Maersk Fires Three Senior Executives From Its APMT Port Unit

By Costas Paris

LONDON-APM Terminals, a unit of Danish shipping and oil giant A.P. Møller-Mærsk A/S (MAERSK-A.KO) and the world's third-biggest port operator, has dismissed three senior executives, a company spokesman said Friday.

"They were asked to leave because they did not follow internal business policies," Erik Eisenberg, APMT's vice president for communications, told The Wall Street Journal. He declined to say whether an internal probe has been launched into the matter or give any other details.

Christian Moller Laursen, APMT's vice president and chief financial officer, was replaced in January, Mr. Eisenberg said. He said Chief Commercial Officer Martin Gaard Christiansen and the head of global project implementation, Michael Lund Hansen, have also been replaced. None of the three executives could be reached for comment.

The new CFO is Henrik Lundgaard Pedersen, previously head of APMT's Asia-Pacific region, Mr. Eisenberg said. He said the new commercial chief is Joe Nicklaus Nielsen, who retains his previous role as head of container business development.

The three dismissed executives are well-known in the shipping community and held key positions in APMT and the mother company for more than 20 years.

APMT employs more than 20,000 people and operates 160 ports in 58 countries around the world.

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