News / Selective Gemini integration as Hapag plots course for Zim

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Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen yesterday struck a careful but confident tone on the carrier’s proposed takeover of Zim.

He signalled strategic intent, while keeping operational specifics tightly under wraps. 

The deal, already signed but still subject to regulatory approval, hinges not only on standard competition clearances, but also on Israeli government consent, due to its special state share in Zim.  

Mr Habben Jansen, speaking on the sidelines of TPM in Long Beach yesterday, revealed that Hapag-Lloyd had developed what it believes is a “really good” solution for the ‘golden share’, but acknowledged the process would take time – but he hoped to conclude the transaction “towards the end of 2026”. 

If the regulatory path is complex, the industrial logic appears clearer. Alphaliner analyst Jan Tiedemann, suggested that Zim’s ships were the chief atraction.

“Zim has excellent tonnage – lots of ships which are fairly modern, fairly big, LNG-powered, so-called green ships. Whether LNG is green or not is debatable. They’re very fuel-efficient, so Hapag-Lloyd is keen on that tonnage.

He added that the long-term charter ZIm had been locked into had actually turned out to be “long-shot bets that had worked out”.

He explained: “At the time, these charters were seen as expensive. But in the past five years, shipbuilding prices have exploded, so by today’s standards, if the alternative is ordering new ships now, getting them in three years, financing them, probably these same charters, which they may have committed to, are a bargain.

Mr Habben Jansen repeatedly stressed that “Zim is a really good company”, and that its strengths would not simply be dismantled. “Whenever they have a strength that would make the combined business better, we will try to keep that,” he said. 

A “considerable chunk of the network” would likely be folded into the Gemini Cooperation, strengthening scale and density where appropriate. But he was equally clear that integration would not be blind. The emphasis was on building on what works and avoiding unnecessary disruption – a message aimed as much at customers as competitors. 

That approach extends to market positioning. Asked about perceptions of Zim as a “value” carrier and Hapag-Lloyd as a “quality” operator, Mr Habben Jansen pushed back, saying: “Value and quality is not that far apart.” He pointed to complementary niche products and suggested that greater scale would create opportunities for more differentiation, not less.

The underlying message was clear: retaining Zim’s cargo base will be central to the merger’s success. 

The more delicate issue is Zim’s cooperation with MSC. Mr Habben Jansen declined to speculate on contractual details, noting such arrangements were confidential, but indicated that outcomes would ultimately depend on discussions between the parties. Not all Zim vessels are tied into that cooperation, leaving room for flexibility, and he stressed that relations with MSC remained “constructive”. 

One aside concerned Gold Star Line, Zim’s Asia-focused subsidiary. Mr Habben Jansen described it as “a quite interesting construct” and said Hapag-Lloyd had “some ideas” about how to leverage it – though “not shared here”. That remark hints at potential strategic value in maintaining or repurposing the brand, but no firm direction was disclosed. 

The acquisition will also reshape Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet profile. Zim’s relatively high share of chartered tonnage would increase flexibility, something Mr Habben Jansen framed as an advantage, if markets turned volatile in 2027-29. 

Overall, the tone was measured optimism. The transaction is about scale within Gemini, preserving niches and adding flexibility, rather than sweeping restructuring. But until regulatory approvals are secured and discussions with MSC conclude, much of the operational blueprint will remain behind closed doors.