The A.P. Moller Group, headquartered in Denmark, is recognized as one of the oldest Panama Canal customers since the group's vessel Ana Maersk transited the waterway for the first time in 1917. Currently, Maersk Sealand is one of the top five Canal customers with 304 transits in fiscal year 2002. During that year the line transported 5,951,495 tons of cargo through the waterway. Maersk Sealand's Administrative Director in Panama, Mr. Hans Stig Moller, recently stated that, "We are deeply satisfied with the service we are receiving from the Canal Authority".
In fiscal year 2002, containerized cargo became the leading commodity moved through the Panama Canal, with an average growth rate of 8 percent over the last five years. Containerships accounted for 21 percent of the overall annual transits during fiscal year 2002. A key player in the Canal's container market continues to be Maersk Sealand, which has launched transpacific services in Asia, South America, and the East Coast of the United States from the Port of Balboa, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal.
Maersk Sealand is well recognized as a genuine global carrier who's massive fleet includes a wide variety of vessels capable of handling virtually every type of cargo. The Canal administration is pleased that Maersk Sealand has consistently included the Panama Canal in the strategic development of existing and new cargo trade route.
Mr. Tommy Thomsen, partner in the A.P. Moller Group, is a member of the Panama Canal Advisory Board, whose advice and expertise is highly valued. The Board held its most recent meeting in Panama in February 2003.
