APM Terminals Aarhus and Cargo Service have agreed to combine their two facilities into one port complex to serve the customers better through one long contiguous deepwater berth and one set of truck gates, and to obtain the operational synergies of improved use of land, equipment and buildings.

“The new agreement is an important step in offering the customers of APM Terminals and Cargo Service better access to Danish and Baltic markets while maintaining our focus on a safe work environment and a reduced environmental footprint,” says Martin Poulsen, Vice President of APM Terminals Europe.

The new company will be called APM Terminals Cargo Service A/S. The current managing director (MD) of APM Terminals Aarhus, Jakob Flyvbjerg Christensen, will continue as the MD of the merged terminal. APM Terminals is part of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group.

“This agreement reflects our vision to work together to make the Port of Aarhus the most attractive and competitive container port in Scandinavia,” says Flemming Møgelmose, Chairman of Cargo Service Holding A/S.

Cargo Service Holding A/S will continue as an independent company with a range of activities in Aarhus, including handling of project- and heavy duty cargo with particular expertise in wind turbines and wind turbine components.  

The two facilities are currently neighbors and the integration will start during September with teams from both companies participating. The integration is expected to be complete by the end of 2010.

APM Terminals – Cargo Service A/S is strategically located on the Baltic Sea in Denmark’s largest port, and second-largest city, close to the principle manufacturing and industrial centres of Western Denmark. The terminal offers a deepwater berth of 15 meters and is among the most productive container facilities in Europe with easy access to the other major hub and feeder ports of the region. APM Terminals – Cargo Service A/S operates a dedicated rail service between Aarhus and Copenhagen, featuring a five hour transit time and frequency of up to three departures a week. The terminal has on-dock container repair facilities, and can offer customers quick and effective container and refrigerated container repairs.