Hapag-Lloyd AG, the largest container shipping firm in Germany and one of the top five in the world, has signed a contract to buy 2,000 containers from a supplier under Vietnam’s steel giant Hoa Phat Group.

Andrea Schöning, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, signed the contract with southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province-based Hoa Phat Container Production Joint Stock Company, a subsidiary of Hoa Phat Group, on Monday.

Schöning commented that Hoa Phat Container Production meets all international standards and manufactures high-quality shipping container products, the Vietnam News Agency reported. 

The 2,000 containers under the signed contract are designed according to the standards set by Hapag-Lloyd, with advanced features and reinforced chassis to transport heavy goods, meeting the requirements of the maritime transport market, Schöning stated. 

Each container is inspected by experts appointed by Hapag-Lloyd and a recognized classification society, she added.

A container of this type has a maximum load of 32,500kg, with its door equipped with anti-theft hinges and special positioning devices for easy monitoring during transportation. 

Before the contract was signed, Hapag-Lloyd had engaged in many discussions with its Vietnamese partner and made several survey tours of Hoa Phat Container Production’s container plant in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, said Vu Duc Sinh, director of the enterprise. 

Hapag-Lloyd had performed various inspections and tests to ensure that the container products meet the set standards, stated Sinh.

He underscored that the signed contract has not only opened up opportunities for strategic cooperation between Hoa Phat and Hapag-Lloyd, but also affirmed that made-in-Vietnam containers have obviously met international benchmarks in the most demanding markets in the world.

Schöning asserted that this cooperation will help enhance the efficiency of Hapag-Lloyd’s supply chain while solidifying the company’s long-term presence in the Vietnamese market.

Hapag-Lloyd now has a fleet of 264 container ships with a total transport capacity of two million metric ton equivalent units (TEUs), Sinh described the German partner.  

The firm has 400 offices in 135 countries, provides 113 sea transport services worldwide, and creates quick connections between more than 600 global ports, he added.

Hoa Phat Container Production specializes in 20-foot and 40-foot general cargo containers, and can now turn out 200,000 TEUs per year.

The manufacturer will make more investment at an appropriate time in the future to increase its total capacity to 500,000 TEUs per year, Sinh said.

It has so far delivered shipping containers to various partners, both domestic and foreign.

Early this month, U.S.-based SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd., one of the world's leading companies in container leasing and logistics solutions, took delivery of a shipment of 500 40-foot containers from Hoa Phat.

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