lmage for representation purposes only German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has changed its $4.2 billion plan to buy Israel’s Zim Integrated Shipping Services as it tries to address concerns from the Israeli government over the country’s shipping security. The new proposal includes a weekly direct shipping service between Israel and the Far East. It also gives the Israeli government more protection over Zim Israel’s ships and operations, especially during emergencies. Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen presented the revised plan during a visit to Israel last week. He was joined by Ishay Davidi, head of Israeli private-equity firm FIMI Opportunity Funds, which is involved in the deal. The companies said the changes would give Israel more control over its shipping and help protect its supply chains. The proposed takeover has faced opposition from Israeli officials and Zim workers. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has objected to the sale in its original form. Defence Ministry officials have also raised concerns about giving control of a major Israeli shipping company to a foreign company. The ministry said over the summer that the original proposal did not do enough to protect Israel’s national security interests, especially during emergencies. Shipping is particularly important to Israel because about 98% of its imports arrive by sea. These include basic goods such as food and medicine. The deal is also being reviewed by Israeli bodies responsible for defence, state-owned companies, ports and shipping. Under the original deal, Hapag-Lloyd would take over Zim’s international business. FIMI would set up a separate Israeli company called New Zim, also referred to as Zim Israel. This company would keep the shipping assets covered by the Israeli government’s special state share, known as a golden share. The golden share gives the government special rights over Zim. These include requiring the company to keep a presence in Israel and maintain a certain number of Israel