Q: Why are you particularly interested in the Israeli shipping company ZIM, and how are the negotiations progressing? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: “There are not many shipping companies left that have the necessary scale and could therefore take us a significant step forward. ZIM is also quite similar to us and is well managed. This would bring us another step closer to the global top four in our industry. The synergies would generate annual savings of up to half a billion euros. As expected, the negotiations are complex and highly detailed.”

Q: What improvements have Hapag-Lloyd and FIMI made to the initial proposal to acquire ZIM? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: "The substantially improved proposal gives Israel materially more maritime independence and addresses all its national security needs, which is critical as we were reminded again the past three years. By adding a route to Asia, investing in Israeli maritime personnel, keeping Israel's shipping expertise in the country, and providing ZIM Israel with a new modern fleet, we are enhancing Israel's shipping capabilities very significantly. I am genuinely convinced that the proposal we are presenting offers real solutions to the issues faced by the Israeli State and boosts Israel´s maritime capabilities and is a reflection of the longstanding relationship of Israel and Germany."

Q: Why does the company still believe the transaction makes strategic sense?
A: "The business combination of Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM would secure Hapag-Lloyd’s market position as the fifth-largest container shipping company worldwide with a modern fleet of over 400 vessels, a standing capacity of over 3 million TEU, and an annual transport volume of more than 18 million TEU."

Q: How is Hapag-Lloyd currently managing its services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal?
A: “We continuously assess the security situation for every single voayge together with specialized maritime-security advisers, relevant authorities and our partners. Our gradual return to the Red Sea is underway while we will not compromise on the safety of our seafarers . At present, eight Gemini services – SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4, SE5, NE4, IEX and IOS – are routed through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. We will continue to monitor developments closely and adjust the network if circumstances change. We will inform affected customers in case of further relevant changes.”

Q: How has Hapag-Lloyd maintained supply chains in the region? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: “We offer customers alternative routings. We have set up a number of land bridges to countries in the Upper Gulf, and that is working well. It causes quite a lot of additional cost, but we are able to keep those supply chains going.”

Q: How do you look at the geopolitical environment? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: “Crises have become the new normal for the global economy. It began with the coronavirus pandemic and the supply chains that were disrupted at the time. Then came the blockage of the Suez Canal, Russia’s war in Ukraine and now the conflict in the Middle East. Even low water levels in the Panama Canal and the Amazon region pose a problem for commercial shipping. The prolonged typhoon season in Asia, for example, is currently causing long waiting times in Shanghai. Tariffs have also become almost impossible to predict. The number of disruptions worldwide is therefore particularly high at present.”

Q: How do you assess the current balance between supply and demand? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: “Despite a large order book, we do not see a big imbalance between supply and demand today. It is actually fairly tight, which explains why short-term rates are up so much.”

Q: How is strong growth on dominant trades affecting equipment and capacity needs? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: “The imbalance is getting worse. That means the cost of empty boxes is going up. With overall growth of something like 15% over the three-year period, we still need 25% more capacity because that is driven by the dominant legs. It also makes the business relatively more asset-intensive because we need to grow the fleet faster than the overall flow of goods.”

Q: Does Hapag-Lloyd feel pressure to match competitors’ order books? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “We do not necessarily feel that pressure. Our philosophy is that we want to grow with the market, or sometimes slightly faster. That means we should not add capacity at a rate much beyond 4%, 5% or 6% per year, which is also what we have planned for the coming years.”

Q: Why is Hapag-Lloyd taking a measured approach to capacity growth? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “It is critical that you turn and use the assets quickly. Otherwise, you end up with a huge balance sheet and it becomes very difficult to make a return on capital, particularly when markets normalise. The imbalance between supply and demand will certainly be smaller over the next three years, perhaps not so much in 2027, but certainly in 2028 and 2029.”

Q: Could older vessels help balance future overcapacity? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “If you look at ships beyond 25 years of age, I believe that represents close to 4 million TEU of capacity by 2030, with the figure climbing rapidly after that. Scrapping is definitely going to increase, potentially back to 4% or 4.5%. Whether that happens in two, three or five years is very difficult to predict and will depend on how the market develops.”

Q: Why have trade barriers not reduced container volumes? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “Trade will always be there, but it has become more complicated. For us, that can mean more growth rather than less transport. Components may be sent to another country for assembly before the finished products are exported to the United States, creating additional container movements. There is also further potential from markets such as Africa, India and Latin America, where containerisation and volume growth still have room to develop.”

Q: Can ports keep pace with continued volume growth? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “Demand growth being stronger than many anticipated is a challenge for ships, but it is an even bigger challenge for ports. They need to expand capacity much faster than originally expected, which creates bottlenecks and vulnerabilities. We are clearly reaching the limits of what can be done.”

