Denmark-Maersk Shipping Line.

MAERSK ORDER 34 NEW VESSELS.

Maesk the worlds largest meat transporter and shipper, has 34 new container vessels on order, which will increase their fleet to over 500 vessels.

The new capacity means that Maersk will be able to handle over 2 million containers at one time. The company control the trade to South America and are now expanding into South East Asia.

July 2008 was the 80 th birthday of the Maersk Shipping Line, who are the worlds biggest transporters of meat.

The first container ship was purchased in 1975, with capacity for 1,400 containers.

The most recent vessel purchased is the worlds largest and carries 11,000 containers.

No one thing has done more to change the meat industry than the shipping containers, prior to 1975 all meat was man handled a carton at a time, then shipped in frozen hold. The man hours and labor were astronomical, taking 5/6 days to load a vessel, the same time to unload and untold damage done to the cartons, with dirt, rips and tears.

This takes only 3 men and a few hours today and the cartons arrive in pristine condition.

The current economic downturn has been very bad for the shipping industry, with rates cut as high as 80% and many companies canceling new vessels on order.