Nov 4, 2026

Hapag-Lloyd marks 20 years in South Africa and targets further growth

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  • South Africa has become a cornerstone of Hapag-Lloyd's business in Africa
  • Hapag-Lloyd surpasses 1 million TEU in Africa for the first time in its history
  • Target of 1.7 million TEU in Africa by 2030

Hapag-Lloyd is marking 20 years of operations in South Africa, one of its most established markets on the African continent. The anniversary comes as the company continues to expand its business across Africa, where transport volumes have surpassed 1 million TEU for the first time in 2026. Hapag-Lloyd currently serves 27 African countries and aims to increase its annual transport volume on the continent to 1.7 million TEU by 2030.

Since opening its first dedicated office in South Africa in 2006, Hapag-Lloyd has steadily expanded its local business. Today, 52 employees support customers across a wide range of industries. The acquisition of the container liner business of Deutsche Afrika-Linien (DAL) in 2022 further strengthened the company's connections between South Africa, Europe and the Indian Ocean.

"Over the past 20 years, we have built strong relationships with our customers and partners in South Africa. Their trust, together with the commitment and expertise of our local teams, has been essential to our development," said Rogelio Busto, Managing Director South & East Africa at Hapag-Lloyd. "We want to continue building on these relationships and providing the reliable services our customers need to grow their businesses."

South Africa is a cornerstone of Hapag-Lloyd’s business in Africa and provides a strong foundation for further growth across the continent. The acquisition of NileDutch in 2021 strengthened the company’s position in West Africa. To reflect Africa’s growing strategic importance and accelerate business development across the continent, Hapag-Lloyd established a dedicated Sub-Region Africa in 2024. More recently, the company expanded its cooperation with DP World to secure long-term terminal capacity in Dakar, Luanda and Dar es Salaam and support infrastructure development in Banana and Maputo.

"Africa is one of our key growth markets, with significant long-term potential. Our priority is to expand our network and capacity in line with customer demand, while maintaining a strong focus on quality and reliability," said Jesper Kanstrup, Managing Director Sub-Region Africa at Hapag-Lloyd. "The experience we have gained in South Africa will be valuable as we develop our business in other African markets."

To mark its 20th anniversary in South Africa, Hapag-Lloyd is organizing events for customers, partners and employees in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, alongside a series of employee stories highlighting the people who have contributed to the company's development in the country.