Maersk rainbow container participates in Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade

Fleet of rainbow containers travel the world to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts by Maersk.

Charlotte, North Carolina – Maersk’s rainbow 40’ container - one of 19 containers (and growing) that are deployed in the company’s global operations participated in the Charlotte Pride Parade on Sunday, August 21.

Maersk maintains a fleet of specially-painted rainbow containers which participate in DEI events around the world. The rainbow containers have appeared in Pride events and parades this summer in Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Warsaw, Poland; Genoa, Italy; Zurich, Switzerland; Chennai, India; Santiago, Chile; Guayaquil, Ecuador and Lima, Peru amongst others.

On Friday, August 19th the rainbow container was at the Maersk Charlotte office on 9300 Arrowpoint Boulevard as part of an employee event featuring local North Carolina barbeque food, a taco truck and music for employees – who were able to go inside the container to sign their names in support of the initiative.  For both this event and the parade, the Maersk rainbow container was mounted to a Pride-decorated 40 foot chassis provided by DCLI, the largest supplier of chassis equipment to the U.S. intermodal industry.

Mr. Shirley accompanied the container in the Charlotte Pride Parade on Sunday as executive sponsor.

Back in July 2020, two Maersk containers were skillfully painted in the United States with a rainbow to join Maersk’s fleet and embarked on their first World Tour. The first part of the journey was aboard the Maersk Edmonton from APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles to Yokohama, Japan. The containers stopped at several locations across Asia and Europe, before finally ending their tour in Denmark for the Copenhagen Pride parade in 2021.

During their World Tour, the containers have been made available to A.P. Moller-Maersk employees during strategic points in the journey for them to sign – and around the world, many have taken the chance to share their hopes for a future of improved diversity and inclusion.

The rainbow fleet of containers are part of Maersk’s working global container fleet and deployments have included humanitarian aid to hurricane survivors in Louisiana on September 6, 2020.  APM Terminals Mobile, Alabama, the Alabama State Port Authority, Maersk Special Projects & Team Rubicon worked together collect over 36,000 lbs. of water, non-perishable food and other emergency supplies for distribution to victims of Hurricane Laura in communities surrounding Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Maersk’s clients have also showed interest in the use of these rainbow containers to move their goods around the world, and during the tour they have visited numerous customer sites for employee events.

In Charlotte, Maersk employs 1000+ people (and growing) along with APM Terminals North America, representing the company’s largest office in Maersk North America's network of 50 offices and 10,000 colleagues.

Learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Maersk here.

About Maersk:

Maersk’s purpose is to improve life for all by integrating the world.

Maersk is one of the largest integrated global logistics companies in the world with a fleet of 700+ ships, air cargo services and inland logistics assets and expertise with 100,000 colleagues in 130 countries offering complete end-to-end, integrated supply chains designed to connect and integrate the world.

In North America, the company has the most extensive, integrated supply chain coverage of any logistics operator with four major ports, 150+ fulfillment centers, inland transport, air cargo and digital technology.

Maersk has experienced an exceptional growth trajectory in the United States – one of the company’s largest and most important markets that were the catalyst for several logistics acquisitions.

During the pandemic, in response to record demand by customers and U.S. consumers, Maersk deployed 50% more vessel capacity in the Asia/North America Transpacific trade lane and invested in landside logistics and e-commerce logistics solutions, expanding from 25 warehouses in 2020 to 155+ today to serve the new buying patterns of consumers.

• In 2020, Maersk acquired the warehousing and distribution network of El Segundo, California-based Performance Team, adding expertise and 24 specialized, omnichannel fulfillment centers.
• In 2021, Maersk acquired Salt Lake City, Utah-based Visible Supply Chain Management – an e-commerce logistics fulfillment specialist with nine fulfillment centers. This added a new level of E-commerce expertise for customers in the Business-to-Consumer segment who could now reach 75% of the U.S. direct-to-consumer market within 24 hours and 95% of the U.S. within 48 hours.
• In 2022, Maersk acquired Glen Mills, Pennsylvania-based Pilot Freight Services - a middle mile and last mile fulfillment and delivery specialist with 87 warehouses,  adding supply chain service to the big and bulky sector (refrigerators, furniture).
• In air freight - air cargo expertise and new routes were added with the acquisition of Germany-based Senator International.

In the U.S., Maersk’s container terminal operator, APM Terminals North America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina has four strategic locations in the U.S.:

• APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles, California – North America’s largest privately-operated container terminal.
• APM Terminals Elizabeth, New Jersey, serving the metropolitan area of New York/New Jersey/Connecticut, Northeast and Midwest regions.
• APM Terminals Mobile, Alabama, serving the U.S. Gulf and Midwest market.
• South Florida Container Terminal in Miami, Florida, serving the South Florida market.

In the U.S., Maersk has purchased 410 electric-powered trucks as part of its global plan to decarbonize its entire operations by 2040. 110 Volvo Trucks. 300 Einride trucks.