Maersk Group News

Future Fuels: Methanol

Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…

Russia Attacks Danube Grain Export Route

Russia destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River in a drone attack on Monday, targeting a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began last week after quitting the Black Sea grain deal.Last week's attacks mostly struck the sea ports of Odesa but Monday's pre-dawn strikes hit infrastructure along the Danube, an export route whose importance has grown since the demise of the deal allowing Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea."The Russian terrorists have again attacked the Odesa region overnight.

Royal Caribbean Names Laursen EVP, Head of Marine

Royal Caribbean Group named Palle Laursen as executive vice president, head of marine, effective May 1, 2023. Laursen will report to Royal Caribbean Group’s President and CEO Jason Liberty and will join the company’s Executive Committee.With this newly created position, the company will centralize its global and brand marine operations functions under Laursen. He will oversee all marine operations for the company’s entire fleet, as well as strategic oversight of marine operations of its TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises…

Svitzer Promotes Two Senior Leaders

Svitzer, the towage arm of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, announced two senior leadership appointments: Kasper Karlsen as Global Chief Operating Officer and Deniz Kirdar True as Managing Director in the AMEA region.Karlsen has held different leadership positions in the A.P. Moller-Maersk group over the last 15 years and has been with Svitzer since 2020, holding the role of regional COO in Europe and standing in as UK Managing Director following the merger of the UK North and South clusters in June 2022.

Survitec Names New CEO

UK-based survival technology solutions provider Survitec has appointed Robert Steen Kledal as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)."As CEO, Robert will be responsible for setting Survitec’s strategic direction. He will lead the Survitec Executive team and sit on the Survitec Board," Survitec said."At the start of the year, Survitec launched a new organizational structure designed to make Survitec an even better partner – increased levels of customer centricity and agility were the main focus.

ClassNK, Maersk Training in Offshore Wind Workforce Training Pact

Japanese ship classification society ClassNK has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Maersk Training A/S regarding training for offshore wind farm operators and education for alternative fuel ship crews."With the signing of the MOU, the two parties will cooperate proactively towards enabling high-quality training which satisfies the international standards to be provided and thus a competent local labor force to be supplied to the growing offshore wind industry in Japan as well as in APAC region…

Robert Allan Ltd Designs ATB Convoys for Aliança Navegação e Logística

Canadian naval architecture and marine engineering firm Robert Allan Ltd. said it has been awarded a contract by Rio Maguari Shipyard (Estaleiro Rio Maguari – ERM), located in Belém, Brazil, to develop the design package for an innovative Articulated Tug and Barge (ATB) for shipping containers along the coast of Brazil. These two ATB convoys will be owned and operated by Aliança Navegação e Logística (ANL), a major logistics services provider in Latin America, and part of the Maersk Group.Robert Allan Ltd.’s engineering team…

'Midshipman-X' Revealed, Files Suit Against Maersk

A U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) midshipman who shook the maritime industry last year when, under the moniker "Midshipman-X," publicly described how she was raped by her superior officer while serving as an engine cadet aboard a Maersk cargo ship, has been revealed as Hope Hicks.Hicks is one of two USMMA students being represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp and Maritime Legal Solutions, who said Tuesday they filed two related complaints in New York state court against Maersk Line, Limited alleging that company, a subsidiary of Danish shipping giant A.P.

TOTE Group Announces Leadership Changes

The TOTE Group announced it is expanding its leadership team. Mike Noone, President of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, LLC is being promoted to a new role as the company’s chief operating officer for TOTE Group. Kevin D. Kendrick will be named the new president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and Alex Hofeling will be named president of TOTE Maritime Alaska, LLC.“The TOTE organization welcomes Mike to this newly created role, where he will help drive the future of our companies,” said TOTE Group President & CEO Tim Nolan.

Reefer Shipping Exhibit Area Opens at Hamburg Maritime Museum

A new exhibition area on the subject of "Reefer Shipping - Transport of Perishable Goods" is attracting visitors to the International Maritime Museum Hamburg (IMMH). Starting October 19, 2021, this new part of the exhibition on deck 6 will present everything on the subject of reefer shipping, using the Hamburg Süd as an example. From the beginning of reefer shipping in 1877 to the present day, the entire spectrum of development is presented to visitors to the IMMH using ships…

U.S. Lawmakers Press for Action on Maritime Sexual Assault Allegations

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Transportation Department to take action to address persistent allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment made by midshipmen at the government's main school for merchant mariners.Lawmakers said a "toxic culture" had allowed sexual abuse to fester and go unchallenged at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), which works with major shipping lines to prepare new recruits for a life at sea.Senator Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Commerce Committee…

Maersk Suspends Five Crew Members as it Investigates Alleged Sexual Assault

The world's largest shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk has suspended five employees as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault on one of its ships run by a U.S. subsidiary, and said it was working closely with American authorities."We do everything we can to ensure that all of our workplace environments, including vessels, are a safe and welcoming workplace and we've launched a top to bottom investigation," said chief executive officer Bill Woodhour of Maersk Line, Limited in an emailed statement.Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) is a U.S.-based subsidiary of the A.P.

