A historic container shipping name is set to disappear as part of further reorganisation at Danish giant AP Moller-Maersk.
The Safmarine brand will be integrated into the wider group to "enhance customers’ access to the global integrated offering," Maersk said.
Maersk is also combining freight forwarder Damco's Air and LCL (Less than Container Load) business with the group's logistics and services products.
Due to the changes, Safmarine and Damco will no longer be marketed by the end of 2020.
Formed in 1946 by South African industrialists and American shipowners, Safmarine is a north/south trade and African specialist.
Belgian move
It has been headquartered and registered in Antwerp, Belgium, since 1996, when it completed its acquisition of the Belgian container line, CMBT, a CMB spin-off.
Safmarine was bought by Maersk in 1999. The Danish group chose to retain the Safmarine brand rather than integrating it wholly into Maersk Sealand, another name that fell by the wayside.
In 2002, Safmarine acquired Torm Lines, but by 2011 AP Moller-Maersk was integrating its internal support and management functions into Maersk Line.
Maersk's chief executive of Ocean & Logistics, Vincent Clerc, said: "Over time, the value propositions of Maersk and Safmarine have converged, as both brands have been focusing on building a customer-centric culture and as the digital interactions with customers have increased."
He added: "With the integration of Safmarine, we can present Safmarine customers with the full ocean and supply chain offering and more scale. At the same time, I’m very excited to have Safmarine’s passion for customers closer to Maersk by uniting our teams."
A simplified global Ocean & Logistics organisation is also being introduced.
The back offices of Maersk and more recent acquisition Hamburg Sud will move closer together, but will remain two separate brands with a "differentiated service model," the shipowner said.
