Maersk’s terminals arm, APM Terminals, has taken a 49% stake in the Hateco Haiphong International Container Terminal (HHIT), strengthening its position in northern Vietnam through what the company describes as the largest and most advanced deep-water port in North Vietnam.
APM Terminals said it has become a 49% minority shareholder and operating partner in HHIT alongside Vietnam’s Hateco Group. The terminal, located in the Lach Huyen area of Haiphong, was developed in just three years and is now handling vessels of up to 18,000 TEU.
HHIT is designed to accommodate two deep-sea container ships at the same time, giving North Vietnam greater direct access to long-haul container services instead of relying as heavily on transhipment through other Asian hubs. This point follows from the terminal’s stated capacity and positioning in official and trade coverage.
The HHIT stake is the second major move APM Terminals has made in Vietnam within days. A joint venture between APM Terminals and Hateco was recently selected as preferred bidder for a $1.8 billion container terminal project in Da Nang, signalling a broad push into the country’s port infrastructure rather than a single opportunistic investment.
The expansion comes as Maersk faces significant pressure from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which the company has said is disrupting major trade corridors, global supply chains and fuel logistics. However, the Vietnam investments appear to reflect a longer-term strategic commitment to a country that is playing an increasingly central role in global manufacturing and container trade, rather than a direct response to near-term shipping disruptions.
