[171011.EN.SEA] Hapag-Lloyd Fetes 125 Years of Service In The Far East and Australia

HAPAG-LLOYD is celebrating its 125th anniversary of service to the Far East and Australia, which began in 1886 when the German economy needed regular liner services connecting it with new growth markets and to sustain efficient postal services around the world.

To this end, the German government provided subsidies for the first Reichspost steamship liner services to the Far East and Australia, with the sole aim of flying the flag in regions important for future growth. High standards were set so that shipping companies had first-rate vessels, sailings every four weeks, high speed and strict punctuality, said the Hapag Lloyd statement.

With sailings every four weeks the steamships leaving from Bremerhaven served ports of Suez, Aden, Colombo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai in the Far East and Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Feeder services were then available from Hong Kong to Japan (Yokohama, Nagasaki and Hyogo) as well as from Sydney to Samoa and Tonga. The ports of Antwerp and Southampton were also served.

Even in those days, cargo bound for Asia and Australia was composed of mainly industrial goods and, on the return journey to Europe, mostly commodities. Hapag, the second founding company of Hapag-Lloyd, began cooperating with Norddeutscher Lloyd at the turn of the century on the Reichspost steamship services to improve cost-efficiency, with the companies coordinating their sailing schedules as well.

What began 125 years ago has grown into an extensive network of around 40 Hapag-Lloyd services to Far East and Australia/New Zealand (from and to Europe and transpacific). Today the shipping line operates 24 services to and from all continents, making a total of 57 port calls per week only in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. An intermodal network connects these main ports with almost every point in China.

Today, the carrier links more than 160 ports worldwide directly with over 140 containerships on 80 services. Including the feeder network, the total number is over 430 ports in 112 countries. Nearly 6,900 employees in 114 countries handle more than five million standard containers annually, over half of them in the Far East and Australia trades.

Source : HKSG.