Effective January 1, 2004, the trade names Columbus Line and Crowley American Transport will be replaced with the globally recognized Hamburg Süd brand.

The company said that while the Columbus Line and Crowley American Transport names have played an important role in Hamburg Süd's growth over the past five decades, the brands have been used only in certain trades and countries.

Today, with services linking South America with Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, Asia, South and West Africa and connecting Europe with the Mediterranean, India and Pakistan as well as Australia / New Zealand and the Pacific Islands with Asia and North America, Hamburg Süd is recognized as a global organization.

In recent years, Hamburg Süd has performed strategic acquisitions and expansion of services. At the same time, the company has steadily built the visibility of the Hamburg Süd brand worldwide. Future focus on the Hamburg Süd name is designed to enhance both the visibility and the image of the organization worldwide.

The group will still be complemented by two regional brands. Brazilian-flag carrier Aliança will continue to serve the South America East Coast – US East Coast and Gulf, South America East Coast - Europe, the new service South America East Coast - South Africa - Asia, Conosur (Magellan) trades, and provide a broad variety of specialized value-added services and cabotage in Brazil. The newly acquired brand Ellerman with its strength in the Mediterranean/Israel and India/Pakistan will also be maintained.

The change from Columbus Line and Crowley American Transport to Hamburg Süd will entail some realignment of responsibilities and internal procedures which will further increase the company's efficiency.