Hapag-Lloyd will order up to 22 new container vessels to replace ageing tonnage and reduce reliance on expensive charters, according to CEO Rolf Habben Jansen, reports London's Lloyd's List.

The German carrier is in advanced talks for ships in the 1,800 TEU, 3,000 TEU and 4,500 TEU ranges, with final agreements expected within a month. The new fuel-efficient vessels will modernise the fleet and cut exposure to the charter market.

The company has kept a relatively modest orderbook compared with rivals. Last year it ordered 24 dual-fuel LNG box ships ranging from 9,200 TEU to 16,800 TEU, with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and 2029. Earlier this year it took delivery of the last in a series of twelve 24,000-TEU LNG-powered ships from South Korea's Hanwha Ocean.

Mr Jansen said global orderbooks are high, equal to 32 per cent of existing fleet capacity, but long lead times mean new tonnage will arrive gradually. He estimated 20 per cent more capacity will be needed by the end of the decade to meet trade growth.

Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth-largest container line, reported third-quarter revenue of US$5.4 billion, down 11 per cent year on year. Quarterly EBITDA fell to $853 million from $1.7 billion a year earlier.

For the first nine months of 2025, revenue edged up to $16.6 billion from $16.2 billion, while EBITDA dropped to $2.9 billion from $3.8 billion. The company blamed higher costs, currency pressures and weaker freight rates.

Freight rates fell 13.7 per cent year on year, less severe than declines at rivals. Container volumes rose 6.1 per cent in the third quarter, with transpacific trades up 19.2 per cent.

The company narrowed its full-year EBITDA guidance to $3.2 billion to $3.8 billion.