Hamburg Amerikanische Paketfahrt Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) in history

The Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG Company) was first established in 1847, and it official name is Hamburg Amerikanische Paketfahrt Aktien-Gesellschaft.

The HAPAG began business with three copper-bottomed sailing ships of together 1600 register tons, and with a capital of 460,000 marks.

It was not until 1853 that the company decided to commission its first steam-powered vessels. It was built by Caird & Co. of Greenock.

Business for the HAPAG was excellent in the decade 1870-70. Especially was this true for the years 1865-66-67. The American Civil War was over and commerce we renewed with the Union, which needed sullies to repair the devastation that had been wrought.

In 1861, the company won the American mail transport contract. New ships were commissioned, schedules improved, passenger numbers increased year by year and new lines were introduced.

In 1886 HAPAG acquired the Carr Line, a small Hamburg firm involved in the emigration traffic.

As part of the merger, the head of the Carr Line’s passenger division, Albert Ballin, took over that function for the HAPAG. He transformed the HAPAQ into what became in 1899 the world’s largest steamship line the year in which Ballin became its managing director.

In 1970, HAPAG merged with the Bremen-based North German Lloyd to form Hapag-Lloyd AG.
Hamburg Amerikanische Paketfahrt Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) in history

Hapag-Lloyd AG

Hapag-Lloyd AG is the transportation and logistics subsidiary of German tourism giant TUI AG.

Hapag-Lloyd traces its origins back to the mid-19th century and two venerable German shipping companies, Hamburg America Line of Hamburg and North German Lloyd of Bremen.

The Hapag Company was first established in 1847, and had merged with North German Lloyd (NGL), while the Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) had been founded in 1856.

In 1900, Lloyd and Hapag shared the new contract to operate the Imperial Mail Steamer Service, sailing fortnightly from Hamburg and Bremerhaven alternately.

Until World War II, the two companies operated some of the world’s largest and fastest liners and were pioneers in the operation of pleasure cruises.

The two firms had themselves been conjoined in 1970 as Hapag-Lloyd with headquarters in Hamburg.

The Hapag-Lloyd was sufficiently successful to become a takeover objective, and in 1998 Preussag AG bought a controlling interest in the company. In 2009,  Preussag AG later name TUI AG sells Hapag-Lloyd to Albert Bali Holding GmbH AG & KG for 4.45 billion euro.
Hapag-Lloyd AG