[5] 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.

1964 saw the completion of the 25,000 ton ocean liner SS Shalom, which turned out to be a failure, marking the end of the ZIM passenger shipping era.

[10] Due to rising airline competition and the market failure of the expensive new Shalom, passenger services were gradually phased out between 1966-1969, as ZIM refocused on cargo shipping.

In 2004, the Israel Corporation (which is controlled by the Ofer Brothers Group) purchased 49% of ZIM's shares held by the Israeli government, becoming the sole owner of the company.

The purchase deal for about five hundred million New Israeli Shekels was severely criticized by the press[12] and the State Comptroller of Israel[13] as being undervalued and becoming just another flag of convenience company.

[14]In 2008, ZIM planned to launch an initial public offering and selling 25% of its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but due to the onset of the global economic crisis it was called off.

[15] In 2009, ZIM required a cash injection of $450 million by the Ofer family and debt restructuring following the world's container shipping downturn.

A second demonstration bypassed Oakland for Los Angeles when 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.

[25] Protesters' claim they impacted ZIM's shipping schedule was denied by the company, and the local Jewish Community Council denounced the "hateful" rhetoric of the demonstrators.

[28] In December 2023 the Malaysian Government rescinded its permit for Zim to use their ports, responding to "Israel's actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and violate international law" in the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.