Maersk Line Ltd. replaces six MSP ships with newer tonnage

Maersk Line Ltd. replaces six MSP ships with newer tonnage    Maersk Line Ltd. signed agreements Friday with the U.S. Maritime Administration to transfer six Maritime Security Program operating agreements to modern containerships.
   The MSP vessels to be replaced by the U.S.-flag carrier were built in the 1980s and formerly operated by U.S. Ship Management. The new replacement vessels are the “Sealand Intrepid,” “Sealand Lightning,” “Sealand Charger,” “Sealand Comet,” “Sealand Meteor,” and “Alva Maersk.”
   “This is a major milestone in MLL’s plan to enroll newer, faster and larger U.S.-flagged vessels into the maritime security program,” said Ken Gaulden, Maersk Line Ltd.’s senior vice president for marketing and government relations, in a statement. Maersk Line Ltd. is the U.S.-flag vessel subsidiary of Denmark’s A.P. Moller/Maersk A.S.
   The current MSP program, which expires on Sept. 30, 2005, includes 47 U.S.-flag container and roll-on/roll-off ships, which are available to the Defense Department in times of war or other national emergencies. The program was reauthorized and expanded to 60 ships in the 2003 Maritime Security Act.
   MSP age limits require that older vessels be replaced in the program before reaching 25 years of age. The first of Maersk Line Ltd.’s new replacement vessels will enter the U.S. flag later this month.
   “The replaced vessels will continue to operate under U.S. flag until their replacement begins operating under U.S. flag with a U.S. crew,” Maersk Line Ltd. said. “The disposition of the six replaced vessels will be determined in the near future, but they are ultimately expected to be operated in Maersk’s international fleet.”