A special kind of special cargo – “Sofia Express” takes on board its own and a second propeller

Last month, a very unique special cargo loading took place in the Port of Hamburg. For the first time, two ship propellers were put on board a ship in a single loading – more specifically, on the “Sofia Express”. Another special aspect was the fact that one of these propellers will be for the “Sofia Express” itself, while the other one is meant for the “Al Manamah”. The propellers will be transported from Hamburg to Jebel Ali, where they will be installed on their respective vessels as part of the Fleet Upgrade Program (FUP). Optimised for energy efficiency by the German manufacturer MMG, the propellers will make it possible for the ships to save 10-13 percent of their fuel and CO2 emissions, depending on the sailing conditions.

By the way: In August 2022, the “Sofia Express” was the first ship to transport the first retrofit propeller (for the “Ningbo Express”) to Jebel Ali as part of the FUP. In total, there are plans to equip at least 86 ships in Hapag-Lloyd’s existing fleet with the new, more efficient propellers. You can find out more about our Fleet Upgrade Programm here.

Here are some special insights into the loading of the propellers: