Maersk Line,Limited Plays Important Role in Military Transport

A.P. Moller-Maersk Group is a Danish global conglomerate that operates in about 130 countries with around 108,000 workers.It is active in fields from shipping and energy,to logistics,retail and manufacturing.Its U.S. subsidiary,Maersk Line,Limited,based in Norfolk,Virginia,is a major U.S. defense contractor,playing an integral role in military transport by U.S. flag merchant vessels.MLL employs about 900 U.S. merchant mariners daily on the largest U.S. flag fleet in commercial service.
MLL's first government contract came in 1983,when it converted and operated five military prepositioning ships.Today,MLL does flexible and end-to-end distribution of U.S. government cargo,including military sustainment and humaintarian aid,as well as complex unit moves and assorted breakbulk items.MLL manages and charters a fleet of tankers and heavy-lift multi-purpose vessels for a wide range of government and commercial cargoes.
With its technical expertise,MLL also applies proven program management and lifecycle strategies to optimise the performance of maritime assets,reducing total ownership costs and increasing operational reliability.The Farrell Lines MLL subsidary provides pure car/truck carriers under U.S. flag for the global distribution requirements of the U.S. armed forces.MLL is deeply committed to the U.S. military,the U.S. Merchant Marine and the maritime industry.Its corporate values include continuous improvement and environmental stewardship.
Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby is Commander,Miltary Sealift Command,with which Maersk Line,Limited works so closely.MLL is an integral part of military contingency planning.

Frigate Participates

An Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate,the USS Halyburton(FFG40),participated in the anti-pirate operation off the coast of Somalia that freed Captain Richard Phillips,the merchant mariner who commanded the Maersk Alabama at the time it was attacked by the pirates.A replacement crew has since boarded the freighter in Mombasa,Kenya.The Perry class frigates are armed with a 76mm/62 caliber gun,as well as a Phalanx Close-In Weapon System and six torpedo tubes.They can sail at 29 knots and have a complement of 209.The Halyburton was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards,Seattle.She is homeported in Mayport,Florida.Frigates are among the smaller warships in service today.They are relied on for escort and patrol missions by many navies.The U.S. Navy has 30 of the frigates,keeping eight of them for reserve use.

U.S. Ship Harassed

The USNS Impeccable,a Special Missions ship,was challenged by five Chinese boats in the South China Sea.The Chinese came dangerously close to the Impeccable;one of their boats got within 25 feet,or 7.62 meters,of her.The Chinese also strewed debris in the path of the U.S. ship and blocked her in,surrounding her.China accused the Impeccable of engaging in illegal activity.China considers most of the South China Sea to be its territorial waters,but the U.S. and many other countries dispute this.The USNS Impeccable has a merchant mariner crew,plus military personnel to carry out its special mission of ocean surveillance.The Impeccable tows sensor arrays and maps the ocean floor with the data they collect.The mapping is used for submarine navigation and antisubmarine warfare.The Impeccable is unarmed.She is part of the Military Sealift Command,an organization that provides utility ships for a wide array of government needs.The MSC is under a Navy admiral.