APM Terminals
A global port operator and container-terminal investment business within A.P. Moller - Maersk.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
APM Terminals is the port-operating and terminal-investment business of A.P. Moller - Maersk. Headquartered in The Hague, it develops, owns interests in, manages and operates container terminals and related inland-services activities across major trade routes. Its work sits at the interface between ocean shipping and inland supply chains: terminals receive vessels, load and discharge containers, manage yards, provide storage and transfer cargo to road, rail and other inland transport systems. The business traces its operational heritage to Maersk’s early terminal activities in the United States. A Maersk facility opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1958 for general cargo, and the group later established a dedicated container terminal at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1975. APM Terminals was organized as the group’s dedicated port and terminal operating unit in January 2001 and moved its headquarters from Copenhagen to The Hague in 2004. APM Terminals participates in terminal projects through a mixture of operating contracts, concessions, joint ventures, investments and direct asset ownership. This model means that its portfolio changes over time as concessions expire, assets are divested, new projects are awarded and existing facilities are expanded. The company has served more than 60 shipping lines and, according to the cited reference material, operated 60 ports and terminals in 30 countries as of April 2024. Other descriptions of its broader network count facilities and inland-service operations differently, reflecting the distinction between directly operated terminals, equity interests and associated logistics assets. Major development activity has included terminals and expansions in Mexico, Morocco, Oman, the Netherlands, Georgia, Brazil, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Costa Rica, Italy and other markets. The 2016 acquisition of Grup Maritim TCB added eight terminals and significant port and rail interests to the network. The company has also expanded its role beyond quayside handling through container transport, equipment management, maintenance, repair and inland services. Sustainability and terminal automation have become important strategic themes. APM Terminals has committed to net-zero operations by 2040 and to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 65% by 2030 against a 2022 baseline. Its program includes renewable electricity procurement, electrification of container-handling equipment, hybrid or electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, shore-power initiatives and pilot projects at selected terminals. In 2023 it began a reported US$60 million electrification pilot covering facilities in Jordan, Spain and the United States, among others, and helped establish the Zero Emission Port Alliance at COP28. APM Terminals is distinct from Maersk’s ocean-shipping carrier business, although the two businesses belong to the same corporate group and can serve overlapping supply-chain customers. Its commercial identity is centered on port infrastructure, terminal productivity, cargo flows, safety, environmental performance and long-term connectivity between maritime gateways and inland markets. In April 2025, it acquired the Panama Canal Railway, extending its transport-infrastructure portfolio beyond terminal operations.
History
APM Terminals’ history is rooted in A.P. Moller - Maersk’s participation in port and cargo handling. The group’s terminal-operating heritage reaches back to 1958, when its first cited facility opened in Brooklyn in the Port of New York to handle general cargo. As containerization reshaped maritime transport, Maersk established a dedicated container facility at Berth 51 in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1975. These activities provided an operational foundation for a later, more focused terminal organization. APM Terminals was established in January 2001 as the port and terminal operating unit of the Copenhagen-based A.P. Moller - Maersk group. In 2004, the organization moved its headquarters from Copenhagen to The Hague, Netherlands. The separate identity allowed the business to develop a portfolio of terminal concessions, joint ventures, operating contracts and infrastructure investments while remaining connected to Maersk’s wider shipping and logistics system. During the 2000s and 2010s, APM Terminals expanded its international network as container volumes and vessel sizes increased. Its portfolio came to include gateway and transshipment facilities in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. The company also participated in inland services involving container transport, maintenance, management and repair. In 2013, it finalized plans with Turkish petrochemicals company Petkim for a new terminal near Izmir. The facility opened in 2016 under a 28-year concession, with an initial stated capacity of 1.5 million TEUs. In the same year, APM Terminals completed its acquisition of Grup Maritim TCB, adding eight terminals and related port and rail interests. Three facilities began operations in 2017: APM Terminals Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico, APM Terminals Izmir in Turkey and APM Terminals Quetzal in Guatemala. Other projects involved deep-water terminals, logistics hubs and expansions of existing gateways. Meridian Port Services, a joint venture involving APM Terminals, Bolloré