- MSC continues progress, Maersk embarks on construction of climate-friendly ships and analysts make forecasts about 2023. Also read up on DFDS, Norwegian billionaires and declining Danish-flagged vessels.
MSC beats Maersk in schedule reliability
Swiss-Italian carrier MSC was the most punctual in November 2022. For a long time, the honor was assigned to Maersk, now having to content itself with second place.
MSC, spearheaded by Danish national Søren Toft, continues unprecedented fleet expansion having acquired secondhand vessels with combined capacity of more than 1 million teu since August 2020. The carrier thus cements its position as the world’s largest player.
Just before Christmas, the group completed a billion-dollar acquisition of logistics operator Bolloré Logistics. The deal was among the biggest in logistics in 2022, a ranking shows.
Photo: Jens /Ritzau Scanpix
Maersk’s green vessels are coming
During the holiday, Maersk has taken a big leap on the road towards completing net-zero emissions target by 2040. On Thursday, Dec. 29, a shipyard in South Korea reached steel cut milestone on the major ocean-going container vessels able to sail on green methanol.
Ships are due by 2025 and play a crucial role in Maersk’s green transition. By next year, Maersk is receiving a smaller, methanol-fueled feeder for deployment on Scandinavian routes.
Additionally, Søren Skou resigns as CEO of the Danish shipping major from the turn of the year, giving an in-depth interview with British business media Financial Times as a send-off.
2023 bodes well for tanker carriers
Whether the new year looks promising or not depends entirely on the segment you operate in.
Several analysts predict the upswing to continue for tanker carriers, which might experience renewed tailwinds when the EU shuts down seaborne imports of refined oil in February.