Svitzer Americas Opens Regional HQ in Panama

Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced it has opened a new Americas regional headquarters in Panama City.Svitzer said it decided early last year to relocate its Americas headquarters from Miami, U.S. to Panama and move into the Panama Design Center, which also houses other entities of the Maersk Group including Sealand Americas, APM Terminals, Hamburg-Sud, Twill, and Maersk Liner Operations Clusters.Arjen van Dijk, managing director of Svitzer Americas, said, “Panama is an important, strategic maritime hub with good infrastructure and easy connections to nearby countries and ports.

Thulin Tapped to Drive Svitzer's Americas Ops Growth

With increasing opportunities in the terminal towage sector of the Americas region, Svitzer pursues these opportunities. To support this growth in selected countries and ports, Svitzer appointed Rutger Thulin as its new Managing Director for the Terminal Towage Cluster in Americas, spanning Svitzer's operations in Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, Statia, and the Bahamas.Thulin has been with Svitzer for seven years, and for the past four years, he has been Managing Director for Svitzer Brazil. He previously worked for 14 years with A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.

V.Group Names Kofod-Olsen as CEO

Ship management and marine support services giant V.Group said on Wednesday it has appointed René Kofod-Olsen as the company’s chief executive officer, taking over from Graham Westgarth who will become chairman. Kofod-Olsen will join V. Group on November 1.Kofod-Olsen brings to the role almost three decades of global shipping industry experience. In 2012 he was appointed CEO of Topaz Energy & Marine, a position he held until the company’s successful divestment in 2019. Earlier in his career he worked for the A.P.

StormGeo Names Sørensen COO of Its Shipping Division

Weather intelligence and decision support services provider StormGeo said it has appointed Kim Hedegaard Sørensen as the new Chief Operating Officer for its shipping division effective immediately.Sørensen has an extensive portfolio of global C-level leadership positions in shipping and transportation, including CEO of Nordics Nagel-Group, Blue Water Shipping, and TransAtlantic Industrial Shipping. He also brings with him 17 years’ experience with Danish integrated shipping and container logistics company A.P.

APM Sells Rotterdam Terminal to Hutchison

The Netherlands-based terminal operator APM Terminals, a subsidiary of Maersk Group, has signed a letter of intent for the sale of APM Terminals Rotterdam to Hutchison Ports, owner of the adjacent ECT Delta terminal.The complete transfer of shares is based on the agreement that, in the short term, APM Terminals Rotterdam will continue to exist as an independent organisation with a 5-year volume guarantee from parent company, A.P. Moller-Maersk and no forced redundancies within 4 years of signing the agreement.Under the ownership of Hutchison Ports, APM Terminals Rotterdam will have the opportunity to grow into a leading, modern, future…

Rolls-Royce Inks Tug Deal with Svitzer

Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with the global towage and marine services operator  Svitzer covering spare parts deliveries in six countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines.The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries.In VCA, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board.

Containers Market to Reach $12bln by 2023

The global shipping containers market garnered $9.29 billion in 2017 and is estimated to reach $12.08 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017 to 2023.Surge in seaborne trade, rise of transportation services, and increase in number of manufacturing facilities drive the growth in the market, said a research report by Allied Market Research.However, decreasing economic growth in few nations in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region restrain the market growth. On the other hand, the implementation of development programs and different supportive initiatives present new opportunities for growth, it said.Based on size of container…

Containers Market to Reach $12bln by 2023

The global shipping containers market, which amassed $9.29 billion in 2017, is estimated to reach $12.08 billion by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017 to 2023.According to a report by Allied Market Research, surge in seaborne trade, rise of transportation services, and increase in number of manufacturing facilities drive the growth in the market. However, decreasing economic growth in few nations in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region restrain the market growth.On the other hand, the implementation of development programs and different supportive initiatives present new opportunities for growth, it said.Asia-Pacific is a lucrative region.

Shipping Companies: Is Bigger Better?

“If consolidation was the solution to all that ails shipping, then container liner companies would be super profitable. They are not. In ‘commoditized’ sectors of the shipping industry, which by now includes pretty much everything apart from very small niche markets, there is hardly any economies of scale at the company level. As long as bigger is not in fact much better, then meaningful consolidation will not happen.”Dr. Roar Adland, visiting scholar at MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics and Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).Like any other business…

World’s First Digital Shipping Company Getting Ready

Shipping Container IoT visionary Loginno is adding another strong player, as Flemming Frost, 35-year veteran logistics manager, jumps in to assist in the creation of Contopia (a mesh of "Container" and "Utopia").Loginno is creating Contopia, the world’s Internet-of-Shipping-Containers infrastructure, by partnering with shipping companies to convert entire container fleets to IoT-enabled fleets, mining cargo, and voyage data through a patented low-cost device. This  initiative "The Contopia Factor," or TCF for short, to be revealed June 6th.A well-rounded manager with more than 35 years of business experience from the transport and logistics industry…

Maersk Mulls Trade Financing Growth in India

Shipping major AP Moller-Maersk Group's export-import (exim)-focused trade finance arm Maersk Trade Finance is targeting a 33 percent loan disbursal growth at $200 million in 2019 in India.The trade financing solution arm of Danish business conglomerate said that it disbursed a total of USD 0.7 billion globally till date since its inception in 2015, with over 150 million in India in the year 2018, a 53% Y-o-Y increase as compared to 2017.Vipul Sardana, Global Head of Maersk Trade Finance said “Indian SME sector continues to play a significant role in India's economic development. As the sector is gearing up for its digital transformation…