22.08.01
20 percent lower nitrogen emission
Hapag-Lloyd is the first shipowner to be awarded an Environment Certificate for its new containerships by the German "See-Berufsgenossenschaft" (regulatory agency). The company is thus several steps ahead of statutory regulations.
"Long before legislation made this obligatory for containerships, our fleet had already been granted certification under the ISM international safety and environment system. To that extent this environment certificate from the See-Berufsgenossenschaft simply represents a logical continuation of our corporate policy," commented Bernd Wrede, chairman of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG on the award. Hapag-Lloyd is the first shipping company to receive such a certificate from the See-Berufsgenossenschaft.
With its International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate the agency confirms that certificated ships today already meet the as yet not mandatory environment regulations laid down by the International Maritime Organization, the shipping arm of the United Nations. The main features of the certificate are a ban on the use of fluorochlorohydrocarbon/halone, a restriction of sulphur content in fuels and limits on exhaust gases. On Hapag-Lloyd containerships the quantity of nitrogen (NOx) emitted by diesel engines is reduced by about 20 percent through the use of injection valves of a new type.
Certificates have been issued in respect of the following vessels: "Antwerpen Express", "Bremen Express", "Düsseldorf Express", "London Express", "Rotterdam Express", "Shanghai Express" and "Tokyo Express". These ships were built between 1998 and 2000. The new 7,500 TEU units - of which the first will be delivered to Hapag-Lloyd in October 2001 - also meet the requirements.
Hapag-Lloyd makes every effort to keep environmental loads to a minimum in order to meet the challenges of sustained development. Not only is our modern fleet fitted with low-consumption engines. On ship's coatings Hapag-Lloyd is also pursuing a new course without legal requirement to do so. For all new coatings applied, tin (TBT)-free paints are being used for hulls underwater. On containers, use is being made of container floors that are sparing of resources, while environment friendly refrigeration agents are being used in reefer containers.
"These measures once again serve to demonstrate that Hapag-Lloyd is a future-oriented, innovative logistics group," said Bernd Wrede in conclusion.
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