Maersk

Peter Mærsk Møller acquired a small steamship and established the Steamship Company Laura in 1886, driven by the necessity to provide for his family and the conviction that steamships would be the future.

Peter Mærsk Møller, also known as A.P. Møller, was born in 1899. He was the founder of the company that eventually became today’s A.P. Moller - Maersk.

On April 16, 1904, the first Maersk branch was established in the Danish city of Svendborg as a shipping company Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg. The company was built by the captain Peter Mærsk-Møller and his son Arnold Peter Møller. They managed to raise adequate capital for the purchase of a used steamboat named Svendborg.

The Møllers established a second shipping company, Dampskibsselskabet af 1912, Aktieselskab, based in Copenhagen in 1912, further expanding their presence in the shipping sector.

In 1917, A.P. Møller & Son established Odensk shipyards to build ships for its own and other fleets, contributing to the company's vertical integration in the shipping industry.

Odense Yard delivers its first diesel-powered vessel Leise Maersk to A.P. Møller.

Mærsk Line gets the 9,000 tdw cargo motorship Nora Mærsk from Odense Yard, but after 2 years of service it sinks due to a fire in Indonesia.

The 16,500 tdw motortanker Eleonora Mærsk is delivered from the Deutsche Werft, Hamburg-Finkenwerder and is the biggest ship of the Mærsk fleet and also the largest single-crew motorship in the world.

On 9 April 1940, German forces occupied Denmark, leading to the requisition of 36 Maersk fleet ships by allied forces and the use of the remaining ships to transport German coal and coke. A total of 25 Maersk ships were wrecked during the war, resulting in the loss of 150 seafarers' lives.

In June 1941, the United States takes control of foreign ships, and the Mærsk fleet serves in the US Navy for the rest of the war, with more than half of the fleet being lost.

In 1953, A.P. Møller established the A.P. Moller Foundation to ensure a stable, long-term ownership structure for the company and to have a positive impact on society.

In 1959, A.P. Møller completed a new shipyard at Lindo to construct larger vessels, demonstrating the company's commitment to innovation and growth in the shipping industry.

A.P. Møller oversees the launch of DRAGØR MÆRSK in 1961, which marked a significant milestone in the history of Maersk's development as a global logistics integrator.

In June 1962, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller formalised the values that were central to the success of the company, aiming to pass them on to future generations of Maersk employees and leaders.

The death of A.P. Møller in 1965 marked the end of more than 60 years in business, during which the company grew from a single vessel to a fleet of nearly 90 vessels and diversified into various industries. His son, Maersk McKinney Møller, took over control of the company and continued the diversification efforts.

In 1969, the cargo liner CLIFFORD MÆRSK started carrying containers as special cargo, marking the introduction of container shipping by Maersk Line.

In 1970, Maersk became an early entrant into the container shipping category with the launch of its first container ship, the Svendborg Maersk. This marked the company's pioneering role in revolutionizing international shipping through containerization.

To keep the USA-ASIA service competitive, Maersk made the decision to invest in cellular container ships, containers, and equipment in 1973 as containerisation became more widespread.

On 5 September 1975, the first fully containerised service of Maersk was launched with the departure of ADRIAN MAERSK from Port Elizabeth on the US East Coast loaded with 385 containers. This event marked the beginning of large-scale containerisation for the Maersk fleet, revolutionizing the shipping industry.

The Maersk company created larger container ships in 1980, breaking world records. This innovation revolutionized the shipping industry and had a significant impact on global trade.

MaerskNet, launched in 1983, became one of the largest private communication networks, playing a crucial role in facilitating communication within the company and potentially beyond.

During the period of 1986-2008, Maersk experienced significant expansion and growth, solidifying its position as a major player in the global shipping industry.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, new opportunities arose in new markets, and Maersk expanded its reach from 40 countries in 1990 to more than 100 countries just ten years later. This expansion significantly contributed to the globalisation of trade.

By 1990, Maersk had established offices in 40 countries, reflecting its rapid growth and global presence in the shipping and trade sector.

In March 1993, Mærsk Line acquired EacBen Container Line Ltd., which included 9 large container ships, making Mærsk Line the largest container business in the world.

In January 1996, the world's largest container ship, Regina Mærsk, was delivered from Odense Yard, setting multiple records in terms of capacity, length, breadth, BRZ, and tdw.

In September 1997, Odense Yard delivered Sovereign Maersk, the world's first 8,000 TEU and more than 100,000 tdw container ship, which also held the record for being the longest ship in the world at that time.

In February 1999, Mærsk acquired the Safmarine container line, along with the Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), which included 50 owned and chartered container vessels.

In November 1999, Mærsk acquired container shipper Sea-Land Corporation, including 70 vessels, container terminals, and liner service from the CSX Corporation. The shipping company was renamed Mærsk Sealand.

In June 2001, Mærsk purchased the Dutch Smit-Wijsmüller salvage company, including the ESVAGT company, through its subsidiary A/S Em Z. Svitzer. This acquisition made the Mærsk group the operator of the world's largest fleet of salvage and offshore vessels.

Mærsk announces plans to acquire the rival shipping company P&O Nedlloyd for 2.3 billion euros, aiming to address the undercapacity of the world container market and expand its capacity by a third. This acquisition will make Mærsk the largest single shipping company and the largest container line in the world.

A.P. Møller-Mærsk announces the completion of the purchase of Royal P&O Nedlloyd N.V., which will be merged with Mærsk-Sealand. The new company will be named Mærsk Line.

In August 2006, Maersk set a new world record for the largest container ship with the 11,000 TEU Emma Mærsk, built at Odense Steel Shipyard.

In January 2008, Maersk Line announced details of its new streamLINE strategy to drive the turnaround of the business and return to sustainable profitability, including a reduction of 2–3,000 positions worldwide and in the number of regional organizations.

On 8 April 2009, the container ship Maersk Alabama was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean at a distance of 240 nautical miles (440 km; 280 mi) southeast of Eyl, Somalia. The siege ended after a rescue effort by the United States Navy on 12 April.

In February 2011, Maersk announced orders for a new 'Triple E' series of containerships, which would be the world's largest at 18,000 TEU, with an emphasis on lower fuel consumption.

The Maersk NotPetya cyberattack occurred on June 27, 2017, leading to significant disruptions in Maersk's operations. It is a notable incident in the realm of cybersecurity and has had a lasting impact on the company's operations and reputation.

Since 1 December 2017, Hamburg Süd had been part of Maersk, marking a significant expansion of Maersk's presence in the global container shipping market.

On 6 March 2018 a major fire broke out in the No.3 forward cargo hold of Maersk Honam while the vessel was in the Arabian Sea about 900 nautical miles (1,700 km; 1,000 mi) southeast of Salalah, Oman, en route from Singapore to Suez. It took more than 3 days to get the fire under control and the ship continued to burn for several more weeks. The ship was salvaged and the damaged parts of the vessel were rebuilt.

Maersk received the 'Best Shipping Company' award from Trade Finance Global in 2019, highlighting its excellence in the shipping industry.

Maersk expects to resume 'close to normal' operations by July 3, following recovery actions and priorities set out after an incident on June 27.