Hapag Lloyd tracking

Container maritime transport from Hamburg

Hapag Lloyd is a container shipping company based in Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the world's leading shipping companies, ranking fifth in 2023 by the capacity of its container ship fleet. Founded in 1970 by the merger of two historic companies (Hamburg-Amerika Linie (HAPAG) and Norddeutscher Lloyd: it has a rich history dating back to the mid-19th century.

The company operates approximately 300 container ships, with a total capacity of around 2.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). It transports more than 11 million TEU of goods worldwide each year. Its network covers more than 600 ports across 140 countries. Hapag Lloyd specializes in the transportation of refrigerated cargo (reefer containers), dangerous goods, and special oversized cargo.

History

The origins of Hapag Lloyd date back to the 19th century. Hamburg-Amerika Linie (known as Hapag) was founded in 1847 in Hamburg, initially for passenger transport between Europe and the Americas. Meanwhile, Norddeutscher Lloyd was established in 1857 in Bremen with a similar goal of transatlantic connections.

At the turn of the 20th century, these two German shipping companies experienced significant expansion and played a key role in emigration to the New World as well as in transoceanic trade. They operated large transatlantic liners carrying thousands of passengers between Europe and North America. However, the two world wars resulted in heavy losses for Hapag and Lloyd, with much of their fleets requisitioned or destroyed.

Faced with the evolution of maritime transport after 1945, particularly the advent of containerization, Hapag and Norddeutscher Lloyd began to align their operations. They jointly launched their first regular container shipping line in 1968, before fully merging on September 1, 1970, to form Hapag Lloyd AG. This merger allowed the new entity to better adapt to a changing market and remain competitive against emerging international competitors.

In the following decades, Hapag Lloyd continued its expansion through mergers and acquisitions. In 1998, the company was acquired by the tourism group TUI AG. Meanwhile, its passenger transport activities (charter airline Hapag Lloyd Flug and cruises) were gradually transferred to TUI in the 2000s, while the company refocused on maritime freight. Hapag Lloyd became primarily owned by maritime investors again from 2009. In 2005, Hapag Lloyd acquired Canadian shipping company CP Ships, expanding its presence in North America and ranking among the top five global carriers. In 2014, it merged with the container division of Chilean company CSAV, and in 2017 with Gulf-based United Arab Shipping Company (UASC). These operations consolidated Hapag Lloyd's position in the global top 5 of the sector.

Recently, Hapag Lloyd has also invested in the port terminal sector. In 2023, it acquired Latin American terminal operator SM SAAM and created a dedicated entity named Hanseatic Global Terminals in 2024 to manage its port holdings. This diversification marks Hapag Lloyd's evolution from a pure shipping carrier to a provider of integrated logistics services including infrastructure. The strong post-pandemic demand for maritime transport led to an exceptional increase in freight rates, allowing Hapag Lloyd to record record profits in 2021. The group reinvested part of these gains in expanding its fleet and developing its port infrastructure.

Fleet

Hapag Lloyd's fleet consists exclusively of container ships of various sizes. In 2025, it has 313 ships, with a significant proportion of recent large-capacity container ships (over 10,000 TEU). About 100 of these ships exceed 10,000 TEU capacity, around forty have between 8,000 and 10,000 TEU, and the rest are medium to small-sized ships (between 2,000 and 8,000 TEU) suitable for secondary routes. The company's largest ships approach 23,500 TEU in unit capacity, placing them among the largest in service worldwide. Between 2023 and 2024, Hapag Lloyd commissioned twelve giant dual-fuel (oil and liquefied natural gas) container ships with a capacity of 23,600 TEU each, improving the efficiency and carbon footprint of its fleet. The total transport capacity amounts to approximately 2.5 million TEU.

Hapag Lloyd is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its maritime operations. It was among the first companies to convert an existing ship to LNG propulsion (the Brussels Express in 2020, ex-Sajir) to reduce pollutant emissions. The company is also conducting trials of biofuels and other energy efficiency measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per container transported. Additionally, Hapag Lloyd has a fleet of approximately 3.7 million TEU containers, including a large number of next-generation refrigerated containers. With this specialized container fleet, it can transport perishable goods under controlled temperature across its global network, ensuring their freshness. The company also ensures the safe transport of dangerous goods in accordance with the IMDG Code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods), with dedicated teams ensuring strict compliance with safety standards.

