The Greek credit crisis, including the introduction of capital controls, has done nothing to affect Maersk’s ability to fund operations and ensure payments, the world’s biggest container shipping group revealed to Reuters.
The company has offices in Greece, while its vessels pass through Greek ports including the country’s biggest, Piraeus, which is currently scheduled for privatisation, with Maersk’s APM Terminals in the running.
'We are not facing issues funding local operations,” Maersk said in a statement. “Maersk Line continues to receive incoming payments via bank transfers and cash at counter. Customers who are able to transfer from accounts abroad are offered to do so to a collection account in London.”
Since it already operates two of the port’s three container terminals, China’s Cosco Pacific is the favourite to win the bid for Piraeus, with APM Terminals and Philippines-based International Container Terminal Services also competing.
The Syriza government put a halt to plans to privatise the port when it came to power in January, but has since agreed to sell 51 per cent, with the successful bidder able to up its stake to 67.7 per cent in five years if it invests €300m in the port.
The port’s chief executive since 2009, Yiorgos Anomeritis, last month announced his resignation in opposition to the mooted privatisation.
