Hapag-Lloyd is to merge with UASC. The news follows the Dubai-headquartered carrier being excluded from the new Ocean Alliance announced yesterday.
The merger was first reported online by German monthly business magazine Manager Magazin yesterday, saying “secret negotiations between the two sides are close to a conclusion”.
Hapag-Lloyd has a fleet capacity of around 920,000 teu, ranking it the sixth-largest global carrier, while UASC operates approximately 550,000 teu, ranking it tenth. Their combined fleet will propel the new entity fifth in the rankings, just behind Cosco.