Geopolitik und Logistik: Bund untersagt Verkauf von Logistikfirma an China-Reederei

The German government has prohibited Cosco, the Chinese state shipping company, from acquiring the Hamburg logistics company Zippel-Group. This decision, announced on Wednesday morning, was based on security concerns. The Federal Ministry of Economics stated that the sale would deepen dependencies and jeopardize the stability of Germany's and the European Union's supply chains.

While Germany welcomes foreign investments as the largest economy in Europe, the government noted that investments posing a risk to national security would not be permitted. Zippel-Group transports containers and cargo from Hamburg and Bremerhaven container ports to industrial and commercial centers in Eastern Germany and Europe.

Hamburg and Bremerhaven are the largest German ports by volume. The company employs 350 people, according to its own statements. Cosco, which is the world's fourth largest liner shipping company, already holds a 24.99% stake in the Hamburg Container Terminal. The dispute over Chinese involvement began in 2022, when Cosco initially sought to acquire 35% of Zippel-Group.

The cabinet ultimately allowed a share purchase of less than 25%. The agreement was signed in June 2023. Cosco holds terminals in Greece, Spain, and Belgium. China has long used the port of Piraeus to supply Eastern Europe with its products, serving as a lever for Beijing's growing influence in Europe, to the chagrin of the United States.

The Federal Cartel Office allowed the takeover in December of the previous year, without examining security policy aspects. The Cartel Office stated that there were no competition concerns with the proposed acquisition, as Zippel only moves a fraction of the cargo in Hamburg and Bremerhaven. The Federal Office for Constitutional Protection raised concerns about the takeover in late April, citing worries about the "cumulative acquisition efforts" of the Chinese state-owned conglomerate in Germany and the European Union.

Security services reportedly submitted written objections. The Constitutional Protection office expressed concern about the potential for "cumulative acquisition efforts" by the Chinese state-owned enterprise in Germany and the European Union. The Federal Ministry of Economics reviewed the sale, with the government having the authority to investigate the sale of German companies in individual cases.

The government examines around 300 such cases annually, and in eight cases, a purchase was prohibited. Plaß defended the proposed sale during the ministry's review, stating that the business would remain in Hamburg, and all jobs would be retained. The daily operations of Zippel-Group would continue unchanged, with customers and employees experiencing no change.