With effect from 01JUL24, the terminal and infrastructure activities of the shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, are consolidated in an independent business unit. The name of the company registered in Rotterdam: Hanseatic Global Terminals. “With the company name ‘Hanseatic’, which symbolizes a great tradition, namely that of the historic Hanseatic League, we want to point to the roots of our company,” explains CEO, Dheeraj Bhatia, who is also a member of the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd.
Let’s start with a brief historical review. The Hanseatic League was an association of around 300 port cities in northern Europe. It existed from the 12th to the 17th century and extended from Novgorod (Russia) in the East, via Riga (Latvia), Gdansk (Poland), Lübeck, Hamburg, Cologne (Germany), and Bruges (Belgium) – from where the name ‘stock exchange’ / ‘bourse’ originates – to London (UK) in the West. The aim was joint business and mutual protection. In this sense, the Hanseatic League was a kind of forerunner to today’s EU, in the Baltic and North Sea regions.
Both benefit: Hapag-Lloyd and its customers
Even back then, a well-working port infrastructure was a key prerequisite for the functioning of the maritime economy. This has not changed to this day, even if the current facilities are hardly reminiscent of their 400 or 500-year-old predecessors. “Hanseatic Global Terminals strengthens our commitment to quality, efficiency, and sustainability,” Indian-born Dheeraj Bhatia emphasizes in a press release. And he wraps up: “Our customers and partners will enjoy significant benefits such as even more reliable and efficient services. In addition, the improved controllability supports our sustainability measures.”
As part of its infrastructure strategy, Hapag-Lloyd has successively invested in the terminal sector. The expansion was mainly financed by the exorbitant profits made during the pandemic, when rates for sea and air transportation shot through the roof.
Building a terminal empire
The shipping company’s portfolio currently includes 20 terminals at ports in 11 countries, run and managed by its subsidiary, Hanseatic Global Terminals, says Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO Hapag-Lloyd. This comprises a 49% stake in the Italy-based Spinelli Group, stakes in Wilhelmshaven’s JadeWeserPort Container Terminal, Terminal TC3 of the Moroccan port of Tangier, and Container Terminal Altenwerder in Hamburg. In taking over the terminal business of Chile-based SM SAAM, the shipping company acquired 10 terminals across six North, Central and South American countries, with around 4,000 employees and a combined container throughput of 3.5+ million TEU, in one fell swoop. This is rounded off by a 40% stake in the Indian company, J M Baxi Ports & Logistics Limited, which also makes the shipping company a shareholder in several freight train lines in India. When asked by CargoForwarder Global in a call with journalists last Tuesday (02JUL24), as to whether Hapag-Lloyd now also wants to offer door-to-door transport services to the market by operating trains as done in India, Habben Jansen brushed the question off, stating: “Our core business consists of port-to-port transportation. And we want to keep it that way.”
More terminal investments intended
He pointed out that the terminal business would also benefit the forthcoming Gemini alliance with Moeller-Maersk, as the Maersk fleet calls at a number of ports where subsidiary Hanseatic Global Terminals operates facilities. At the same time, he made it clear that Hapag-Lloyd would continue to invest in port infrastructure. “By 2030, more than 30 terminals will be managed by our new Hanseatic offspring.” He did not name any harbors, but PortMiami could be a candidate due to its outstanding strategic location. In addition, the shipping company is currently building a new terminal in Egypt, which will have a hub function. The aim is to operate a network of terminals along key maritime trade routes at strategically located ports in Europe, the Americas, the Middle and Far East, and Africa. Once accomplished, the Hanseatic name, its business ethics and values will be global in scope.
