Maersk chief raps US policy

The head of the world’s biggest shipping company says curbs on immigration backed by the administration of President Donald Trump risk hurting the US economy.

“The US economy is running at full steam and therefore wages have started to rise,” which “in itself is positive”, AP Moller-Maersk CEO Soren Skou said in an interview.

“But if the US succeeds in cutting off immigration, it will be very challenging to keep the economy going at the same pace,” he said.

Running a company that transports goods around the world puts Skou in a unique position to observe how a wave of protectionism is reshaping the global trade map. And as the Trump administration blamed globalisation for pummelling the middle classes, Skou said it was clear other regions were emerging as economic powerhouses.

“My personal belief is that Europe has more potential,” Skou said.

“There are parts of Europe with a lot of potential if they make reforms that strengthen their labour markets and seize the opportunities that arise from digitisation,” he said. “If the political situation can be kept under control, I think that Europe has some good years ahead,” the CEO said.

The shipping company transported 10.7-million 12m containers in 2017, an increase of 3% from 2016. The company’s fleet of almost 800 vessels controls about a fifth of the world’s seaborne trade, according to industry consultant Alphaliner.

When it comes to the longer term, Skou said Maersk was “positive” on Africa and Latin America. “And that’s why we’ve invested a lot in those two regions,” he said.

“Global trade is not at risk of stopping, but we also have to acknowledge that we probably won’t get to see new, large freetrade agreements,” Skou said.

“So we won’t get a boost or an acceleration from that and that’s a shame because we think that free trade makes the world richer.”

IF THE US SUCCEEDS IN CUTTING OFF IMMIGRATION, IT WILL BE VERY CHALLENGING TO KEEP THE ECONOMY GOING AT THE SAME PACE