Hapag-Lloyd and German carrier Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL) today signed a framework agreement under which Hapag-Lloyd will acquire the container liner business of DAL, according to the company’s release.

With a history dating back to the year 1890, DAL is an established liner shipping company for the transportation of containerized cargo and operates with four liner services between Europe, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean. Headquartered in Hamburg, the Africa expert is represented with own offices in Germany and South Africa as well as through third-party agents in 47 countries worldwide. Their liner business (including agencies) employs more than 150 people. DAL owns a 6,589 TEU container ship and operates a container fleet of around 17,800 boxes (owned and leased), which will be taken over as part of the acquisition.

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 Center (QSC) in Mauritius in 2020.

The completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the responsible antitrust authorities.

About Hapag-Lloyd

With a fleet of 253 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 1.8 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. The Company has around 14,100 employees and 421 offices in 137 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of approximately 3.1 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 126 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. Hapag-Lloyd is one of the leading operators in the Transatlantic, Middle East, Latin America and Intra-America trades.