Hapag-Lloyd is continuing its expansion in Africa acquiring German carrier Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL).
The two Hamburg-headquartered companies have signed an agreement under which Hapag-Lloyd will acquire the container liner business of DAL.
DAL operates with four liner services between Europe, South Africa and the Indian Ocean and has office in Germany and South Africa as well as through third-party agents in 47 countries worldwide.
DAL owns a 6,589-teu container ship and operates a container fleet of around 17,800 boxes, which will be taken over as part of the acquisition.
“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,” sais Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd.
“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,”
Africa has been an area of focus for expansion for Hapag-Lloyd and last year it acquired Africa-specialised carrier NileDutch, which significantly strengthened the carrier’s presence and service offering to and from West Africa.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Hapag Lloyd also opened new offices in Kenya, Morocco and Senegal in 2021 and set-up of a Quality Service Centre in Mauritius in 2020.
Source: Seatrade Maritime News