Activities and Services

The core business of Hapag Lloyd remains container shipping on global regular lines. In addition, the company offers logistics services and digital solutions to provide an integrated transport chain to its customers. Its main business units are as follows:

• Container Transport: This is Hapag Lloyd's main business sector, namely the operation of regular maritime services for a wide range of containerized goods, including dangerous goods transported in compliance with the IMDG Code. The company operates a modern container ship fleet, combining regular online services and chartered ships to connect major global markets.
• Logistics Services: In addition to maritime transport, Hapag Lloyd offers land and intermodal logistics solutions tailored to its customers' needs. This includes inland transportation (by truck or train), door-to-door delivery, warehousing, and other value-added services to ensure the smooth flow of goods throughout the supply chain.
• Digital and Value-Added Services: Aware of the importance of technology to improve efficiency and customer experience, the company develops various digital services. For example, it offers online booking and real-time shipment tracking platforms (via its Online Business Suite portal), as well as transport data analysis to help customers optimize their logistics.

Since 2019, Hapag Lloyd has focused on the digitization of its services. Its Hapag Lloyd LIVE program deploys smart containers equipped with connected sensors, offering customers real-time tracking of the location and condition of their cargo. Shipment tracking relies on the unique identification of containers and transport documents. Each container has a four-letter carrier code followed by seven digits, while each shipment is assigned a booking or bill of lading number. By using these references on Hapag Lloyd's web portal or mobile app, customers can check the status of their shipment at any time and receive notifications at each key stage of transport.

Transit times vary depending on destinations: for example, a transatlantic crossing between Europe and the east coast of the United States takes around ten days, while a sea voyage from Asia to Europe can take four to six weeks. Hapag Lloyd provides its customers with detailed estimates of transport durations for each route and can offer expedited options on certain routes when shorter lead times are required.

Global Network and Alliances

Hapag Lloyd operates globally on all major routes. The company offers approximately 130 regular maritime services connecting more than 600 ports on all continents. It is a member of THE Alliance, a strategic alliance created in 2017 and also including Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming, and HMM. This partnership allows it to share ships with other shipping companies and expand the coverage of its routes. Hapag Lloyd is notably among the leaders on transatlantic routes, between Europe and the Middle East, to Latin America, and on intra-American exchanges. Previously, Hapag Lloyd was part of the Grand Alliance (alongside NYK Line, OOCL, and MOL) from 1998 to 2014, one of the first shipping alliances established in the industry.

Hapag Lloyd's presence is illustrated in several key regions:

• Europe: As a German shipping company, Hapag Lloyd is firmly established in Europe. Its Hamburg headquarters serves as a strategic sorting center for its European and intercontinental lines.
• North America: The company maintains a significant presence in the United States, particularly on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. It serves major ports such as New York, Savannah, or Houston, connecting North America to other continents.
• Asia-Pacific: Hapag Lloyd has a significant footprint in Asia-Pacific. It connects major ports in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, or Australia, facilitating trade between Asia and the rest of the world.
• Latin America: Taking advantage of its transatlantic heritage, the company has a dense network between Europe and Latin America. It connects European ports to South American sorting centers (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, etc.).
• Middle East & Africa: Hapag Lloyd is also present in the Middle East and Africa, with services connecting Europe and Asia to ports such as those in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, or Egypt.

Hapag Lloyd's network coverage extends beyond these regions, with connections to many other global destinations. The company thus constitutes an essential link in international trade, ensuring the constant flow of goods between economies.

Strategy and Commitments

Hapag Lloyd emphasizes service quality and sustainability in its corporate strategy. To improve customer satisfaction, the group has defined nine "Quality Promises" measuring criteria such as port call punctuality, booking reliability, or complaint resolution speed. Regular reports are published to monitor the achievement of these objectives and enhance transparency with customers.

On the environmental front, Hapag Lloyd supports the International Maritime Organization's emission reduction goals. The company aims for a carbon-neutral fleet by 2045 and invests in green technologies (alternative fuels, more energy-efficient ships) to reduce its ecological footprint. Between 2016 and 2019, it already reduced its CO2 emissions per container-kilometer transported by about 17%, and it offers its customers more sustainable shipping solutions (such as the Ship Green option using biofuel) to reduce the climate impact of transport.

Operational safety is also at the heart of the shipping company's commitments. Hapag Lloyd complies with the ISM Code for the safe management of its ship operations and participates in supply chain security programs such as the C-TPAT customs partnership. These measures aim to ensure the integrity of cargo and the protection of crews on all serviced routes.

Organization and Shareholding

Hapag Lloyd AG is a public limited company under German law, with its headquarters in Hamburg. The group has more than 400 offices worldwide and employs nearly 17,000 people in total. The company went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in November 2015, while maintaining a core of stable long-term shareholders.

As of June 30, 2025, two main shareholders each hold 30% of the capital: Chilean company CSAV and German entrepreneur Klaus-Michael Kühne (via his logistics companies). Other major investors are the city of Hamburg (13.9%), Qatar's sovereign wealth fund (12.3%), and Saudi Arabia's public fund (10.2%). The remaining shares (about 3.6%) are floating and traded on the market.

Hapag Lloyd Tracking Statuses