SIMIC

The sale and purchase agreement has Hapag-Lloyd acquiring all shares of the Dutch container shipping company Nile Dutch Investments BV (NileDutch).

"Africa is an important strategic growth market for Hapag-Lloyd," said Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen.

"The acquisition of NileDutch strengthens our position in West Africa and will be an excellent addition to our existing activities on the continent," he said.

With over 40 years of expertise, NileDutch is present in 85 locations across the world and has 16 own offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Singapore, China, Angola, Congo and Cameroon.

With 10 liner services, around 35,000 TEU of transport capacity and a container fleet of around 80,000 TEU, the company connects Europe, Asia and Latin America with West and South Africa.

NileDutch has some 350 employees worldwide with particular expertise in the African market.

Said Mr Habben Jansen: "Our combined customer base will benefit from a denser network from and to Africa as well as from a much higher frequency of sailings.

We welcome the new colleagues from NileDutch and hope that together we can further develop our business in Africa in the years to come," he said.

Said NileDutch president Wim van Aalst: "Hapag-Lloyd and NileDutch are a very good fit and I am happy that we join forces. Combining our business and expertise in West Africa with Hapag-Lloyd¡äs worldwide network will enable us to make the next step and further develop the Africa business."

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