Maersk to bet on land logistics with bolt-on acquisitions

December 28, 2019: The world’s largest container shipping company, AP Moller-Maersk, is planning for some bolt-on acquisitions to accelerate its supply chain solutions, truck freight and warehousing services to become a factory to distribution integrator.

In recent years the group has dropped its oil and other energy businesses to focus on its shipping, port terminals and logistics operations.

The Danish group transports one-fifth of all seaborne freight but sells land-based logistic products to fewer than 20 per cent of its ocean customers according to chief executive Soren Skou, reports Financial Times.

Though the US-China trade tensions have affected the group negatively, the company has improved its balance sheet and now wants to spread its business into land-based logistics. Maersk’s debt in December 2019 was $12 billion compared with $18.8 billion a year earlier.