Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd is moving forward with its plan to order six mega-containerships to maintain its market edge, chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen told TradeWinds at the boxship giant's Hamburg headquarters.

The vessels are needed to replace Hapag-Lloyd’s existing fleet and to put the German liner operator and its alliance partners on a competitive footing with rival liner operators.

The German line has not placed newbuilding orders since 2015, but Habben Jansen conceded that orders are on the cards.