Hapag-Lloyd’s second largest containership has officially been named the ‘Afif’ in a recent ceremony at London Gateway, UK.
The 15,000 TEU ship was built in 2017 and originally belonged to United Arab Shipping Lines (UASC) but became part of Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet when the two companies merged in May, 2017.
It was named after the Arabic word for purity and can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
It’s the first Hapag-Lloyd ship to be named in the UK for 20 years.
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Nusrat Ghani, MP for the UK Department for Transport said: “It is an honour to name Afif, Hapag-Lloyd’s latest containership, as it will have a vital role in the growth of the UK economy by moving our exports and imports.”
Anthony J. Firmin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Hapag-Lloyd, said: “We are happy to once again name a ship in the United Kingdom after twenty years. The ‘Afif’ is over three times the size of the ‘London Express.
“London Gateway is one of the most important terminals in Northern Europe. It offers Hapag-Lloyd a fantastic opportunity to unite customers and markets all over the world.”
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