Hapag-Lloyd has announced the opening of a new office in Nairobi, Kenya with the aim to continue its growth in Africa.
The German shipping company noted that the main business will be managed from the port city of Mombasa, but they will also have an office in the country’s capital. The new office will be headed by country manager Prashant Sindhwani. While 19 staff members will work in Mombasa, six will be based in Nairobi and one in Uganda, according to a statement.
With the opening of the new office in Kenya, Hapag-Lloyd now has five own offices on the continent in South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya. Additionally, the company recently opened its Quality Service Center in Mauritius.
Hapag-Lloyd mainly transports agricultural goods out of Kenya, especially tea, coffee, fruits and textiles, while the imports primarily consist of chemicals, foodstuffs and a wide range of goods made of plastic or rubber.
Via the gateway port of Mombasa, the Hamburg-based line offers two different services, the China Kenya Express Service (CKX), which connects Kenya with some of the most important ports in Asia, such as Singapore and Shanghai, and the East Africa Service (EAS2), which connects the East African country with the west coast of India and Jebel Ali in Dubai.
Hapag-Lloyd also serves landlocked East African countries, such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, with regular inland connections to and from Mombasa. As part of its growth strategy, Hapag-Lloyd said it will endeavour to develop inland connections to Somalia, Southern Ethiopia and Northern Tanzania.
Dheeraj Bhatia, senior managing director in the Middle East at Hapag-Lloyd, described Kenya as the “economic hub of East Africa and the most important growth region on the continent” and he expects that the company will continue its robust growth in Africa by opening the new office in the country.
Rolf Habben Jansen, Hapag-Lloyd CEO commented, “Our Strategy 2023 focuses not only on becoming the ‘Number One for Quality’, but also on selected growth markets worldwide.”
In a congratulatory note, German Ambassador to Kenya Annett Günther stated, “Hapag-Lloyd has been serving the region for many years, so it is a logical step, and a good sign for the business community in Kenya, that they are now establishing a permanent presence in Mombasa and Nairobi.”
Source : Container News
