Hapag-Lloyd said it is further expanding its container fleet with additional boxes in light of the ongoing capacity constraints in the market. 

"Hapag-Lloyd is stepping up once more the investment in its container fleet in light of the current situation – similar to what the container shipping line did in 2020 in its initial response to the pandemic – as today it needs significantly more than the normal number of boxes to carry the same volume because boxes are turning slower," the German international shipping company said in a statement.

Hapag-Lloyd said it has ordered 150,000 TEU from China – both dry boxes and state-of-the-art reefer containers. Some of the boxes were already delivered to Hapag-Lloyd and integrated into its existing container fleet in the first quarter of 2021, but the majority of them are expected to be delivered in the upcoming months.

Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd has ordered 8,000 TEU of special containers to be used for oversized or dangerous goods.

“The container shipping industry is currently seeing unprecedented demand, which has led to a shortage of containers all over the world. With its recent container orders, Hapag-Lloyd is contributing to efforts to ease the current situation and will be able to offer its customers a much better service,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd.

These recent investments amount to roughly US$550 million – making it one of the biggest container orders in the history of Hapag-Lloyd, the liner added.