Genoa, 9 October 2019 - The Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth largest global liner shipping company worldwide, with a fleet of 237 container vessels, a network of 120 liner services calling over 600 ports and approximately 13,000 employees, has chosen Genoa as headquarters for its new Region South Europe. The Mediterranean region has been indicated as a strategic area in the carrier's business plan to 2023, with figures released by the shipping line highlighting the potential for further growth in selected attractive markets. Hapag-Lloyd currently has a 10% market share in the Mediterranean, with the objective of capitalising further upon the opportunities offered by the increase in trade forecast in the Med.
The Senior Managing Director of the new South Europe headquarters, Juan Pablo Richards, indicated that the determining factors behind Genoa's new designation can be attributed to Hapag-Lloyd's long-term and successful relationship with the city, which since 1997 accommodates a head office with over 300 highly-experienced employees, and to the Ligurian capital's status as an excellent source of today's young talent and tomorrow's industry experts, thanks to a distinguished university and a first-rate cluster of other maritime-related institutes. Mr Richards announced that the new Region South Europe organisation is set to create new job opportunities.
During the presentation hosted at the historic headquarters of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, Palazzo San Giorgio, the Port President, Paolo Emilio Signorini, declared: "This is excellent news, which confirms the growing commitment of leading shipping companies to consolidate their position in the City and Port of Genoa. It is important to note that international corporations, such as PSA, APM Terminals and Cosco, have already assumed direct roles in the operation of terminals in the Ports of Genoa and Savona." In addition, Mr Signorini pointed to the "over 1-billion infrastructure investment programme currently underway for the construction of the new Genoa bridge and the new port breakwater, and in the last mile road and rail access and digital innovation."
