Hamburg, December 1, 2017. With yesterday’s closing, the Hamburg Süd Group is now part of the Danish company Maersk Line and thus a subsidiary of the world’s market leader in container shipping. “Under this new umbrella, we can strengthen Hamburg Süd’s position worldwide in a challenging market environment, improve our market position, and offer our customers many advantages,” said Dr. Arnt Vespermann, new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hamburg Süd.
Dr. Arnt Vespermann has been with Hamburg Süd for 18 years and a member of the Executive Board since 2009. As announced, with the closing he superseded as CEO the long-standing previous Chairman of the Executive Board, Dr. Ottmar Gast, who will continue to be closely associated with the company in the future as Chairman of the Advisory Board which will also consist of Søren Toft, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer A.P. Moller – Maersk and Executive Board Member of A.P. Moller – Maersk. Other members of Hamburg Süd’s Executive Board going forward are Frank Smet as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), who has been a member of the Executive Board since 2012, and Jakob Wegge-Larsen as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Hamburg Süd remains a commercially independent company with its own Sales and Marketing, Customer Service, and auxiliary departments such as IT, Human Resources, and Finance and Accounting. “Our customers will continue to be very clearly front and center for us in the future, too. For them, there will be no change in the product they are accustomed to receiving from us. The success of Hamburg Süd in its almost 150-year history is based on the great experience and expertise of our employees, our deep understanding of the markets and the needs of our customers, as well as the high product quality we deliver to them,” said Dr. Arnt Vespermann. “We are now offering our customers one of the industry’s most comprehensive, global liner networks, coupled with Hamburg Süd’s well-known quality service.” This makes Hamburg Süd one of the most competitive providers in its sector and positions it superbly for the future.
The product range of the Brazilian Aliança, with its focus on the cabotage trade, will continue unchanged, and the subsidiaries operating in the tramp sector – Rudolf A. Oetker (RAO), Aliança Bulk (Aliabulk), and Furness Withy Chartering – as well as the Hamburg Süd Travel Agency, will also carry on their business activities as before.
Precisely one year ago, Hamburg Süd’s previous owner, Dr. August Oetker KG, announced its intention to pull out of shipping and sell Hamburg Süd to Maersk. Following approval by the responsible competition authorities, it was possible to finalize the sale yesterday with the closing.
On Wednesday, November 29th, at the christening of the latest Hamburg Süd ship “Polar Costa Rica” in Shanghai, Dr. h. c. August Oetker, Chairman of the Advisory Board and stockholder of Dr. August Oetker KG, symbolically handed over Hamburg Süd to the sponsor, Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla, Chairwoman of the A.P. Moller Foundation and Vice Chairwoman of A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S.