Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp and global maritime transport group Teekay are jointly bidding for AP Moller-Maersk's liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping unit, a Marubeni spokeswoman said on Wednesday, Economic Times reports.
Maersk's LNG unit consists of eight LNG carriers. The Danish company said in its first-quarter report in May that it would look to sell the unit because it wanted to allocate the resources to other businesses.
A Maersk official last month told shipping newspaper Lloyd's List that Maersk LNG could be worth $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion. Prices of $1.5 billion to $2 billion have also been mentioned in some media reports.
A Maersk spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday. Officials at Teekay could not be reached immediately for confirmation.
Maersk said in its six-month report in August that the LNG shipping market saw increasing activity in the first half of 2011, its LNG vessels were fully employed and Maersk LNG signed new contracts with a positive impact this year and next.
But it said that it considered the unit too small to become a leading player.a
Maersk's LNG unit consists of eight LNG carriers. The Danish company said in its first-quarter report in May that it would look to sell the unit because it wanted to allocate the resources to other businesses.
A Maersk official last month told shipping newspaper Lloyd's List that Maersk LNG could be worth $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion. Prices of $1.5 billion to $2 billion have also been mentioned in some media reports.
A Maersk spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday. Officials at Teekay could not be reached immediately for confirmation.
Maersk said in its six-month report in August that the LNG shipping market saw increasing activity in the first half of 2011, its LNG vessels were fully employed and Maersk LNG signed new contracts with a positive impact this year and next.
But it said that it considered the unit too small to become a leading player.a