Hapag-Lloyd will open its own office in Namibia on 1 October 2026, ending its reliance on Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) as local agent and bringing ship handling at Walvis Bay in-house under the new entity Hapag-Lloyd Shipping Namibia.

The handover has a precise operational cut-off. Luanda Express, on voyages 686707E and 686708W, was the final vessel ISS handled, with an estimated arrival of 27 September. Hanover Express becomes the first ship managed by the new Hapag-Lloyd subsidiary, with voyages 686709 and 686710 expected to arrive on 4 October — three days after the entity formally begins trading.

For the German carrier, the move converts a third-party agency relationship into direct local presence. The new office will provide customers with direct local support while connecting operations in Namibia with Hapag-Lloyd's wider African and global network. That positions the carrier to serve cargo moving through Walvis Bay — Namibia's principal deep-water port and a gateway for trade into southern Africa — with its own staff rather than through an appointed agent.

For shippers and forwarders in the market, the practical change is the counterparty. Documentation, cargo queries and operational coordination that previously ran through Inchcape Shipping Services will shift to Hapag-Lloyd Shipping Namibia from the start of October. Carriers making similar insourcing moves typically cite closer control of customer relationships and faster local decision-making; Hapag-Lloyd's stated rationale here is direct customer support and network integration.

For Inchcape, the transition ends its agency mandate for the line in Namibia, with the final Luanda Express call closing out the arrangement.

The new company will initially operate from an interim office at Sam Nujoma Avenue No. 149, Office 2A, in Walvis Bay, while permanent premises are completed. No date for the move to the permanent site was given.

The timing of the vessel handover underlines how tightly the carrier has sequenced the switch: one week separates the last ISS-handled arrival from the first call under Hapag-Lloyd Namibia's own management, leaving little margin for disruption at the port.

The Walvis Bay opening adds a direct footprint to Hapag-Lloyd's African presence and signals that the carrier intends to manage its Namibian cargo flow — and its customers — first-hand from October onwards.