PrimeServ, the after-sales division of Everllence, has completed a methanol dual-fuel conversion of the main engine aboard the container vessel Seaspan Yangtze, the first ship in a planned five-vessel retrofit programme for the Hapag-Lloyd fleet.
The work was carried out at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Shanghai) and marks the 30th dual-fuel retrofit project completed by PrimeServ across LNG, methanol and LPG-fuelled vessels. The vessel has since returned to service.
According to Everllence, the project demonstrates that existing vessels can be upgraded to dual-fuel operation through proven retrofit solutions offering fuel flexibility, lower emissions and limited off-hire periods of less than three months.
“The Seaspan Yangtze retrofit shows that upgrading existing vessels to methanol dual-fuel operation is no longer a concept, but a proven and repeatable engineering solution,” said Christoph Thiem, Director Fleet Innovation & Projects at Hapag-Lloyd.
Peter Jackson, Chief Technology Officer at Seaspan, said the programme demonstrates that methanol retrofits can provide a scalable pathway for reducing emissions from the existing fleet while supporting the transition to lower-carbon fuels.
Everllence added that the retrofit package includes a two-year subscription to its PrimeServ Assist service, which uses artificial intelligence and remote diagnostics to monitor engine performance, identify anomalies and support maintenance decisions.
Following the conversion, Seaspan said the vessel’s Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) is approximately 55% below the Phase 0 minimum international standard, highlighting the efficiency gains achieved through the retrofit.
