HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - The freshly negotiated deal around the entry of the world's largest container shipping company MSC at the Hamburg port operator HHLA continued to occupy politicians and companies in the Hanseatic city over the weekend. Thus, the CDU wants to request a special meeting of the Economic Committee of the Bürgerschaft, as the party announced in Hamburg on Sunday. "The drumbeat from the SPD and the Greens that the shipping company MSC is taking over HHLA is causing more and more criticism from leading players from the Port of Hamburg," CDU parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering said in this regard, according to the statement. Above all, there is the question of what benefit MSC's entry into HHLA actually has.

In addition, there is the question of how an entry fits into the national port strategy or what talks there have been with other potential investors, Thering said. He spoke of further inconsistencies and unanswered questions to which the red-green Senate, Mayor Peter Tschentscher and Economics Senator Melanie Leonhard (both SPD) urgently needed to provide answers. The CDU expects complete transparency from the SPD and the Greens.

Hamburg's Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD) rejected criticism from shipping company Hapag Lloyd of the Hanseatic city's planned HHLA deal with the world's largest container shipping company MSC. "Before now legend formation to the previous talks sets in: Hapag Lloyd has unfortunately not accepted the municipal majority in the HHLA Group & Eurogate not the full co-determination of HHLA employees in the port cooperation," Dressel posted on Sunday on the platform X, formerly Twitter.

With this, the senator reacted to an interview of Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen with the radio station "NDR 90.3". In it, he said, among other things, that Hapag Lloyd had also wanted to take over the business from HHLA. The shipping company had last talked about this with the city at the beginning of the year, he said. "I think it would be an exaggeration to say that this is now improving the atmosphere," the shipping company boss told the radio station further.

Geneva-based shipping company MSC and the city of Hamburg had signed a binding preliminary agreement Wednesday to establish a strategic partnership on the future of the city's largest container terminal operator, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA). The city currently holds around 69 percent of the listed company. In the future, this is to be run as a joint venture, with the city holding 50.1 percent and MSC 49.9 percent of the shares.

Immediately after the announcement, the competition had already voiced criticism of the deal. Both billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne and the main shareholder of the Eurokai Group, Thomas Eckelmann, also raised a counteroffer.

A takeover by players other than MSC, however, is considered very difficult. Because of the binding preliminary agreement alone, the city of Hamburg is unlikely to cede its shares beyond 50.1 percent to anyone else. This would leave the approximately 31 percent in free float, which MSC is already seeking with an offer of 16.75 euros per share. Third-party bidders could still prevent the MSC deal and maintain the status quo if they got hold of at least ten percent of the shares./cgl/DP/nas