The Hindu Business Line : Maersk’s 80th anniversary

Maersk Line, the industry leader and the largest liner shipping company in the world, now celebrates 80th anniversary. On July 12, 1928, Leise Maersk, the first vessel to depart in the company’s liner service, sailed from Baltimore on the US East Coast to the Far East via Panama Canal. In the vessel’s holds were Ford car parts and general cargo totalling 3,600 tonnes, equivalent to 200 TEUs of today. She reached Japan 59 days after departing from Baltimore and, the Philippines, the next destination, on 72nd day. The cargoes on the homebound voyage consisted of sugar, silk and oil products. Prior to 1950, Maersk Line also carried passengers in a cargo liner, which could carry 12 passengers who, for a reasonable fee, could enjoy “a carefree and restful time with the opportunity of becoming acquainted with life on the seven seas and the population at the many out-of-the-way places we touch on our way.” The container movement gained momentum in 1970s and 1980s and the shipping line also started moving more and more cargo in containers. In the 1990s, the focus was co-operation with other lines and acquisitions, the objective being to increase trade driven by globalisation. Simultaneously, Maersk also developed its own vessels – it started with Regina Maersk (6,000 TEUs) in 1996, followed by Sovereign Maersk (6,600 TEUs) in 1997 and Emma Maersk (11,000 TEUs) in 2006.

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