• Government and Commercial Service
    We operate, manage and maintain ships for the U.S. government in preposition and surge sealift capacities as well as providing international commercial service.
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  • Mission Critical Cargo
    Maersk Line, Limited specializes in the transport of mission critical cargo. We support U.S. military, government and humanitarian missions with our services.
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  • U.S. Flag Transportation Services
    We ship cargo that has a U.S. flag transportation requirement mandated by our customers, the U.S. military and U.S. government.
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  • Modern and Diverse Fleet
    We operate a fleet of roll on, roll off carriers, container and tanker vessels around the world.
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  • U.S. Merchant Marine
    We are proud to be the largest employer of U.S. Merchant Mariners.
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  • National Security
    Our participation in the Maritime Security Program (MSP) ensures
    that our assets are always available to support U.S. government needs.
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Introduction to U.S. Flag Shipping

A vessel’s “flag” is the country in which it is registered, meaning that the ship is subject to that country’s laws. U.S. flag shipping vessels are flagged to the United States, protected by the U.S. government and subject to laws set by the U.S. Coast Guard.  U.S. flag vessels abide by some of the most comprehensive, stringent, and costly standards in the entire shipping industry.  Due to regulations established by the U.S. government and in the interest of national security, U.S. flag vessels can only be crewed by native or naturalized U.S. citizens.

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  • Who uses U.S Flag shipping?

    U.S. Flag shipping is highly specialized and can be considered crucial to our country’s national security. This cargo is usually categorized as “mission critical”. We support military, government and humanitarian missions through the transport of cargo on our diversified fleet of vessels including roll on, roll off (Ro/Ro) ships, containers, tankers and breakbulk ships.

  • What types of ships are in MLL’s U.S. Flag fleet?

    We operate a fleet of Ro/Ro, container and tanker vessels, both in international commercial service or under contract with the U.S. government. We also offer Ro/Ro vessels through our subsidiary, Farrell Lines.
    The majority of our ships sail in weekly fixed rotations but our tankers are available for time and voyage charters.

  • How does MLL maintain its U.S. Flag fleet?

    We have invested over $1 billion to sustain and upgrade our U.S. flag fleet over the past 31 years.
    In 2009, we invested hundreds of millions of dollars to significantly upgrade our fleet and reflag nine vessels from foreign to U.S. flag registry.
    Newer, more reliable ships reduce operating costs and improve performance as we partner with the U.S. government and other industry stakeholders to ensure U.S. Flag shipping remains a highly successful endeavor.

  • Is Maersk Line, Limited the same company as Maersk Line?

    Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) is the U.S. Flag subsidiary of Danish based shipping company, Maersk Line. Farrell Lines (FL), is a subsidiary of MLL that offers Ro/Ro carriers.
    MLL only transports cargo that has a U.S. flag transportation requirement as set forth by the U.S. military or government. If you would like to ship cargo that does not have this transportation requirement, please click here to register for a quote with Maersk Line.