Africa Logistics and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, formalized plans for a major deep-water port and logistics hub at Tema. The company also held interests in or operated projects in Russia, Angola, Brazil, Colombia, Sweden, the United States, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. The portfolio has not expanded in only one direction. Terminal concessions and investments have also been sold or allowed to expire. In 2022, APM Terminals divested its stake in EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven and its Sogester interests in Angola. During 2023 and 2024 it divested or exited operations in Castellón, Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Cotonou and Conakry, while the concession for APM Terminals Itajai in Brazil was not renewed in 2023. Such changes reflect the capital-intensive and concession-based nature of port operations. Environmental performance became a more prominent part of the company’s strategy. Maasvlakte II used electric cranes and equipment supplied with renewable electricity, while the company also worked to retrofit rubber-tyred gantry cranes with hybrid-electric systems. In 2022 APM Terminals set a net-zero target for 2040 and a 65% reduction target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 from a 2022 baseline. It reported a 13% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions between 2022 and 2023 and stated that renewable sources supplied 40% of electricity demand in 2023. A 2023 electrification pilot and the Zero Emission Port Alliance further emphasized the shift toward electric cargo-handling equipment. By 2023, the company reported revenue of US$3.8 billion, more than 22,000 employees, over 27,000 vessel calls and 21.7 million containers handled across its hub and gateway terminals. These financial and operating figures are time-specific rather than permanent measures of the brand’s scale. In April 2025, APM Terminals purchased the Panama Canal Railway, adding a rail asset to its port and inland-connectivity activities.
- 2025
Panama Canal Railway acquired
[1]APM Terminals purchased the Panama Canal Railway from Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Mi-Jack Products.
- 2023
Suape concession awarded and electrification program launched
[1]The company won a concession for a container terminal at Brazil’s Port of Suape and began a reported US$60 million electric-equipment pilot.
- 2022
Net-zero and emissions-reduction targets announced
[1]APM Terminals committed to net-zero operations by 2040 and a 65% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 against a 2022 baseline.
- 2017
Three new terminals commence operations
[1]Facilities in Lázaro Cárdenas, Izmir and Quetzal began operations.
- 2016
Grup Maritim TCB acquisition completed
[1]The acquisition added eight terminals and port and rail interests to the global network.
- 2013
Izmir terminal development plans finalized
[1]APM Terminals and Petkim finalized plans for a deep-water container terminal near Izmir, Turkey.
- 2004
Headquarters moved to The Hague
[1]The company transferred its headquarters from Copenhagen to The Hague, Netherlands.
- 2001
APM Terminals established
[1]APM Terminals was formed as the dedicated port and terminal operating unit of A.P. Moller - Maersk.
- 1975
Dedicated container terminal established at Port Elizabeth
[1]The group established the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s first dedicated container terminal at Berth 51 in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey.
- 1958
First cited Maersk terminal facility opens in Brooklyn
[1]A Maersk facility opened in Brooklyn in the Port of New York to handle general cargo, establishing an early foundation for the group’s terminal activities.
Products and positioning
A global port operator and infrastructure investor focused on container-terminal connectivity, operational efficiency and increasingly low-emission cargo handling.
Port services
Container terminal operations
The core offering covers vessel berthing, quay-side loading and discharge, container-yard operations, gate processing, storage and the movement of containers through gateway and transshipment facilities. Services are delivered under local concessions, joint ventures, operating agreements or invested assets and are tailored to the infrastructure and regulatory conditions of each port.
Infrastructure investment
Terminal investment and development
APM Terminals develops and invests in container-terminal infrastructure, including new deep-water facilities, expansions, quays, breakwaters, cranes, automated systems and supporting logistics areas. It may participate as an owner, co-investor, concession holder or operating partner, giving the business a portfolio of long-duration infrastructure interests rather than a single standardized product.
Inland logistics
Integrated inland services
The business connects maritime terminals with inland supply chains through container transportation and related services. Its cited activities include container management, maintenance and repair, as well as more than 100 inland-service operations in the broader network. The precise service mix differs by country and facility.
Cargo logistics
Port cargo handling and storage
Cargo-handling services include receiving containers, staging them in terminal yards, coordinating transfers and releasing them to inland transport. These activities support shipping lines, cargo owners, freight forwarders and logistics providers and are central to the terminal’s role as a maritime-to-land interchange.
