THE chairman of Hamburg terminal operator HHLA's supervisory board will step down at the end of this month. Peter von Foerster said he will withdraw from his post at the end of his term to give his successor the time to work with HHLA on its way towards a part-flotation. The state owned group will be part-listed later this year. Though there was no official confirmation, reports suggested that Mr von Foerster was unhappy with the fact that the state government of Hamburg had opted for a flotation, instead of the sale to a strategic investor. No successor has been named yet, which shows that the government was obviously taken by surprise by the move.