Hapag-Lloyd has completed the sale of three older container ships that will be transferred to shipyards in China and Turkey to be recycled.

According to the German shipping line, the three A4-class ships, called Deira, Najran and Sakaka with a capacity of 4,101 TEUs each, were delivered to UASC from Japanese shipyards in 1997 and 1998, and became part of the Hapag-Lloyd fleet when the two companies merged in May 2017. The ships are being withdrawn because they no longer fit with the portfolio of Hapag-Lloyd.

Under Hapag-Lloyd’s internal ship-recycling policy adopted in May 2014, ships that are no longer needed must be recycled in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

“As one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies, we are aware of our ecological and social responsibilities,” said Anthony Firmin, chief operating officer of Hapag-Lloyd.

In 2015, 16 older units were also sold and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, according to Hapag-Lloyd.