Port technology and sustainability · 2022
Low-emission terminal equipment programs
APM Terminals is deploying or testing electric and hybrid equipment, renewable electricity, shore-power solutions and other measures intended to reduce emissions from cranes and container-handling machinery. The initiatives include retrofits of rubber-tyred gantry cranes and a multi-terminal battery-electric pilot launched in 2023.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Terminal electrification pilot
Jordan · Spain · United States
APM Terminals began a reported US$60 million program to test and accelerate battery-electric container-handling equipment at Aqaba Container Terminal, Barcelona, Mobile, Pier 400 Los Angeles and Suez Canal Container Terminal.
Outcome. Pilot program launched; longer-term deployment results were not specified in the cited material.
- 2023Zero Emission Port Alliance
International
Established around COP28, the alliance seeks to coordinate the port industry and accelerate electrification of container-handling equipment.
Outcome. Industry coalition established; subsequent measurable outcomes were not specified.
- 2015Maasvlakte II renewable-electricity program
Netherlands
APM Terminals arranged renewable wind-generated electricity for cranes and container-handling equipment at its Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam.
Outcome. Supported a low-emission operating model for the newly inaugurated deep-water terminal.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquisition of Panama Canal RailwayM&ABackground
APM Terminals pursued additional rail connectivity to complement its port and inland-services activities.
Action taken
It purchased the Panama Canal Railway from Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Mi-Jack Products.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded the brand’s transport-infrastructure footprint beyond container-terminal operations.
2022
Commitment to net-zero terminal operationsStrategyBackground
Port operations rely heavily on electricity and fuel for cranes, vehicles and other handling equipment, creating pressure to reduce direct and purchased-energy emissions.
Action taken
APM Terminals committed to net-zero operations by 2040 and to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 65% by 2030 from a 2022 baseline.
Aftermath
The company subsequently reported a 13% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2022 to 2023 and 40% renewable electricity procurement in 2023.
2016
Acquisition of Grup Maritim TCBM&ABackground
APM Terminals sought to expand its terminal and rail network in Europe and other markets.
Action taken
It completed the reported US$1 billion acquisition of Spanish-based Grup Maritim TCB’s port and rail interests.
Aftermath
The transaction added eight terminals and approximately two million equity-weighted TEUs of volume to the network.
Acquisition value. US$1 billion (2016)
Recent events
- 2025
APM Terminals completes acquisition of Panama Canal Railway[1]
M&A
APM Terminals purchased the Panama Canal Railway from Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Mi-Jack Products, broadening its transport-infrastructure activities beyond container terminals.
- 2023
APM Terminals begins major terminal-electrification pilot[1]
Other
The company commenced a reported US$60 million pilot to accelerate the use of battery-electric container-handling equipment at selected terminals in Jordan, Spain and the United States.
- 2023
Zero Emission Port Alliance established at COP28[1]
Other
APM Terminals helped establish an industry coalition intended to speed the electrification of container-handling equipment and support lower-emission port operations.
- 2023
APM Terminals expands Maasvlakte II capacity[1]
Product generation
An expansion program at the Rotterdam Maasvlakte II facility began with the objective of doubling annual capacity, with completion expected in 2027 according to the cited reference.
- 2022
APM Terminals divests several terminal interests[1]
Other
The company divested its 30% interest in EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven and its Sogester terminal interests in Luanda and Namibe, Angola.
- 2022
APM Terminals adopts 2040 net-zero commitment[1]
Other
APM Terminals announced a commitment to reach net-zero operations by 2040 and to cut Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 65% by 2030 compared with 2022.
- 2016
Grup Maritim TCB acquisition completed[1]
M&A
APM Terminals completed a reported US$1 billion acquisition of the Spanish-based Grup Maritim TCB’s port and rail interests, adding eight terminals and approximately two million equity-weighted TEUs of volume to its network.
- 2015
APM Terminals Maasvlakte II inaugurated[1]
Product launch
The deep-water Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam was inaugurated with electrically powered equipment and renewable electricity arrangements designed to reduce direct greenhouse-gas and particulate emissions.
Sources3 sources
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