- Hamburg will retain the majority of the company (50.1%). MSC intends to acquire a 49.9% stake.
- MSC guarantees an increased throughput in Hamburg, starting in 2025 in several steps to at least 1,000,000 TEU per year from 2031.
- MSC will establish its German headquarters in Hamburg.
Hamburg and MSC today signed a binding preliminary agreement establishing a strategic partnership with HHLA AG. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg currently holds around 69% of the shares in the listed logistics company, which, among other things, operates container terminals in the port of Hamburg.
MSC will make a tender offer for all currently freely traded shares and today published the announcement of a tender offer at a price of EUR 16.75 per share (a premium of 57% to the 30-day volume weighted average trading price).
In the future, HHLA will be run as a joint venture, with the city's share being 50.1% and MSC's share being up to 49.9%.
As part of the agreement, MSC will significantly expand its goods handling at the HHLA terminals in Hamburg from 2025. From 2031 onwards, MSC will handle a minimum volume of 1,000,000 TEU in Hamburg.
In addition, MSC will relocate its German headquarters with several hundred employees to Hamburg. Hamburg and MSC have further agreed to draw up a long-term investment plan that will be developed together with HHLA.
The aim of the partnership is to create a strong and, in particular, capital base for the future-proof development of HHLA and the entire Port of Hamburg. The Port of Hamburg will thus become an important hub in MSC's global shipping and intermodal network and will expand its position as a leading north-west European trade hub.
HHLA has developed into a European logistics company in recent years. In addition to the terminals in the Port of Hamburg, its activities also include container terminals in Odessa, Talinn and Trieste as well as an extensive network of hinterland connections and rail transport routes of the HHLA subsidiary METRANS. HHLA also has a dense infrastructure of excellently connected intermodal hubs in Central and Eastern Europe.
Source:Port of Hamburg
