Maersk's affiliate turns 150
Precisely on this day 150 years ago, the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft – better known as Hamburg Süd – was founded in Hamburg by German and English business men, as the successor of the 1869-founded Hamburg-Brasilianischen Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft.
They targeted primarily shipping connections between Hamburg, Brazil and the Rio Plata region (Buenos Aires, Uruguay). This trade lane is still one of Hamburg Süd’s main routes today. Since 1936, the company has also been in the refrigerated cargo (e. g. fruit and meat) business.
After a phase of strong expansion since 1986, the main owners, the German Oetker Group, decided to sell Hamburg Süd to A.P. Moller - Maersk, effective December 2017.
To mark the anniversary, Hamburg’s International Maritime Museum is now hosting a special exhibition on the history of Hamburg Süd, which was designed in cooperation with the company. Glory days. (sh)