Hapag-Lloyd Extends Liner Agency Deal with GAC Nigeria

Hapag-Lloyd German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has renewed a liner agency agreement with GAC Nigeria, following its merger with the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) earlier this year. Under the extended agreement, GAC will handle all aspects of Hapag-Lloyd/UASC’s business in Nigeria including husbandry services, sales, customer service and the import and export of a large number of containers. Five years ago, Hapag-Lloyd and GAC Nigeria signed their first liner agency agreement for which a dedicated team and office was set up specifically to handle all of its activities in the country. The merger of the two shipping lines is expected to result in a substantial increase in business for Hapag-Lloyd in Nigeria, prompting significant investment in office assets and personnel by GAC Nigeria to meet the demands of additional business, GAC said. “Securing the new agreement with Hapag-Lloyd after the merger is a clear sign of the robust relationship we developed over the last five years. I have no doubt that our joint efforts we will increase their presence in Nigeria,” Casper Bahnson, GAC Nigeria’s General Manager for Liner Services, commented. Following the merger, Hapag-Lloyd intends to deploy some of the largest vessels able to call at Nigerian ports and set up a new dedicated service for West Africa which will call directly to Nigeria.