Takeover talk around NOL is nothing new but it has bubbled up of late following mainstream press attention.
At a results briefing yesterday chief executive Ng Yat Chung said a sale is not out of the question.
"The company has a duty to consider all options to maximise shareholder value. Hypothetically if I receive a good price for the business, we will always consider selling," he said.
Reuters today suggested Temasek Holdings could be willing to sell its shares in the business for around $2bn, with Citi hired to oversee the process.
UASC, Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Sud were all named again as potential suitors.
"UASC now has much wider options since the Qataris took control, and the Qataris want to be world-class in everything they touch," a Hong Kong banker told the newswire.
NOL logged a gain of $887m on the sale of its logistics business, accounting for all but $3m of its second quarter net income.
Barclays Capital says the company is expected to record substantial earnings recovery this year.
It notes the liner business saw a 54% shift in profit to $20m for the quarter thanks to bunker and network-related cost savings that more than countered lower freight rates.
