Travel/Tourism
Shipping Giant Hapag-Lloyd Opens 5th African Office in Kenya
By Adedapo Adesanya
Shipping giant, Hapag-Lloyd, as part of its expansion in Africa, has opened a new office in Kenya.
While the main business will be managed from the port city of Mombasa, the company will also have an office in Nairobi, the country’s capital.
Hapag-Lloyd mainly transports agricultural goods out of Kenya, especially tea, coffee, fruits and textiles. The imports primarily consist of chemicals, foodstuffs and a wide range of goods made of plastic or rubber.
The new office will be headed by Country Manager Prashant Sindhwani and the establishment will see 19 staff members work in Mombasa, six in Nairobi and one in Uganda.
Via the gateway port of Mombasa, the shipping company offers two different services: the China Kenya Express Service (CKX) will connect Kenya with some of the most important ports in Asia, such as Singapore and Shanghai while the East Africa Service (EAS2) connects the East African country with the west coast of India and Jebel Ali in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Speaking on this, Mr Dheeraj Bhatia, Senior Managing Director Region Middle East at Hapag-Lloyd said, “Kenya is the economic hub of East Africa and the most important growth region on the continent.
“By opening our new office in Kenya, we expect to continue our robust growth on the African continent.”
Hapag-Lloyd also serves landlocked East African countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, with regular inland connections to and from Mombasa.
As part of its growth strategy, the shipping company will endeavour to develop inland connections to Somalia, Southern Ethiopia and Northern Tanzania.
On this, Mr Rolf Habben Jansen, Chief Executive Officer at Hapag-Lloyd explained that “Our Strategy 2023 focuses not only on becoming the number one for quality but also on selected growth markets worldwide.
“We see an enormous growth potential in Africa and will further invest in our services and selected countries.”
In a congratulatory note, German Ambassador to Kenya, Mrs Annett Günther, wished Hapag-Lloyd all the best with their new presence in Kenya.
She noted, “Kenya as a regional and continental hub for trade relies on strong and efficient logistics service providers.
“Hapag-Lloyd has been serving the region for many years, so it is a logical step, and a good sign for the business community in Kenya, that they are now establishing a permanent presence in Mombasa and Nairobi.”
With the opening of the new office in Kenya, Hapag-Lloyd now has own five offices on the continent in South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya. Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd recently opened its Quality Service Center in Mauritius.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 14.12 per cent stake in Ikeja Hotel Plc has been acquired by Honeywell Group Limited, a notice on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited has revealed.
Honeywell Group took up the part of the hospitality firm through one of its affiliates known as HGL Real Estate Limited.
Ikeja Hotel, in the disclosure filed with the NGX on July 2, 2026, said the stake comprised 305,323,525 units of its equities.
“Ikeja Hotel hereby notifies the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the general public that it has received notification from HGL Real Estate Limited, an affiliate of Honeywell Group Limited, that it has acquired 305,323,525 units of Ikeja Hotel Plc’s shares, representing 14.12 per cent shareholding in the company,” the notice stated.
Ikeja Hotel is one of Nigeria’s leading hospitality investment and hotel management companies with premium hospitality assets.
It operates two leading hospitality organisations in Lagos, the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Balmoral Convention Centre.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About 10 hospitality establishments, including hotels and restaurants, were sealed on Wednesday by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
The affected businesses are located in different locations in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the metropolis, Business Post learned from a statement from the agency.
It was stated that they were sealed by LASEPA for persistent violations of environmental regulations despite repeated warnings, abatement notices, and several opportunities to comply with the agency’s directives.
According to the notice, the enforcement exercise was carried out in line with the directives of the Lagos State government to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws and to safeguard public health.
The affected facilities were said to have breached various environmental regulations, including noise pollution, air pollution, unlawful discharge of untreated effluent, obstruction of official duties, among others.
LASEPA closed the premises of Granduer Meridian at Obasa Akiniyi Street, Oluwaga, Ipaja for non-compliance with the agency’s directives; Lasola (Spazio Bar), located on Ipaja Road, Fatolu Bus Stop, Ipaja, was sealed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives; Millennium Restaurant, located at Gate Bus Stop, Ipaja, Ayobo, was shut down for non-compliance with directives; O2 Exquisite Suites & Tower on Jimoh Akinremi Street, Jimoh Bus Stop, Akowonjo, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; and Chirozz Hotel & Suites, located on Samuel Street, Akowonjo, by Vulcanizer Bus Stop, Egbeda, was closed for noise pollution and non-compliance with directives.
In addition, House 7 Hotel, located at Remi Akande Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with LASEPA’s directives; House 48 on Isiba Oluwo Street, Egbeda, was sealed for non-compliance with directives; Exclusive Hotel, located at Ishan Kimishe, Akesan Bus Stop, was shut down by non-compliance with directives; Sabola Ventures Limited, Iocated at Km 11, LASU–Isheri Road, Igando, was shut down for operating without evidence of an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), and discharging untreated effluent into public drains; and City Int’l Motel, located at Chief Olu-Adegbite Street, off Oladun Street, Council Bus Stop, Idimu, was sealed for non-compliance with directives.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Emirates has become the first airline cargo carrier to deploy the Boeing 777-300ERSF passenger-to-freighter converted aircraft.
The aircraft (A6-EBK) will enter commercial service with a flight from Hong Kong to Dubai carrying over 100 tonnes of cargo, a statement from the airline operator stated.
The converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF offers 100 tonnes of payload capacity and 811 m³ of cargo volume, representing a 25 per cent increase in cargo volume over the Boeing 777-F production freighter.
At 47 pallet positions, the converted aircraft also accommodates 10 additional pallet positions when compared with the Boeing 777-F production freighter, making it ideal for transporting volumetric cargo such as e-commerce goods, which currently constitute around 20 per cent of global air cargo tonnage with further growth projected in the next few years.
The converted Boeing 777-300ERSF is the sixth new freighter, following five Boeing 777-F production freighters, to join Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet since March 2026.
As part of its ambitious expansion strategy, Emirates SkyCargo will also be taking delivery of five additional Boeing 777-F aircraft as well as one additional converted Boeing 777-300ERSF by December 2026.
Emirates SkyCargo will also be introducing three additional converted Boeing 777-ERSFs into its fleet in 2027.
“The induction of the first converted Emirates Boeing 777-300ERSF into operational service represents the next step in the expansion of our fleet and operational agility.
“We are optimising our fleet assets by converting older Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft to meet the growing demand for air cargo capacity to transport goods rapidly across the world,” Emirates SkyCargo’s Divisional Senior Vice President, Badr Abbas, commented.
“Combined with our growing fleet of Boeing 777-F production freighters, we have already been able to scale our global freighter network from just over 40 destinations in February this year to 62 destinations currently and growing.
“We are providing our global customers with scalable cargo capacity and ultimate flexibility and connectivity when moving cargo to and through our hub in Dubai,” Abbas added.
