Hapag-Lloyd AG celebrates 175th anniversary

The company initially focused on transporting mail and passengers especially emigrants to North America. Cargo played a secondary role at first. Albert Ballin, Director-General (1857-1918), hit on the idea for the cruise and led the emigration business in Hamburg to great heights. The company has always stayed the course despite the loss of virtually all of its ships in both world wars. Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG, remarked: "Our anniversary fills us with great pride. As with many long-established companies, our history has also been characterised by constant change and innovation. Hapag, which initially sailed the Atlantic with just a single sailing ship beginning in 1848, has today become a renowned and internationally active logistics company serving almost all of the world’s major ports.”

The company is commemorating its 175th anniversary with all kinds of activities including a conference, a party for employees in Hamburg, and a congress this year. “Hapag-Lloyd has every reason to celebrate – but also to be grateful,” Habben Jansen added. “Thanks are due to our more than 14,000 employees around the world, our customers, our shareholders and everyone who has played a part in helping Hapag-Lloyd to stay on course and to successfully weather even the most difficult times over the past 175 years.” And the company is faring well, as reflected by figures for Q1 of 2022. Hapag-Lloyd closed this year's first quarter with EBITDA of USD 5.3 billion (EUR 4.7 billion) while EBIT grew to USD 4.8 billion (EUR 4.3 billion) and net profit rose to USD 4.7 billion (EUR 4.2 billion).

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