Maersk Line will lay up 25 container ships
SHIPPING: Maersk expects to pull as many as 25 container ships with capacities between 4.300 and 8.000 TEU out of the market this year. At the same time, Maersk Line CEO Eiving Kolding emphasizes that Maersk Line will fight to maintain its market share
The substantial restructuring plans came up in an interview with Reuters on Monday, according to Lloyd's List. In the interview, Eivind Kolding points out that it is of decisive importance for Maersk Line to maintain its market position in times where we for the first time see a decline in container transportation.
"What is important for us now is to keep our market position. We will not let our market share decline in this business", says Eivind Kolding.
Kolding expects that most other container shipping companies will end up with red figures in 2009.
"When the rates drop as they have been, it will - even with the initiatives we have taken - be very, very difficult for us or any other container shipping company to earn money in 2009", says Eivind Kolding.
Maersk Line will especially fight to maintain its market share on Asia-Europe services, which currently is 17 percent.
Source: maritimedanmark.dk