Wallenius Wilhelmsen is temporarily laying off half of its production workers in the US and Mexico over the economic impact wrought by Covid-19.

The Oslo-traded ro-ro owner said on Wednesday that it was letting go of 2,500 workers in the two countries, as it continually reviews market conditions with an eye to hire them back when business rebounds.

"While we work diligently to avoid reductions in our workforce, we have no choice but to respond to the disruption experienced by our customers and the effect it has on our operational throughput and income," chief executive Craig Jasienski said in a statement.