Maersk Line to replace 9 MSP vessels

Maersk Line to replace 9 MSP vessels    The U.S. Maritime Administration on Friday announced that Maersk Line Ltd., a U.S.-flag vessel operator, is in the process of replacing nine of its containerships enrolled in the Maritime Security Program.
   MarAd manages MSP, which provides the government with militarily useful, U.S.-flag cargo ships during times of war and national emergency.
   The Defense Department's Transportation Command approved Maersk's 2008 request to change the vessels after MarAd found the proposed replacement vessels met or exceeded the MSP eligibility requirements.
   The nine Maersk vessels leaving MSP are the Sea-Land Pride, Sea-Land Atlantic, Sea-Land Motivator, Sea-Land Commitment, Sea-Land Florida, Sea-Land Achiever, Sea-Land Performance, Sea-Land Quality and Maersk Arizona. MarAd said Mearsk expects to reflag all of these vessels to foreign registry in the next few months.
   The ships replacing them are the Sea-Land Champion, Maersk Utah, Sea-Land Eagle, Sea-Land Mercury, Maersk Wisconsin, Maersk Wyoming, Sea-Land Racer, Maersk Kentucky and Maersk Idaho. Those ships will be reflagged into the U.S. fleet, MarAd said.