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Retrofit programme targets fuel, capacity and emissions
Seaspan and A.P. Moller Maersk are expanding a vessel efficiency programme across 18 containerships on long term charter to Maersk, with planned and completed investments reaching about $75 million.
The programme focuses on fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, operational flexibility and emissions reduction across the shared Seaspan and Maersk time charter fleet. The companies said the work builds on more than 20 years of cooperation between the two groups.
At the centre of the programme are retrofit solutions for four 13,000 TEU vessels. These ships will receive a package of technical upgrades designed to lower fuel use, improve propulsion and prepare the vessels for future emissions requirements.
The measures include installation of a shaft generator, main engine performance optimisation, a new high efficiency propeller, a pre swirl device and carbon capture readiness. The lashing bridge will also be raised to increase cargo carrying capacity, while deadweight will be increased to improve loading capability.
Together, the upgrades are expected to improve vessel slot cost by about 10 to 13 percent.
Capacity gains meet fuel savings
For container operators, slot cost is where the commercial impact becomes clear. A ship that burns less fuel while carrying more boxes gives charterers and owners a better cost base without waiting for a new generation of vessels.
That is the practical logic behind this programme. Rather than treating older tonnage as a fixed asset with fixed performance, Seaspan and Maersk are using retrofit work to extend competitiveness.
Dimitrios Panagopoulos, Chief Fleet Operations Officer at Seaspan, said the collaboration shows how owners, charterers, technology partners and shipyards can work together on decarbonisation.
“This partnership reflects the kind of practical, high impact collaboration needed to advance decarbonization across the maritime industry,” he said.
He added that Seaspan, Maersk, WattSpan and COSCO Shipyard were combining technical expertise, operational insight and long term investment to improve vessel performance while preparing for future fuels and technologies.
WattSpan joins wider upgrade framework
Separately, WattSpan, a strategic maritime technology and engineering joint venture partner to Seaspan, has joined Maersk and COSCO Shipyard in signing a non binding Memorandum of Cooperation.
The one year framework covers collaboration on vessel upgrades, energy efficiency improvements and maritime decarbonisation technologies. The initiatives may include joint development, information sharing and future project execution under separate commercial agreements.
For Maersk, the retrofit work is tied directly to fuel costs, emissions and cargo capacity.
Anda Cristescu, Head of Chartering and Newbuilding at Maersk, said Seaspan has been a long standing tonnage partner to the Maersk fleet.
“By working closely with Seaspan, we aim to implement vessel upgrades that reduce fuel costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increase cargo capacity, all of which enhance the competitiveness of our fleet,” she said.
Seaspan fleet scale gives programme weight
Seaspan said its operating fleet stood at 247 vessels as of March 31, 2026, on a pro forma basis including undelivered newbuildings. That figure includes two Very Large Ethane Carriers and four Open Hatch Gantry Crane vessels signed in April 2026.
On a fully delivered basis, the fleet represents about 2.5 million TEU of capacity.
That scale matters because retrofit programmes only move the needle when they can be applied across enough ships. A single vessel upgrade can prove a concept. A wider programme can change fleet economics.
In this case, Seaspan and Maersk are targeting both near term operating savings and longer term regulatory readiness. The addition of carbon capture readiness does not mean carbon capture will be installed immediately, but it prepares the vessels for future solutions as rules and technology develop.
The approach reflects a wider shift in shipping. Fleet renewal remains important, but newbuilding slots, capital costs and fuel uncertainty mean operators are also looking closely at the ships already in service. The question is simple: what can be improved now, before the next fuel pathway becomes fully clear?
For the four 13,000 TEU vessels, the answer includes machinery, propulsion, cargo intake and future emissions readiness in one package. For the wider group of 18 vessels, it points to a more systematic approach to chartered fleet performance.
Seaspan is a maritime asset owner and operator focused on long term, fixed rate leases to major shipping lines. Maersk operates in more than 130 countries and employs around 100,000 people across its logistics and shipping operations.
