Hapag-Lloyd is a dominant player in the global liner ocean shipping market, ranking among the top five largest container shipping companies in the world. Based in Germany, the company that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020 boasts north of 264 ocean vessels transporting more than 11.8 million TEU annually.

With a shipping superpower that large, customers need to make sure their shipment processes include Hapag-Lloyd container tracking. Even in the best supply chain scenarios, shipments may be delayed – and everyone in the industry knows the current market, full of supply chain disruptions, is not an ideal scenario. Shippers need to work with a third-party technology provider to ensure real-time Hapag-Lloyd container line tracking so potential logistics issues can be addressed as soon as possible or even avoided altogether. Pinpoint, reliable, and accurate container tracking technology should be part of any modern supply chain management organization, no matter the carrier.  

Hapag-Lloyd’s Rich Container Shipping History

Hapag-Lloyd began its quest to become Germany’s largest ocean carrier and a global shipping giant when Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft merged with Norddeutscher Lloyd. From there, the company focused on deep-sea liner shipping instead of diversifying into other logistics services.

The Foundation of a Global Shipping Giant

Hapag-Llyod’s origins go back to 1847, when a group of German shipowners and merchants got together to help Germans immigrate to the United States. Norddeutscher Lloyd came along a decade later, fueled by increased demand for transcontinental voyages. A little more than 20 years later, Hapag purchased the Alder Line, a company deeply involved in transatlantic trade, and Hapag began its evolution into a cargo carrier. Passenger shipping didn’t go away entirely for either carrier, with the duo serving as “the world cruise leaders” in 1914. Postwar reconstruction and the containerization revolution in the 1970s shaped the future outlook for a combined Hapag-Lloyd.

Hapag-Lloyd Grows Through Mergers, Alliances

Over the years, Hapag-Lloyd integrated smaller companies like Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV), CP Ships Limited (in a deal through Hapag’s parent company, TUI), and the United Arab Shipping Company, aiming to stay ahead of the evolving ocean transportation market. That deal with USAC in 2016, made Hapag-Lloyd one of the five biggest shipping companies in the world.  

From the first merger of Hapag and NDL, the company has not shied away from strategic expansion and partnership opportunities. While some of these pursuits, such as a planned 2013 merger between Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Sud that was ultimately rejected by Hapag’s executives, have been ultimately unsuccessful, they still showcase the ocean carrier’s determination to keep evolving.

The company recently agreed to an alliance with Maersk, the second-largest ocean shipping company in the world. Starting in 2025, the two-company alliance replaces Maersk’s involvement with the 2M Alliance as Hapag-Lloyd leaves THE Alliance. With the companies helping each other out, shipping transit times are expected to improve, among other customer benefits.  

Hapag-Lloyd's Services and Specialties

The ocean carrier is focused on maintaining a 10-percent market share on its key trade lanes, while operating profitably with best-in-class customer service. The company’s stated goal is to be “the benchmark of the container shipping industry.”

The modern Hapag-Lloyd container shipping fleet consists of more than 260 vessels optimized for the efficient transportation of containerized cargo. These ships can transport 20-foot and 40-foot general-purpose and high-cube containers.

Strategies for Effective Container Tracking with Hapag-Lloyd

Shippers can leverage Hapag-Lloyd's tracking systems (like real-time data on freight location) for efficient logistics management, but Hapag’s services aren’t limited to shipping containers from Point A to Point B.

Beyond Tracking – Maximizing Supply Chain Efficiency

Excellent Hapag-Lloyd container tracking isn’t the only benefit of working with the German ocean cargo carrier. The operator has a commitment to supply chain sustainability, pledging to help push for logistics decarbonization industry-wide. For its part, that means reaching net-zero emissions by 2045.

To help shippers reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their shipping processes, Hapag-Lloyd teamed up with Blume Global to cut empty miles from its customers’ supply chains by reducing the return of empty containers to the ports. By finding excess cargo for Hapag-Lloyd containers that have been shipped full into the interior of the country, Blume Global is filling up containers that would otherwise be empty. Filling a “container full of air” with cargo ultimately reduces shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions impact.

Hapag-Lloyd Container Tracking is Just the Beginning

Vizion API provides Hapag-Lloyd container tracking services but also covers other major providers, empowering shippers with the robust visibility data needed to bring resilience to their supply chains. Shippers use Vizion data to track containers, monitor carrier performance, and create detailed logistics plans.

See how Vizion’s robust software solution can revolutionize your logistics operations.

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