A.P. Moller - Maersk

Global Integrated Logistics and Ocean FreightFounded 1904- HQ today: Copenhagen, Denmark

Founders

Who Founded Maersk?

Arnold Peter Møller, Peter Mærsk Møller · Founded 1904 · HQ today: Copenhagen, Denmark

Who founded Maersk?

Maersk was founded by Arnold Peter Møller, Peter Mærsk Møller in 1904 in Svendborg, Denmark. It is now led by Vincent Clerc.

Founders: Arnold Peter Møller, Peter Mærsk Møller
Founded: 1904
Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark
Number of founders: 2
Current CEO: Vincent Clerc (since 2023)

Where was Maersk founded?: Maersk was founded in Svendborg, Denmark in 1904. wikidata.org
When was Maersk founded?: Maersk was founded in 1904.
Who started Maersk?: Maersk was founded by Arnold Peter Møller and Peter Mærsk Møller.
How old is Maersk?: Maersk is 122 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

The company traces back to 1904, when Peter Mærsk Møller and his son A.P. Møller set up Steamship Company Svendborg in Svendborg, Denmark, with the second-hand steamer S/S Laura. In 1912 A.P. Møller founded a second company, Steamship Company of 1912; the two were merged in 2003. Maersk Line moved into container shipping in the 1970s, and the 1999 purchase of Sea-Land made it the world's largest container carrier for many years.

Arnold Peter Møller

Co-founder 1904

Background

Arnold Peter Møller co-founded the business in 1904 and founded Steamship Company of 1912, building the group that later became A.P. Moller - Maersk. His motto 'Constant Care' remains part of the company's values.

Role at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Arnold Peter (A.P.) Møller (1876-1965) co-founded Steamship Company Svendborg with his father in 1904 at age 28 and in 1912 set up Steamship Company of 1912 to expand with fewer board constraints. The two companies ran side by side for decades and merged in 2003 into A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S. He was known for conservative finances and strong cash reserves, and his motto "Constant Care" is still part of Maersk’s stated values. Arnold Peter Møller was born in 1876.

Peter Mærsk Møller

Co-founder 1904

Background

Peter Mærsk Møller was a Danish sea captain who co-founded the business with his son A.P. Møller in 1904, starting with the second-hand steamer S/S Laura.

Role at A.P. Moller - Maersk

Peter Mærsk Møller (1836-1927) was a Danish sea captain from the island of Rømø who spent much of his career commanding ships. In 1904 he and his son A.P. Møller founded Steamship Company Svendborg, buying the second-hand steamer S/S Laura. The seven-pointed white star he flew on his ship later became the Maersk emblem. Peter Mærsk Møller was born in 1836.

A.P. Moller - Maersk: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Vincent Clerc

Chief Executive Officer

2023 – Present

CEO since January 2023, previously CEO of Ocean & Logistics. He has continued Maersk's integrator strategy, launched the Gemini Cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd and led overhead cuts including about 1,000 corporate role closures announced in 2025.

Søren Skou

Chief Executive Officer

2016 – 2022

Under his tenure, Maersk successfully navigated the pandemic supply chain crisis, generating record-shattering profits in 2021 and 2022 while fundamentally repositioning the company's long-term corporate identity.

Nils Smedegaard Andersen

Chief Executive Officer

2007 – 2016

He stabilized the company's balance sheet during a decade of severe overcapacity in global shipping, paving the way for the later structural separation of the energy assets.

Keep researching Maersk

Who Founded Maersk? FAQ

Who founded A.P. Moller - Maersk and under what circumstances?

A.P. Moller - Maersk was founded in April 1904 in Svendborg, Denmark, by Captain Peter Mærsk Møller and his son Arnold Peter (A.P.) Møller as 'Dampskibsselskabet Svendborg' (The Steamship Company Svendborg), acquiring a single second-hand steamship.

Who was Arnold Peter (A.P.) Møller and what was his founding philosophy?

A.P. Møller (1876 to 1965) was a Danish industrialist who guided the company for 61 years. His core operating motto, 'No loss should be incurred which can be avoided with constant care', became the defining principle of Maersk's engineering and logistics excellence.

Why did A.P. Møller found a second shipping company, 'Dampskibsselskabet af 1912'?

In 1912, seeking complete entrepreneurial freedom from conservative Svendborg board members, A.P. Møller established a second independent shipping company, Dampskibsselskabet af 1912. The two companies operated in tandem until formally merging in 2003 as A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S.

What was the Odense Steel Shipyard established by A.P. Møller in 1918?

In 1918, unable to purchase ships during World War I, A.P. Møller built the Odense Steel Shipyard (Odense Staalskibsværft) in Denmark, which constructed hundreds of advanced cargo vessels, supertankers, and container ships until its closure in 2012.

How did Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller safeguard the company during World War II?

When Nazi Germany invaded Denmark in April 1940, A.P. Møller transferred operational control of the international fleet outside Danish waters to his son Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller in New York, where he operated Maersk ships in service of the Allied war effort.

What is the A.P. Møller Foundation and what role does it play?

Established in 1953 by A.P. Møller, the A.P. Møller and Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation is the controlling philanthropic shareholder of Maersk, ensuring permanent Danish family ownership and funding major cultural and educational projects in Denmark.

When did Maersk enter the container shipping revolution?

In 1973, under the leadership of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Maersk ordered its first nine specialized cellular container ships (the 'Svendborg Maersk' class), inaugurating its first transatlantic container service in 1975 and pioneering the modern container era.

What was the historical origin of the name 'Mærsk'?

The surname 'Mærsk' comes from Captain Peter Mærsk Møller's mother, who hailed from the Danish marshland island of Rømø in southern Jutland ('Mærsk' being the Danish word for marshland).

Who founded Maersk?

The modern massive empire was built by A.P. Møller, but it was his son, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, who turned it into a global titan. Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller ran the company for over 50 years until 2003. He was an absolute legend in Denmark, known for his relentless work ethic, massive political influence, and strict adherence to the company motto: "With Constant Care" (meaning absolute long-term financial discipline).

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