According to the German publication Manager Magazin, citing anonymous sources, Gianluigi Aponte – owner of the world’s largest container shipping line, MSC – is attempting to bypass the consolidated stance of Hapag-Lloyd’s shareholders and acquire the stake of one of the existing investors. He is exploring deal possibilities despite the previously agreed-upon opposition from key stakeholders within the company’s ownership structure.
Currently, the German container shipping company’s ownership structure includes 30% stakes held by Klaus-Michael Kühne and the Chilean shipping company CSAV, respectively, along with a combined 22.5% held by investors from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Hapag-Lloyd’s interests are safeguarded by an agreement between Kühne and CSAV that obliges them to act in concert and retain their respective stakes; while the agreement was originally set to expire in 2026, it was extended to 2030 in late 2024.
Sources indicate that Aponte may be banking on a potential shift in CSAV’s position following the recent replacement of its representative on Hapag-Lloyd’s supervisory board – the first such change in 12 years. MSC previously finalized a deal in late 2024 to acquire a 49% stake in the Hamburg-based terminal operator HHLA; that move was part of the company’s broader strategy and sparked intense political debate in Germany.
