MAERSK DISSOLVING TWO
BRANDS
Denmark’s Maersk Line, which is discontinuing its joint operation with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in the 2M Alliance, will also discontinue the use of the Hamburg Süd and Sealand brand names, both to be ‘transitioned’ into the singular Maersk brand. Maersk acquired Hamburg Süd in 2017 and Sealand in 1999, although it retired the latter brand in 2006, only to revive it in 2015, after which three regional Maersk carrier brands, MCC Transport, Sealand and Seago Line, were combined under the SeaLand name. JS
TANKERS FOR VENEZUELA Venezuela’s state-run energy company, PDVSA, is negotiating with Iran’s Iran Marine Industrial Company (SADRA) for the construction of two Aframax tankers. SADRA has previously built two tankers for PDVSA, the 113,000dwt Arita (ex-Sorocaima, since renamed Colon) and Anita. The next two tankers, to be named India Urquia and India Mara, will cost $33.77 million each and may be paid for by oil shipped to Iran from Venezuela.