CSAV

csav, short for Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores, is a Chilean shipping company historically known as one of the largest container carriers in Latin America. It has operated container ships and provided freight transport and related logistics services, connecting South American ports with international trade lanes in the Pacific and Atlantic.

Origins and operations: CSAV traces its roots to the 19th century in Valparaíso and grew into a major operator on regional and global routes. Through the decades it expanded into ancillary logistics activities such as freight forwarding and port services, contributing to Latin American maritime infrastructure and trade networks.

Corporate developments: In response to industry consolidation, CSAV participated in strategic alliances with other carriers and underwent corporate reorganizations to adapt to a changing market. During the mid-2010s, the group restructured its container operations in connection with an agreement with Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, one of the world’s largest container lines. The arrangement integrated CSAV’s container activities with Hapag-Lloyd’s network, creating a substantially larger global carrier and altering the parent’s branding and corporate structure.

Current status: Following these changes, CSAV’s container activities are generally operated under the broader Hapag-Lloyd network, with the CSAV name continuing to appear in corporate and regional contexts within the holding structure that originated from CSAV’s legacy. See also: Hapag-Lloyd; List of shipping companies.