Maersk stood out last week, with CEO Søren Skou expressing the company's challenges but also called scrubbers "a foolish idea." The Danish climate minister also entered the scrubber debate while DSV dismissed rumors about a merger with Kuehne+Nagel.
Maersk boost on container but earnings must improve
Maersk's fourth quarter report showed growth in revenue and operations on its important Ocean segment covering the line carrier and the largest port under APM Terminals. Despite this, CEO Søren Skou is not satisfied with earnings for the entire year to Maersk.
In the report it also emerged that Maersk has increased its investments in scrubbers with a figure worth billions of Danish kroner. Despite the huge investment, Maersk does not believe in scrubbers as a complete solution to shipping's sulfur emissions.
"We still maintain that scrubbers are a foolish idea," said Skou in response to questions from ShippingWatch.
Skou also verbalized how Maersk sees its role in the battle which has taken place in recent months to acquire vessels of a certain caliber, which has led DSV into an open battle, first with CMA CGM and now Kuwaiti company Agility.
Danish environment minister shares scrubber concerns
Photo: Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen
Skou is not the only scrubber skeptic. He is joined by Danish environment minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, who believes that there is a need to gather more information about scrubbers' environmental impacts and thereby enters a debate which has divided the shipping industry.
DSV on Kuehne + Nagel acquisition: "No truth in it whatsoever"
Photo: PR-foto/DSV
DSV is not about to change its tack and become an acquisition target itself, said the Danish logistics company to ShippingWatch after media The Loadstar reported Thursday that DSV would go from trying to buy Panalpina to talks with competitor Kuehne+Nagel regarding a possible takeover.
"I can 100 percent deny this. There is no truth in it whatsoever," said Tina Hindsbo, CCO at DSV to ShippingWatch.
This is where Danish carriers are building their vessels
Photo: Danske Rederier
More than two-thirds of Danish carriers' newbuildings in the coming years will be constructed on Chinese yards.
Although China tops the list with 23 tankers, 11 ro-ro vessels, 7 bulk vessels and a single container ship, more countries are contributing to deliver a total 59 new vessels.
Since Western sanctions were introduced in response to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has exported oil through a shadow fleet. Moscow might now be bulding a similar fleet for gas exports.
On July 1, the use and transportation of heavy bunker oil by ships in the Arctic will be banned. A climate organization now accuses the ban of being full of loopholes.
