HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - The long-established Hamburg shipping company Hapag-Lloyd is considering withdrawing cargo from the Port of Hamburg because of the city's planned HHLA deal with the world's largest container shipping company MSC. Currently, Hapag-Lloyd is handling almost all of the volume destined for Central Europe via Hamburg, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen told Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Friday. "I could also imagine a scenario where that is only 70 or 80 percent."

Geneva-based shipping company MSC and the city of Hamburg had signed a binding preliminary agreement on Wednesday to establish a strategic partnership on the future of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). At present, the city of Hamburg holds around 69 percent of HHLA, which is listed on the stock exchange. In the future, this is to be managed in a joint venture, with the city holding 50.1 percent and MSC 49.9 percent of the shares./klm/DP/mis