They said they plan to mandate Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs and Greenhill to start preparations for a stock exchange listing of Hapag-Lloyd.
At the same time, they will keep looking for strategic and financial investors interested in becoming core minority investors in Hapag-Lloyd.
Three people familiar with the matter had told Reuters on Nov. 25 that TUI, Europe's biggest tour operator, would appoint investment banks to help organise a partial IPO of Hapag-LLoyd before Christmas.
The IPO of Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth-largest container shipping line, is seen as a first step in a strategic reshuffle at TUI.
The reshuffle is expected to lead to combining TUI and its British unit TUI Travel Plc in 2012, company and financial sources have said. (Reuters)