Q: Why is Terminal & Infrastructure becoming increasingly important to Hapag-Lloyd’s strategy? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: "We look for terminal investments in locations that are important for the shipping company and where an investment also makes economic sense. We aim to find opportunities where we believe we can achieve a reasonable return and that are also good for the shipping business. Terminal valuations have risen sharply in recent years, and capacity is currently scarce, particularly in Asia."

Q: How will the new investment in Rotterdam strengthen Hapag-Lloyd’s operations? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: "Rotterdam is an importantport in Europe where we handle several million containers each year. It is therefore important for us to have guaranteed access to capacity there. We are already working with Maersk in Gemini, and this is a high-performing terminal that is being expanded. From a forward-looking perspective, the investment is alogical decision."

Q: What role will Damietta play in the Gemini network? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen)
A: Damietta became operational later than originally planned, but current performance at the port is good. We also have a reasonable plan to ramp up volumes, particularly from the fourth quarter and the beginning of next year. The long-term outlook for Damietta is very good.

Q: What is planned for the Eurogate terminal in Hamburg?
A: "Hanseatic Global Terminals plans to acquire a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg, which currently has an annual capacity of 2.5 million TEU. The planned western extension and further automation are expected to increase capacity and improve cargo-handling efficiency at one of Hapag-Lloyd’s most important port locations."

Q: How will the new terminal in Aracruz support Hapag-Lloyd’s growth in Brazil?
A: "The acquisition of a 50% stake in the greenfield terminal project in Aracruz will add approximately 1.2 million TEU of future annual capacity to the portfolio. Designed to accommodate the latest generation of large vessels, the terminal will strengthen regional connectivity and provide an efficient new gateway to global markets. Operations are expected to begin in mid-2028."

Q: What do these investments mean for customers and global trade?
A: "These investmens mark important steps in strengthening our global terminal portfolio. Together with our partners, we aim to support the continued development of efficient, future-ready terminal infrastructure that benefits our customers, ports and global trade."

Q: Could nuclear power become an option for container ships? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “Nuclear is not for today, but I think that in the second half of the next decade, or somewhere around 2040, it could become a real alternative, especially for larger ships. It will probably take more than ten years before it is commercially available. We must be able to do it safely, but before deciding that it is not an option, we should carry out the research and establish whether it can be one.”

Q: Can container ships become larger than 24,000 TEU? (Statement by our CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen in his latest podcast episode)
A: “Theoretically, everything is possible. Right now, we are sticking to 400 metres, which means ships could still become a little higher or broader. I would not rule out slightly larger ships in five or ten years, but the incremental benefits of going bigger have come down considerably.”

Q: Why do you see significant growth potential in Africa? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “Africa is certainly going to grow quickly, although we can debate how quickly. Look at how many people live on the continent, how much wealth creation there will be over the coming decades and how low the share of goods transported in containers still is. I see Africa as the single biggest opportunity over the next couple of decades.”

Q: Is the existing infrastructure sufficient to support this growth? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “A lot of investment is still required in virtually every country. Much has been done in recent years, and we are seeing more terminal projects, but it is definitely not enough. With infrastructure beyond the ports still immature in some places, moving goods into and out of Africa will remain more challenging than in Europe, the United States or China.”

Q: Is Hapag-Lloyd prepared to invest in African infrastructure, and what operational constraints need to be addressed? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: We have to invest in the projects that come up. Africa needs a lot of investment, not only from us but from many companies in the industry. Although a fair amount has been done in recent years, waiting times, congestion, limited productivity and yard congestion remain constraints. Keeping pace with annual market growth of 5%, 10% or 15% is already difficult in China and even more difficult in Africa. That will probably not change materially over the next five to ten years.

Q: Is Africa primarily an import market? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “Today, it is mainly an import market, and the imbalance is significant. The number of commodities being exported is still relatively limited. In many countries, exports are mainly commodities and are often seasonal. That imbalance is not abnormal, however, and we have seen it in many other markets.”

Q: Where does most of Africa’s imported cargo originate? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “A significant share of the cargo entering Africa still comes from Asia, and another significant share comes from Europe. India and the Middle East also play an important role, particularly on the east coast. Much less comes from Latin America and almost nothing from North America.”

Q: Which African regions offer the greatest growth potential? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “Looking at the past few years and the coming three to five years, West Africa will most likely continue to grow the fastest, clearly faster than South Africa. East Africa is less developed at this point, but it also has considerable potential over time because it is growing from a lower base. Demographics will also be important: the countries with the largest populations will need the most goods, so that is where the growth and the absolute size of the market will be greatest.”

Q: Why is a local presence important in African markets? (Statement by our CEO Rolf Habben Jansen in episode 4 of his podcast)
A: “Africa is a complicated market made up of many countries that are very different from one another. Because of the logistical complexity, you need to have boots on the ground. We have expanded our office footprint quite aggressively in recent years and will continue to do so, because that is the only way to serve the continent properly. The NileDutch and Deutsche Afrika-Linien acquisitions have helped us in that respect.”