COVID-19: Hapag-Lloyd adds 100,000 TEU of capacity to keep goods moving

German container shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has on-hired over 100,000 TEU of additional equipment across the globe to keep the supply chain flowing amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. 

According to the carrier, many ports in China have so far returned to normal operations and scheduled sailings and bookings ex-China are gradually increasing.

The company explained it is doing ‘everything in its power’ to maintain uninterrupted service, with no significant disruptions to work productivity or customer service.

“Our vessels are today operating as usual and our service structure is largely unchanged,” Rolf Habben Jansen, Hapag-Lloyd’s CEO said in a COVID-19 update.

To help prevent the disease from spreading, the company has introduced a number of measures for its onshore and offshore employees. This includes additional safety measures being implemented onboard Hapag-Lloyd’s boxships. Moreover, the company’s crews are currently not changing ships in high-risk areas.

“So far the crisis has had only limited impact on our business, but we expect a significant effect of the virus on global container traffic in the months to come, and if this happens we will have to make some adjustments to the network,” Jansen noted.

In 2019, Hapag-Lloyd managed to significantly improve its profitability and reduce debt more than planned. The company has now taken additional precautionary financial measures to assure that even if the crisis persists longer than expected, Hapag-Lloyd will be able to offer the required services and products.

“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to navigate these unchartered waters and move as close as possible to ‘business as usual,'” Hapag-Lloyd CEO further said.

Hapag-Lloyd currently has a fleet of 239 containerships with a total transport capacity of 1.7 million TEU. In addition, the company has a container capacity of about 2.5 million TEU.