The company has suspended operation in the region amid the military operation and the sanctions
The share of Hapag Lloyd business in Ukraine and Russia is inessential for the company accounting for only 2% of the total volume, Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG, said at the media conference dedicated to the company’s 2021 results. Rolf Habben Jansen said the company had suspended its operations in the area of Ukraine and Russia adding that Hapag Lloyd operated on one route in the Black Sea.
Hapag Lloyd is currently looking for storage facilities in the North Europe for goods (food, medical products and equipment) bound for Russia.
“It is hard to forecast now. We have to comply with the sanctions and as long as they are there I do not think that there is an ability to return. When that situation normalizes and hopefully it will happen soon then we will react on that”, he said when answering the question of IAA PortNews correspondent about a possible time of the company’s return to the market of Russia.
Hapag-Lloyd is a leading global liner shipping company. Hapag-Lloyd AG is the fifth largest container carrier in the world in terms of ship capacity. The company was founded in 1970 as a result of the merger of two German companies specializing in maritime transport – Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft, founded in 1847 and Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL), which was founded in 1856.
In late February 2022, Hapag-Lloyd suspended orders for Ukrainian shipments and stopped taking orders for Ukraine cargo and a “temporary booking suspension” for shipments into and out of Russia. Later, the company announced that all cargo en route to port Novorossiysk would be discharged in Istanbul.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Donbass. The USA and other NATO and EU countries expressed disapproval of Russia’s actions. A package of sanctions has been imposed on Russia, its Central Bank, NWF, the Ministry of Finance, state banks and companies. The largest international operators such as Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd and ONE have announced suspension of cargo bookings to/from Russia.
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