Hapag-Lloyd CEO Highlights Significant Increase in Booking Activity

Hapag-Lloyd, the fifth-largest container shipping firm globally, is experiencing a surge in business this week as demand for shipping between China and the U.S. ramps up.

In an interview wiht Bloomberg Television on Wednesday, CEO Rolf Habben Jansen noted a remarkable increase in bookings—over 50%—between these two nations recently. He described this uptick as “quite meaningful,” while mentioning that other international trade routes are holding steady for now.

This boost comes on the heels of a newly established 90-day ceasefire between the U.S. and China. Just this Monday, tariffs on Chinese goods were slashed from an eye-watering 145% to 30%, while retaliatory duties from China dropped dramatically from 125% to just 10%. Prior to these changes, trade had nearly ground to a halt since early April due to those hefty tariffs.

Despite this positive trend, Jansen expressed caution about future economic conditions. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we can avoid falling into a recession,” he remarked.

Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd is keeping a close watch on developments in the Red Sea region. Since late last year, they’ve been rerouting vessels around Africa due to attacks by Houthi rebels targeting commercial ships—a move that has strained global shipping capacity and driven freight costs higher.

Even after recent statements from President Trump suggesting that Houthi attacks would cease, jansen believes it’s premature to revert back to standard routes just yet. “We need assurance of safety over time; we want to avoid needless disruptions,” he explained.

He also pointed out that rushing ships back through the Suez Canal coudl lead to significant congestion at ports. Once conditions improve sufficiently for safe passage through the Red Sea, Hapag-Lloyd intends to gradually reintegrate that route over approximately two or three months.

Earlier this year marked another milestone for Hapag-Lloyd with their new vessel-sharing partnership with Maersk called Gemini Cooperation—a strategic move aimed at enhancing operational efficiency amidst fluctuating market demands.