The Swiss carrier joins Hapag-Lloyd in the race, prompting resistance from ZIM employees and renewed regulatory scrutiny.

Calcalist has learned that the Swiss shipping company MSC, fully owned by the Aponte family and considered the world’s second-largest shipping company, has submitted a bid to ZIM’s board of directors to acquire the Israeli shipping company. MSC has now emerged as the leading contender, alongside Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, which has also already submitted a bid.

Meanwhile  according to Israeli media, a second offer has been made to acquire the shipping company Zim.Competing with Hapag Lloyd's offer is the world's largest container shipowner, Switzerland's MSC. Zim's board of directors stated in response: "The strategic review process of alternatives to generate shareholder value is ongoing, and several proposals from leading companies are being evaluated. We will not comment on the identities of the parties or the content of the proposals until an agreement is reached."

Related : Negotiations for the sale of the Israeli company Zim

Zim, led by Eli Glickman

Zim, led by Eli Glickman, has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion. Last month, Glickman, along with shipping magnate Rami Ungar, submitted a bid for the company, which was rejected; however, the board of directors subsequently began evaluating strategic alternatives. According to the Israeli press, MSC's offer would have good prospects, especially considering that Hapag Lloyd's offer and concerns about the influence of its Qatari and Saudi shareholders have led to a decline in Zim's stock price of more than 5%.

The game is still wide open

In any case, the game is still wide open, especially given the Israeli company's extremely fragmented shareholder structure, where the most significant shareholders hold less than 2.4%. It's no coincidence that battles are currently raging between various shareholder groups over next week's vote on the new board of directors, which will then evaluate the offers for the company's sale.

Related : Hapag-Lloyd seeks to acquire Israeli company ZIM

Hapag-Lloyd

Whereas Hapag-Lloyd, considered the fifth-largest shipping company globally by container capacity, is traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at a market value of approximately €21 billion. Among its shareholders are investment arms linked to Qatar, which holds 12.3% of the shares, and Saudi Arabia, with a 10.2% stake. This ownership structure may be connected to ZIM’s 5.5% share-price decline on the New York Stock Exchange last Friday, following several consecutive days of gains.

Hapag-Lloyd , Zim ,Eli Glickman < MSC ,Calcalist