Employees reacted strongly after news broke that Israel's national shipping company ZIM would be acquired by Germany's Hapag-Lloyd for $4.2 billion. Approximately 800 union members first staged a 48-hour warning strike at the Haifa headquarters, escalating to a full work stoppage on February 17.

Union representatives stated that specialized vessel operations, including agricultural cargo handling, have been fully suspended, preventing some ships docked at the ports of Ashdod and Haifa from unloading. Union leader Ziva Lainer Schkolnik emphasized to Reuters: “Work will not resume until the company presents a credible employee relocation plan.”

The strike stems from an arrangement in the acquisition agreement: Following Hapag-Lloyd's takeover of Zim, its Israeli operations will be spun off and transferred to a new entity called “New Zim,” controlled by FIMI Opportunity Fund, retaining only 16 vessels. Employees fear this will result in nearly 900 job losses—Union Chairman Oren Caspi stated they were informed the new company would retain only 120 staff.

Caspi indicated that negotiations were initially intended to commence during the warning strike period, but the failure of management and the acquiring party to respond led to the escalation of action. He warned: “If necessary, we will completely paralyze the company's operations.”

In response, Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, stated that all headquarters employees will receive employment guarantees during the transition period, with specific terms to be negotiated with labor representatives. A company spokesperson clarified that the claim of “only retaining 120 employees” was never officially made.

FIMI founder Ishay Davidi emphasized the strategic importance of maintaining an independent Israeli shipping enterprise and plans to establish an efficient fleet. Hapag-Lloyd also committed to setting up an R&D center in Israel or absorbing some technical personnel.