Hapag-Lloyd and niche continent carrier, Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL), have signed a framework agreement whereby the former will acquire DAL.
Established in 1890 and headquartered in Hamburg, DAL runs containerised cargo using four liner services between Europe, South Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Through third-party representation it has agents in 47 countries, employs more than 150 people, owns 6 589 TEU containers and operates a container fleet of about 17 800 – all of which will now be taken over as part of the acquisition, a statement said.
“Africa remains an important strategic growth market,” said Hapag-Lloyd CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen.
“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.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming the DAL colleagues. With their broad experience and market knowledge, they will significantly support us to further grow in Africa,” he said.
“Only last year, Hapag-Lloyd had acquired Africa-specialised carrier NileDutch, which significantly strengthened the carrier's presence and service offering to and from West Africa. This growth-oriented strategy was also underlined by new office openings in Kenya, Morocco and Senegal in 2021 and the establishment of a Quality Service Centre in Mauritius in 2020.”
The completion of Hapag-Lloyd’s buy-out of DAL is still subject to the approval of the relevant antitrust authorities.
