Container vessel belonging to Hamburg Süd. (Photo: Hamburg Süd)
Maersk Line strengthens growth strategy through Hamburg line acquisition
DENMARK
Friday, December 02, 2016, 23:10 (GMT + 9)
Maersk Line is to acquire German container shipping line Hamburg Süd after reaching an agreement with Oetker Group in an attempt to develop its growth strategy and increase transport volumes.
The acquisition of the world’s seventh largest container shipping line and a leader in the North – South trades is subject to final agreement and regulatory approvals.
The acquisition is subject to a satisfactory due diligence, final agreement and subject to regulatory approval in amongst others China, Korea, Australia, Brazil, the United States and the EU.
The acquired company operates 130 container vessels with a container capacity of 625,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent).
It has 5,960 employees in more than 250 offices across the world and market its services through the Hamburg Süd, CCNI (based in Chile) and Aliança (based in Brazil) brands.
In 2015, Hamburg Süd had a turnover of USD 6,726 million of which USD 6,261 million stems from its container line activities.
“Hamburg Süd is a very well-run and highly respected company with strong brands, dedicated employees and loyal customers. Hamburg Süd complements Maersk Line and together we can offer our customers the best of two worlds, first of all in the North - South trades,” pointed out Søren Skou, CEO of Maersk Line and the Maersk Group.
For his part, Dr. Ottmar Gast, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Hamburg Süd Group stressed that while gaining access to a superior network and systems, they will continue the Hamburg Süd brand and business model offering personalized solutions to their shippers and consignees.
“By joining forces both Maersk and Hamburg Süd will strengthen their product portfolio and cost position to the benefit of their customers,” Gast stated.
Referring to the purchase agreement, Dr. August Oetker, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the management holding company of the Oetker Group expressed his trust that they have chosen the best of all possible partners and that Maersk will preserve and grow Hamburg Süd and what the brand and the whole organization and a highly dedicated workforce stand for: reliable and high quality logistical services to customers.
Maersk’s executives informed that Hamburg Süd and Aliança will continue as separate brands and continue to serve customers through their local offices.
“Hamburg Süd and Aliança have competitive and attractive customer value propositions, which we want to preserve and protect. We wish to maintain the personal touch and engagement they offer their customers,” Søren Skou said.
In the combined network, Hamburg Süd and Maersk Line’s customers will have access to the dedicated end-to-end services provided by Hamburg Süd in the North – South trades as well as the flexibility and reach provided in Maersk Line’s global network.
Furthermore, the combined network will enable Maersk Line to develop new products with more direct port calls and shorter transit times.
“Our combined network will provide exciting opportunities to develop new products and exploit operational synergies. Hamburg Süd and Maersk Line customers will benefit from more choice and better products,” concluded Søren Skou.
With the acquisition, Maersk Line will have container capacity of around 3.8 million TEU (3.1 million TEU) and an 18.6 per cent (15.7 per cent) global capacity share. The combined fleet will consist of 741 container vessels.
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