The sale of Maersk Tankers to family-owned AP Moller Holding fits in with a strategy to revitalise the holding company's ownership structure — at least in the short to medium term.

A policy to “develop new businesses inside as well as outside our core holdings” was outlined by AP Moller Holding chief executive Robert Uggla in an internal Maersk Post interview in June, but the main aim is to diversify.