Hapag-Lloyd Review
Hapag-Lloyd Shipping is one of the largest container shipping companies in the world. Based in Hamburg, Germany, Hapag has been in the shipping business for close to 185 years, making it one of the oldest continuously operating shipping companies in the industry. The company currently offers 80 line services across all continents. On average, Hapag-Lloyd transports about five million reefer containers annually between ports in almost all major cities across the globe.
Jointly-Owned Business
Hapag-Lloyd is a jointly-owned business. One of its owners is TUI AG, a leading tourism group in Europe, which holds a 38 percent stake in Hapag. The other owner is the Albert Ballin consortium, a group comprising of the City of Hamburg, Signal Iduna, Kuhne Holding and three other financial institutions. Together, the consortium holds a 62 percent stake in the shipping giant. Last year, Hapag employed about 6,900 people across 300 locations in over 110 countries around the world.
Global Fleet
Hapag-Lloyd currently operates a fleet of nearly 150 container ships and has a total shipping capacity of nearly 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TUE) containers. About 18 of its ships are equipped to carry more than 8,000 TEU containers, nearly 10 have capacities ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 containers, while nearly two dozen have capacities ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 TEU containers. All of Hapag’s ships are equipped to transport a wide variety of cargoes, including bulk, break bulk, project, heavy machinery, oversized, and dangerous cargo. The company maintains a container stock of close to one million TEU at any given time to handle extra loads, if needed.
Hapag’s US Operations
The US arm of Hapag-Lloyd is a major transportation provider for the United States government. Hapag-Lloyd USA LLC operates out of Miami, Florida and provides the government with general container shipping services, break bulk and project cargo shipping, and temperature-controlled cargo shipping services. The company is a partner in the US Department of Homeland Security’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) initiative.
Technology Investments
Hapag Lloyd Shipping has invested heavily in information technology over the past few years, and currently operates one of the most sophisticated IT infrastructures in the shipping industry. The company’s online business group operates a full-featured e-commerce portal that allows customers to conduct their entire shipping transaction online. Registered users can use the portal to book and pay for their shipping berths, schedule pickup and delivery, and track the movement of their goods from origin to destination. The portal also provides detailed tariff information as well as detention and demurrage costs in ports around the world. Customers can use the portal to access, download and submit electronic advanced shipping instructions, customs forms and a bill of lading. Hapag-Lloyd Shipping also offers customers a service to help them fill out customs and inspection forms, and guides them through the process of getting import clearance for their goods.