Hapag-Lloyd to buy DAL's container liner business
Taking the opportunity to increase its service portfolio, Hapag-Lloyd has signed a framework agreement with German carrier Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL) to acquire its container liner business. The completion of the transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.
Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen: "Africa remains an important strategic growth market. Particularly for our service offering from and to South Africa, DAL is a valuable addition, allowing us to offer our customers a better network and additional port coverage in this region."
With origins dating back to the 19th century, DAL is an established shipping company for containerised cargo and operates with four liner services between Europe, South Africa and the Indian Ocean. Its headquarters are located in Hamburg, and it employs more than 150 people, who are mostly based in DAL’s own offices in South Africa and Germany. DAL is also represented by third party agents in 47 countries.
In terms of capacity, DAL operates a 6,589 teu container ship and a container fleet of around 17,800 owned and leased containers, which will be taken over as part of the acquisition. (ah)