MSC Emerges as ‘Leading Contender’ to Acquire ZIM, Report Says

Group 1 - Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has submitted a bid to acquire ZIM, positioning itself as a leading contender for the takeover [1][2] - Hapag-Lloyd has also expressed interest in acquiring ZIM, although it has not confirmed its bid [2] - ZIM's board is currently undergoing a strategic review and facing a proxy fight from a minority investor group aiming to replace three board directors [3] Group 2 - MSC and ZIM have an existing partnership that includes slot-swapping and vessel-sharing, which began in February and involves services between Asia and the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts [4] - ZIM's shares rose nearly 6 percent following the news of MSC's bid [5] - MSC holds the largest container-carrying capacity in the industry with 967 vessels, accounting for 21.3 percent of the total market share by TEU, while ZIM ranks 10th with a capacity of 704,000 TEUs, representing 2.1 percent of the fleet [6] Group 3 - Neither MSC nor ZIM are part of the three major vessel-sharing alliances: the Ocean Alliance, the Premier Alliance, and the Gemini Cooperation [7] - ZIM's workers' committee has urged Israel's Transportation Minister to block the potential sale to Hapag-Lloyd, citing concerns over national security and supply chain stability [8]