The container ship “Seaspan Yangtze”, which sails for the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, has been converted by Everllence to run on methanol. Further ships are set to follow.
The vessel is owned by Seaspan Corporation, the world’s largest owner of container ships. The retrofit was carried out by Primeserv, the after-sales division of Everllence, with the work being carried out at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry in Shanghai. The “Seaspan Yangtze” is now fitted with a dual-fuel engine and is designed to run primarily on methanol. The vessel, registered under the Singapore flag, is already back in regular service. The “Seaspan Yangtze”, built in 2014, is 337 m long and 48 m wide. It has a capacity of 10,100 TEU.
The shipping company Hapag-Lloyd plans to retrofit a further four container ships as part of its methanol retrofit programme – plans to this effect have been known since 2024. The other vessels involved are the “Seaspan Amazon”, “Seaspan Ganges”, “Seaspan Thames” and “Seaspan Zambezi”.
For the Primeserv project, this marks the 30th conversion of an existing vessel to its LNG, methanol or LPG platforms. With its retrofits, Everllence aims to offer customers a reliable and proven environmental solution. Primeserv is designed to deliver rapid implementation, minimal downtime (less than three months) and guaranteed operating returns. At the same time, it enables fuel flexibility and an improved emissions profile, Everllence announced upon completion of the conversion.
“Tried-and-tested and reproducible solution”
“The retrofit of the ‘Seaspan Yangtze’ demonstrates that converting existing vessels to methanol dual-fuel operation is no longer just a concept, but represents a tried-and-tested and reproducible technical solution,” said Christoph Thiem, Director of Fleet Innovation & Projects at Hapag-Lloyd. “By combining OEM engine expertise with careful project preparation and close coordination with Seaspan, Everllence and the shipyard, we were able to carry out a technically challenging retrofit on schedule and successfully prepare the vessel for operation with lower-carbon fuels.”
Peter Jackson, Chief Technology Officer at Seaspan, said: “The success of our methanol retrofit programme is based on close collaboration between all partners involved. Together, we are demonstrating that retrofitting existing vessels to run on methanol can be a viable and scalable path to reducing emissions, helping to bridge the gap between today’s fleet and the fuels of the future.”
“The ‘Seaspan Yangtze’ project is clear evidence of our proven, scalable and mature platform for retrofitting existing vessels to dual-fuel operation, which we are implementing with great speed and reliability,” said Michael Petersen, Senior Vice President and Head of Primeserv Denmark at Everllence. “For our customers, the decision to upgrade an existing ship’s propulsion system with Everllence is not a pilot project, but a tried-and-tested, low-risk approach based on comprehensive OEM expertise and experience across the entire value chain.”
The retrofit package also includes a two-year subscription to PrimeServ Assist. According to Everllence, this data-driven service monitors engine operation “round the clock”, analyses operational data using AI, identifies irregularities at an early stage and supports maintenance decisions. According to Seaspan, the vessel’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) following the retrofit is around 55 per cent below the international minimum standard (Phase 0). Both its energy efficiency and its potential for reducing CO₂ emissions rank among the highest in international comparisons.
