Scrubbers sit firmly at the bottom of Hapag-Lloyd's shortlist after it set a clock on finding a solution to best meet incoming sulphur emissions laws.

Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of Hapag, says the company is studying LNG fuel as an option but has not yet taken a decision.

“Scrubbers is not our preferred solution, and we know that we will have the alternative to go for more expensive fuel,” he said on an earnings call.