2023-09-14 13:57:30
Archive photo from 2021: The container ship “MSC Irene” is handled at the Burchardkai Container Terminal in the Port of Hamburg. The shipping company MSC wants to join the Hamburg port logistics company HHLA. Image: dpa
After Hamburg announced on Wednesday that the container shipping company MSC would join the Hamburg port logistics company HHLA, billionaire Kühne made a counteroffer. The city of Hamburg has a clear answer to this.
Hamburg has rejected the proposal to sell the city’s majority stake in the port operator HHLA to the logistics entrepreneur Klaus-Michael Kühne. “The Senate did not start an auction, but yesterday presented a strategic partnership that aims to strengthen the port location and the company,” the economic authority said on Thursday in response to a request from the Reuters news agency. “We are aware of Mr. Kühne’s declaration that he wants to take over a majority of the city’s shares,” explained an authority spokesman. However, there is no formal offer.
Only around 30 percent of HHLA shares are currently available on the capital market. The rest is owned by the city, the authority emphasized. “It is therefore unclear what the aim of Mr. Kühne’s new announcement is.”
Hamburg announced on Wednesday that container shipping company MSC would join the Hanseatic city’s largest terminal operator. To this end, the industry leader is to acquire almost half of the shares in Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). The Hanseatic city is reducing its share from almost 70 percent to 50.1 percent.
A comment from Christian Müßgens, Hamburg Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 13 Johannes Ritter Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 34 Christian Müßgens and Johannes Ritter Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 32
Kühne then announced that he was considering a counteroffer for HHLA. However, his holding company would prefer if an agreement could be reached with the city of Hamburg about privatization. Be it through Kühne Holding or the container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, in which the billionaire holds 30 percent. The MSC offer had made tempers boil in Hamburg. Hapag-Lloyd was surprised by the new competition in its home port and is considering the consequences.
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