Maersk Line history

On 8 April, 1940, A.P. Møller issued an ordinance known as “Permanent Special Instruction One” to all Maersk ships, instructing them to report directly to the company’s New York office should Denmark enter the war.

Maersk Møller, as well as the company's headquarters, returned to Denmark in 1947.

Yet the company's wartime exile had left its mark, as the company's operations became more and more international in scope, starting with the establishment of a new ship brokering operation, Maersk Company, in the United Kingdom in 1951.

On April 26, 1956, sea container shipping was referral for transporting a Sea-Land container aboard SS Ideal X from Port Newark, New Jersey, to Houston, Texas.

In 1959, Maersk opened a new, larger shipyard – the Odense Lindø Yard – and its focus turned to building much larger ships.

Established in 1960, Norfolkline operated door-to-door logistics services, with an emphasis on frozen products, in Europe, and also operated ferry lines between the United Kingdom and the continent.

One of the first of the company's expansion efforts came in 1961, when A.P. Møller acquired automotive parts supplier Roulunds Fabriker.

A still more significant development for A.P. Møller came in 1962 when the company was awarded the exclusive concession for the exploration and production of oil and gas in Denmark.

The death of A.P. Møller in 1965 brought a close to more than 60 years in business, which had seen the company grow from a single vessel to a fleet of nearly 90 vessels and the creation of an internationally operating and diversified business.

The company's oil and gas activities had led it to diversify in other areas as well, such as the formation of Maersk Supply Service, in 1967, providing transportation and other support services for offshore operations.

The company's next diversification move came in 1968, when it acquired Phama-Plast.

1969: The company extends Lindo shipyard with a new drydock capable of building vessels up to 650,000 tons.

1970: The company founds Maersk Air and takes over Odense-Copenhagen and other flight routes.

1972: DUC begins oil and gas production, and Møller launches its first gas carrier.

In 1973, Maersk Line acquired its first container ship, the Japanese-built Svendborg Maersk.

In 1985, for example, A.P. Møller added to its shipping business with the acquisition of Norfolkline.

1988: The first Panamax container ship is delivered.

1991: Maersk Container Industri is launched to manufacture containers.

By 1993, it was the largest container line in the world.

By then, Maersk had expanded its oil and gas operation as well, beginning oil production in Qatar in 1994.

That agreement was extended into a global alliance in 1995.

Maersk's shipbuilding continued to make headlines, launching the world's largest container ship in 1996--then topping that vessel again the following year.

Meanwhile, the company continued to add to its shipping business, acquiring the West African liner business from fellow Danish shipper Torm in 2002.

In May 2005, Maersk announced plans to buy P&O Nedlloyd for 2.3 billion euros.

In February 2006, this new corporate association adopted the name "Maersk Line".

It operates a fleet of more than 40 container vessels and more than 20 multi purpose vessels (MPV’s). [A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S annual report 2008]

As of February 2010, Maersk had an order book for new ships totalling 857000TEU (including options on the Triple E class); that backlog is larger than the existing fleet of the fourth-largest line, Evergreen Line.

Seven other ships have been built since then, and in 2011, Maersk ordered 20 larger container ships from Daewoo, class Triple E, each with a capacity of 18,000 containers.

In January 2012 Søren Skou took over as CEO of Maersk Line from Eivind Kolding.

The first of these Triple E Class ships was delivered on June 14, 2013 and named Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller after the son of the founder Maersk Line.

In May 2014 the company lifted its first-quarter net profit to $1.02bn as a result of Maersk Line improving its operations.

As of October 2015, Maersk Line, together with its subsidiaries Seago, MCC, Safmarine and Sea-Land, controls a total of 18% market share in container shipping.

In 2017, its ships emitted 35.5 million tons of CO2e and they hope to eliminate that by using biofuel to power its fleet .

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