Soren Toft will shortly take on his new role as chief executive of Swiss liner operator Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC).
The industry veteran will start work at the Geneva-based carrier on 2 December, more than a year after stepping down as chief operating officer of its Danish rival Maersk.
It will be a landmark shift for the world's second-largest box carrier, which has been run by the Aponte family for 50 years.
Toft has worked closely in recent years with Diego Aponte, who has been both president and CEO since 2014.
He will report directly to Diego and MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte, who remain as president and chairman respectively.
A year in the making
Toft has been preparing for one of the most prestigious jobs in liner shipping for the past 12 months, and has relocated his family to Geneva.
He quit Maersk in November 2019, ending a career spanning 25 years with the Danish carrier.
Toft, a Dane born in 1974, joined the Maersk group in 1994 and held various commercial and operational roles in Denmark, Germany and Indonesia before his appointment as head of network planning.
In 2014, he became COO with responsibility for the global operations of the liner business. Aside from playing a key role in Maersk's integration with German line Hamburg Sud in 2017, he had been very focused on finding new sustainable fuel sources for the group.
Pivotal juncture
Toft assumes the key position at MSC at a pivotal juncture for the two largest liner operators.
Maersk and MSC are partners in the 2M Alliance, but are currently vying with one another for the position of the world's largest carrier.
MSC is the second-largest carrier with 16% of the existing fleet at 3.85m teu, according to Alphaliner.
Maersk is slightly larger, with 4.1m teu and a 17% share.
But that could change as the two carriers deploy different strategies.
Maersk has no plans to expand its fleet and plans to maintain its current capacity.
In contrast, MSC continues to grow with secondhand acquisitions and newbuildings.
TradeWinds reported in October that MSC is in talks with shipyards in China for a series of five or six 23,000-teu vessels — in a deal worth up to $888m.
It has also been among the most active buyers in the secondhand market.
MSC has in recent weeks acquired several post-panamax boxships of between 7,500 teu and 8,500 teu from the German market.
