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Freese, Hapag-Lloyd’s North American president, retires

Uffe Ostergaard, who has experience working at United Arab Shipping Co. and Maersk, will officially succeed Wolfgang Freese as Hapag-Lloyd’s North America president on April 1.

   Hapag-Lloyd, Germany’s largest ocean carrier, said its North America president, Wolfgang Freese, will retire after nearly five decades with the company.
   Freese started his career with Hapag-Lloyd in 1971 as a trainee. Over the years, he moved into various management roles, working for Hapag-Lloyd in Germany, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2009, he was named North America president, based in Piscataway, N.J.
   Uffe Ostergaard will officially succeed Freese as Hapag-Lloyd’s North America president on April 1. He joined Hapag-Lloyd in May 2017, following its merger with United Arab Shipping Co. (UASC). At the time of the merger, Ostergaard was serving as chief commercial officer at UASC. Prior to his time at UASC, he had worked for Maersk.

Chris Gillis

Located in the Washington, D.C. area, Chris Gillis primarily reports on regulatory and legislative topics that impact cross-border trade. He joined American Shipper in 1994, shortly after graduating from Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., with a degree in international business and economics.