addition, these vessels can be operated using biomethane, which can reduce CO₂e emissions by up to 95% compared to conventional propulsion systems. The new ships will also be ammonia ready. Delivery will take place between 2027 and 2029.

About Hapag-Lloyd
With a fleet of 292 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.3 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the Company has around 13,700 employees and 399 offices in 139 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.4 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 113 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 20 terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. 3,000 employees are assigned to the Terminal & Infrastructure segment and provide complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to the terminal activities.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions, estimates, projections or plans that are inherently subject to significant risks, uncertainties and contingencies. Actual results can differ materially from those anticipated in the Company’s forward-looking statements.

Press contacts
Nils.Haupt@hlag.com / +49 40 3001-2263
Tim.Seifert@hlag.com / +49 40 3001-2291