Downtown Africa
On July 8, 2021, Hapag-Lloyd announced that worldwide antitrust authorities have approved its acquisition of Dutch container shipping company Nile Dutch Investments B.V. (NileDutch), which is one of the leading shipping companies along the West African coast. Therefore, pursuant to a sales and purchase agreement signed by the parties in March, Hapag-Lloyd has now formally acquired all shares of NileDutch. According to Hapag-Lloyd, this acquisition supports Hapag-Lloyd’s strategy to grow in Africa.
Even before this acquisition, Hapag-Lloyd has one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. It has a fleet of 241 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 1.7 million TEU. The company has around 13,300 employees and 395 offices in 131 countries and has a container capacity of approximately 2.8 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. It has a total of 121 liner services worldwide that operate in more than 600 ports on all the continents.
Still, by acquiring NielDutch, Hapag-Lloyd has now positioned itself as a major player in Africa. This is because with 40 years of experience in the market, NileDutch is one of the leading shipping companies along the West African coast. It is headquartered in Rotterdam and is present in 85 locations across the world and has 16 offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Singapore, China, Angola, Congo and Cameroon. It also also brings with it 7 liner services, around 35,000 TEU of transport capacity, and a container fleet with a capacity of around 80,000 TEU.
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, explained that his company “very excited about closing the deal and look forward to working with our new colleagues to unlock the enormous potential that Africa has to offer.” He stated that this acquisition of NileDutch noticeably increases Hapag-Lloyd’s number of employees on the ground in Africa by roughly 320 employees. The two companies are aiming to have a swift pace and full commercial integration in order to offer the full benefits of the combined network to their customers as soon as possible.
This article was adapted from a press release distributed by APO Group. You can start earning money by becoming our Independent Reporter or Contributor. Contact us at IR@downtownafrica.com
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