German carrier Hapag-Lloyd has further strengthened its foothold in the African market having struck a deal to acquire the container liner business of Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL) for an undisclosed sum.
The Africa-focused DAL, with a history dating back to 1890, is an established liner operating four services between Europe, South Africa and the Indian Ocean. Part of Rentzau Group, its liner business, with offices in Germany and South Africa, as well as agencies in 47 countries, employs more than 150 people. The acquisition also includes a 6,589 teu containership and around 17,800 boxes.
“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,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd.
Last year, Hapag-Lloyd acquired Africa-specialised carrier NileDutch, which significantly strengthened the carrier’s presence and service offering to and from West Africa.
