Hapag-Lloyd says it can cope with U.S.-China tariffs

HAMBURG, Germany, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Container shipping liner Hapag-Lloyd HLAG.DE will be able to cope with the advent of U.S. tariffs on Chinese products, its chief executive told reporters on Tuesday.

"It is too early to push the panic button," CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in the remarks published on Wednesday, when additional 10% tariffs kicked in, and made before U.S. President Donald Trump proposed for his country to take over the Gaza Strip.

"Fortunately we are able to react when transport flows change," he said, adding foreseeable events were easier to handle than the unexpected ones, such as the Red Sea crisis when the Iran-backed Houthi militants launched attacks on vessels passing the Suez Canal in November 2023.