Reuters first on Neptune Orient bid for Hapag

Reuters broke news on July 22 that Neptune Orient Lines, the world’s seventh-biggest container shipping firm, formally expressed interest in buying Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd to create the world’s No.3 container shipper. Reuters clients had the news a full 7 hours before the company confirmed its interest, forcing rival Bloomberg to quote Reuters for its story. Dow Jones matched the story after 50 minutes. NOL’s statement confirmed almost all the details in the Reuters article, which was used by the IHT and CNBC among other media.