By Eamonn Ryan
An expanded partnership between Hapag-Lloyd and DP World across five African ports could ease long-standing bottlenecks affecting reefer cargo and temperature-sensitive trade routes into and out of the continent, as the German shipping line moves to lock in long-term terminal capacity to match its growing volumes.
The agreement centres on securing terminal capacity in Dakar, Senegal; Luanda, Angola; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with Hapag-Lloyd also confirming it will support port infrastructure development at Banana in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Maputo in Mozambique. No details on investment value, additional capacity or implementation timelines have been released.
For cold chain stakeholders, the significance lies less in the announcement itself and more in what reliable terminal access means for reefer throughput. African ports have historically struggled with congestion, power reliability for reefer plug points, and inconsistent handling capacity – all factors that directly affect the integrity of perishable exports such as fruit, seafood and pharmaceuticals moving through these gateways. Expanded, guaranteed terminal capacity gives shipping lines more room to prioritise the infrastructure investments – reefer racks, power supply, cold storage – that protect product quality between vessel and inland transport.
Hapag-Lloyd expects its African transport volumes to exceed one million TEUs in 2026, and CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said the region remains one of the company’s most important growth markets, citing the need for reliable infrastructure and scalable terminal capacity to support that growth. The company said the DP World deal forms part of a broader terminal strategy that includes working with a diversified portfolio of operators, alongside plans to grow its own terminal footprint through Hanseatic Global Terminals.
As African trade volumes rise, cold chain operators will be watching closely for signs that this expanded capacity translates into tangible reefer-handling upgrades at these key gateway ports.
Source: https://theloadstar.com/hapag-lloyd-locks-in-african-terminal-capacity-with-dp-world/