Maersk, MSC Go Head-to-Head in Hunt for Shipping’s White Whale (1)

For decades, Aarhus Havn was solidly Maersk country. As Denmark’s busiest commercial port, the city had long been a vibrant hub for the shipping behemoth with its familiar Smurf-blue fleet. So when the Port of Aarhus announced plans for a new terminal, it was widely assumed the Copenhagen-based company would get the business.

The final decision last year surprised everyone.

Not only did A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S lose out, the contract went to Geneva-based MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. SA — its fiercest competitor and partner for the past decade in a fractious vessel-sharing alliance.

“If their relationship was bad already, this has ...