The two biggest shareholders in Hapag-Lloyd have boosted their holdings in a show of faith in the German liner company.
CSAV Germany Container Holding and logistics tycoon Klaus Michael Kuhne have added a combined 2%, which, with a market cap of €6.21bn ($6.95bn), is worth $139m.
Chile's CSAV now has 27.3%, up from 25.8%. It acquired its holding following the merger of its liner operations with Hapag.
Kuhne has 25.5%, up 0.5%.
The deals have reduced the free float in the company to 8.6%, which includes institutional shareholders with stakes of less than 5%.
"We naturally regret the reduced free float, but the demand among our anchor shareholders also underlines their interest in and commitment to Hapag-Lloyd as a strategic investment," said CEO Rolf Habben Jansen.
The other biggest shareholders are Qatar Investment Authority on 14.5%, HGV Hamburgische Gesellschaft fur Vermogens-und Beteiligungsmanagement with 13.9%, and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund on 10.2%.
The company has a fleet of 235 modern containerships of 1.7m teu.
In 2018, French rival CMA CGM approached some big Hapag investors like Kuhne about a takeover, but this was knocked back.
The company later said it had ended its interest.
