HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - Following the government statement by Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) on the controversial entry of the shipping company MSC into the Hamburg port logistics company HHLA, a hearing will be held on Wednesday in the committee deliberations of the Hamburg Parliament. The former President of the Port of Hamburg Business Association Gunther Bonz, the Chairwoman of DGB Nord, Laura Pooth, and Kai Gerullis from the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce have been invited to provide information at the joint meeting of the Committee for Public Enterprises and the Economic Committee (2 p.m.).

The experts are to explain the advantages and disadvantages of the deal and help the MPs make a decision when parliament makes its final decision on the deal, which is expected to be at the end of May. Hamburg's red-green Senate wants to bring the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) on board with Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) in order to stabilize container handling. The city and the company, which is owned by the Italian shipping family Aponte, are to run HHLA as a joint venture in future, with the city holding a majority of 50.1 percent. To date, the city has owned around 70 percent of HHLA, which is listed on the stock exchange. There is considerable resistance to this, particularly from the Verdi trade union and HHLA employees./klm/DP/zb