Shipping Tycoon Kuehne, Germany’s Richest Person, Dies at 89

By Tara Patel

Aug 24, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Klaus-Michael Kuehne, the shipping heir and Germany’s wealthiest individual, who expanded Kuehne + Nagel International AG into one of the world’s biggest sea and air freight forwarders, has died. He was 89.

His death, in Schindellegi, Switzerland, was confirmed by the company in a statement on Monday. Under his leadership, Kuehne + Nagel grew over decades into a global transport behemoth with more than 1,300 offices worldwide and a staff of 88,000. 

“With the passing of Klaus-Michael, we have lost a visionary, a great entrepreneur and an extraordinary personality,” Kuehne + Nagel Chairman Joerg Wolle said. “Our thoughts are with his widow Christine Kuehne.”

Kuehne was born on June 2, 1937, in Hamburg, the only child of Alfred Kuehne and the former Mercedes Greef, according to his profile on Munzinger Archiv GmbH, an online database.

Kuehne’s Swiss-based holding company owns 55% in Kuehne + Nagel. His net worth was about $49 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 

Profits at the company soared during the Covid-19 pandemic, when supply chains buckled and freight transport rates skyrocketed. Among freight carriers with expertise in shipping health-care products, Kuehne + Nagel was a major mover of vaccines. It also increased business when stuck-at-home consumers ordered goods. 

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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