Maersk Line sets sail with Volvo Ocean Race

Global shipping company Maersk Line has entered into a partnership with the Volvo Ocean Race for the 2014-15 edition of the sailing event.

Under the deal, the Danish-based company becomes the shipping partner of the nine month endurance offshore sailing event and is responsible for transporting team equipment and supplies across 10 countries, four continents and five oceans.

Additionally, Maersk Line is tasked with setting up the “race villages” at all stopover locations, which will accommodate almost 1,000 crew and support staff.

Volvo Ocean Race chief operations officer Tom Touber said: “We are very lucky to have a very professional shipping company to transport the whole race village around the world. It’s a case of setting up a village for almost 1,000 inhabitants if you count all of the race, team and other stakeholder staff. And on top of that we host 2.9 million spectators every race.”

This year’s Volvo Ocean Race starts in Alicante, Spain in October 2014 and concludes in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2015.