MAERSK UNIT WINS APPROVAL TO SWITCH MSP SHIP
U.S. Ship Management Inc., a company set up by Maersk Sealand to operate the former Sealand vessels under the U.S. flag, has won approval from the Maritime Administration to replace the container vessel “Newark Bay” with the “Sealand Pride” in the government’s Maritime Security Program.
Under the MSP, vessels receive government operating subsidies, in return for their ships and other equipment being made available to the military during national emergencies.
Maritime Administrator Clyde Hart said the replacement is in the national interest, because the vessel possesses “greater speed, is more maneuverable, and has essentially the same militarily useful carrying capacity, with a longer useful life expectancy when compared to the Newark Bay.”