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Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. ((ヘブライ語:צים)), formerly ''ZIM Israel Navigation Company Ltd.'' and ''Zim American Israeli Shipping Inc.'', is the biggest cargo shipping company in Israel, and 10th largest in the world. The company's headquarters are in Haifa; it also has a North American headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. ==History== ZIM was founded in 1945,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Company Overview of Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd )〕 by the Jewish Agency and the Histadrut (General Federation of Laborers in the Land of Israel). The first ship was purchased in partnership with Harris and Dixon (based in London) in 1947. This vessel was refurbished, renamed SS ''Kedma,'' and sailed to the future state of Israel in the summer of 1947. During her first years, her main task was transporting hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the emerging state. Some of the other ships that had been used for clandestine immigration before the establishment of Israel as a state were confiscated by the British mandate authorities and later joined the company's fleet. The company continued to purchase more ships, among them SS ''Negba'', SS ''Artza'' and SS ''Galila.'' During the 1948 war, the company was the sole maritime connection with the state of Israel, supplying food, freight and military equipment. In 1953, some of the money from the reparations agreement between Israel and West Germany was allocated to the purchase of new ships. The , renamed ''Jerusalem'', sailed the Israel-New York route, Another ship purchased with reparations money was the SS ''Etzel''.〔(Children at Heart, Jerusalem Post Magazine ) 〕 The , acquired in 1956, was renamed SS ''Zion''. In 1950s and 1960s, ZIM concentrated on passenger ships, alongside a constant expansion of the cargo shipping business. Passenger liners were a common means of international transport before the emergence of cheap air transport, and pleasure cruises were also popular. ZIM sailed the Mediterranean Sea, as well as having regular routes to the United States. Some of its ships cruised to the Caribbean during the winter. 1964 saw the completion of the ocean liner , which turned out to be a failure, marking the end of the ZIM passenger shipping era. During the 1960s, ZIM started to turn its focus to cargo ships, and obtained several special-purpose vessels, including refrigerated shipping, and oil tankers. ZIM transported crude oil from Iran to Israel, and oil byproducts from Israel to Europe. In the 1970s, ZIM expanded into the container shipping business. ZIM ordered six such ships, and gradually made this its main line of business. In 1981, one of the company's ships, ''Mezada'', was lost at sea. Despite a lull in maritime shipping at the beginning of the 1980s, the company built 15 more ships in Germany in the 1990s. At this time, the ownership of ZIM was divided between the Israeli government and Israel Corporation. In August 2014, unloading of the Zim Piraeus at the Port of Oakland was delayed after a protest against Israel's actions in Gaza. Longshoremen declined to load the ship out of safety concerns, taking no position on the underlying dispute, but unloaded the ship after their safety was assured. In 2010, another demonstration was conducted against a Zim vessel in response to the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara Gaza Freedom Flotilla. After the 2014 Oakland demonstration there were protests at the port of LA〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/.premium-1.612127 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://lbpost.com/news/2000004276-israel-palestine-conflict-result-in-local-protest-at-port-of-long-beach#.U_zPqrywLJE )〕 and at Tacoma, Washington〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Protesters-Fail-to-Block-Zim-Ship-in-Tacoma-2014-08-25 )〕 which failed to stop the unloading of cargo from Zim ships. A second demonstration in Oakland in September 2014 resulted in a Zim ship not being unloaded and heading to Los Angeles instead. Longshoremen, not participating in the protest, refused to unload the ship after being physically threatened and their vehicles blocked when they tried to report for work. Protesters claimed success in compelling Zim shipping to take Oakland and L.A. off its schedule, an action the Oakland port contends will cost jobs for dockworkers. In mid to late 2015, plans to revive a initial public offering were implemented. The listing will likely take place on the New York Stock Exchange in 2016. Both Bank of America Merill Lynch and Barclays will lead the IPO.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/08/us-zim-ipo-idUSKCN0S21GY20151008 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zim Integrated Shipping Services」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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