Maritime Industry Briefing: Hafnia CEO Transition and Hapag-Lloyd Terminal Expansion

## Hafnia Names Successor as Mikael Skov Prepares to Step Down Product tanker giant Hafnia has confirmed a planned leadership transition, with chief executive Mikael Skov set to vacate the top role on September 1, 2026, according to Splash247. The Oslo- and New York-listed company has designated Søren Steenberg Jensen — currently executive vice president and head of asset management — as its incoming chief executive. The announcement signals a carefully managed succession at one of the world's leading product tanker operators. Skov has been a central figure in shaping Hafnia's growth strategy, and the extended transition timeline suggests the company is prioritising continuity as it navigates an evolving tanker market. Jensen's background in asset management positions him closely with the commercial and fleet strategy functions that are critical to Hafnia's competitive standing. The handover is scheduled to take effect in just over a year, giving both executives time to manage a structured transfer of responsibilities. --- ## Hapag-Lloyd Bolsters Terminal Network with Hamburg and Tangier Med Stakes Hapag-Lloyd's terminal investment arm, Hanseatic Global Terminals (HGT), is expanding its strategic infrastructure holdings with two significant deals, Splash247 reports. HGT has agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH), one of Germany's premier container handling facilities, while simultaneously doubling its existing position in Morocco's TC3 terminal at Tangier Med — increasing its shareholding from 10% to 20%. The moves reflect Hapag-Lloyd's broader ambition to secure greater control over key nodes in its global network. Hamburg represents a critical home-market gateway for the German carrier, while Tangier Med has emerged as one of the Mediterranean's most strategically important transshipment hubs, offering connectivity between Europe, West Africa, and global trade lanes. By deepening equity positions at both locations, HGT is aligning with an industry-wide trend among major liner operators to integrate terminal ownership into their core business models — reducing dependency on third-party port operators and improving schedule reliability. Together, the two deals underscore Hapag-Lloyd's intent to compete not only on ocean freight capacity but on end-to-end logistics infrastructure as the container shipping sector continues to consolidate.