Mr Skou and other Maersk Line executives were shown the construction site of the new locks on the Atlantic side, which will allow the transit of post-Panamax vessels through the Panama Canal. During the visit, Mr Quijano updated the delegation on the progress of the expansion programme.
The Maersk delegation also met with Rodolfo Sabonge, the executive vice president for Planning and Business Development at the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), to discuss the conceptual framework of the waterway's toll structure after 2015.
”Latin America was very important for our results last year,” said Mr. Skou. “Considering where we started in 2012, taking capacity out to keep costs down an working on managing our unit costs, fighting to keep rates at appropriate levels, and in spite of all that Latin America was able to make a positive contribution to Maersk Line. We did a really good job here in terms of improvements, probably one of the best regions in the world in this aspect,” said Skou.
During his visit, Mr. Skou met with the Panama Canal Authorities, including Mr. Jorge Quijano, head of ACP, as well as the Regional Commercial and Operational management for Maersk Line. As part of his agenda, Mr. Skou also met with the management of Panama Ports Company (PPC) and Manzanillo International Terminals (MIT), operators of the largest container terminals in the country, and had the chance of first hand experience of the progress of the Panama Canal Expansion Project by visiting the expansion site.
Regarding the visit, Robbert Van Trooijen, Maersk Line Chief Executive, Latin America and the Caribbean, said “Soren´s visit was well timed, and it underlines the importance of Latin America for Maersk Line. We had a great visit to the Panama Canal, and it increased our understanding of the current Canal expansion plans. We look forward to continue our discussions with the Canal Authorities and continue our good relations in the future”.
About Mr. Skou
Søren Skou (49) has been CEO of the Maersk Liner Business since 2012, which encompasses Maersk Line, Safmarine, MCC and Seago Line. He has been a member of the Executive Board of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group since 2007.
Søren joined A.P. Moller - Maersk in 1983. Over the next decade and a half, he held various positions in Maersk Line, with roles in Copenhagen, New York and Beijing. In 1998 he joined Maersk Tankers, where he was CEO from 2001 to 2011. Mr. Skou is a member of the board of the Danish Shipowner’s association, and the responsible for the A.P. Moller Maersk Group’s Procurement, Oil Trading
and Maritime Technology. He is a graduate of the Copenhagen Business School and has an MBA from IMD. Mr. Skou is married to Lene Buus Skou, 3 children, lives near Copenhagen, Denmark.
About Maersk Line in Panama
Maersk Line is one of the leading Shipping Lines serving Panama. With more than 95 years of presence in the country, Maersk Line is one of the largest Panama Canal customers on the containerized trade segment, as well as one of the largest users of the Panama logistics hub (ports and interoceanic rail). “e commercial and operational headquarters for Maersk Line in Latin America are located in Panama.