Maersk: 2M Shipping Alliance to Start Jan 2015

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Thursday its shipping alliance with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co would begin operations in January next year after receiving approval from U.S. regulators.

"The U.S. was the only remaining jurisdiction where the parties had to obtain formal approval. Thus, the parties can now implement the agreement as planned," Maersk said in a statement.

The two carriers are the world's biggest container shipping companies controlling 28 percent of global shipping.

(Reporting by Sabina Zawadzki, editing by Anna Ringstrom)