(Haipo) – Sakal Acquisition Corp. has issued a public offer to acquire all of ZIM's shares for $37.5 per share in cash, a 7.1% higher offer than the existing deal with Hapag-Lloyd AG. The offer was submitted to ZIM's board of directors and will only be activated if the current merger deal is not completed for various reasons.
As a reminder, the state is currently required to approve or reject the proposal to acquire ZIM by Hapag Lloyd, which is partially controlled by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The National Security Council is preparing a security-related response to this proposal. The State of Israel has a golden share that allows it to veto transactions involving a change in the ownership structure of the company, which is considered a highly sensitive national security asset for the security of the State of Israel.
* Skaal's official proposal reached Haifa, but due to business confidentiality, we cannot publish the document in its entirety at this stage.
A purchase offer higher than the existing agreement
Sakal Acquisition Corp. announced that it is seeking to acquire 100% of ZIM shares for $37.5 per share in cash, reflecting a total equity value of approximately $4.5 billion. This is a premium of $2.5 per share compared to the price of the deal signed between ZIM and Hapag-Lloyd AG in February 2026, which was $35 per share. According to the document, the existing deal has already been approved by ZIM shareholders at the end of April 2026, but is still awaiting regulatory approvals, including approval from the State of Israel as part of the country’s golden share.
Commitment to full and unconditional payment
The offer states that the consideration to shareholders will be paid in full in cash, without any escrow mechanisms, contingent rights or payment delays. The company emphasized that the financing of the acquisition has already been arranged separately and is not conditional on actions by ZIM shareholders. It was also noted that in the event that the transaction with Hapag-Lloyd is not completed, Sakal will submit the final transaction documents within ten business days. According to the estimate presented, the transaction is expected to be completed within 90 to 120 days from the date of activation of the offer, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Workers' Grant and Preservation of Israeli Control
As part of the offer, Sakal committed to allocating $250 million for direct distribution to ZIM employees after the transaction is completed, in recognition of their contributions to the company. The distribution of funds among the employees will be at the discretion of the company's chairman and CEO. In addition, the company emphasized that being an Israeli entity allows for more efficient advancement of the regulatory process, especially regarding the approval of the country's gold share. It was also claimed that the deal would maintain Israeli sovereign control over the company and ZIM's global network of operations, which includes a fleet of 145 ships.
😍Any sale of ✨️"national assets" for the sake of "reviving the economy" – always to "Jewish-Israeli hands" as a principled preference!;
And while maintaining the "public-national interest": from 51% - under the control of the "State of Israel" and up to 49% - in the hands of "business partner(s)" from among the "people of Israel" in Israel and/or in the Diaspora...!!!😭
Selling Zim to foreign hands is simply out of the question because we are already under embargo. Zim also belongs to the citizens of Israel and we need to ask about the sale and the people will not sell. We let the kibbutzim and moshavim sell Tnuva to China and they are imposing an embargo on our dairy products. Why not sell all the factories that produce munitions and tobacco to Saudi Arabia like they want to sell Channel 13 to enemy countries? Sell everything. Even the electricity company. Bezeq. Who is the stupid and mindless minister who sells us to everyone?
😭🙏