Community

At the Maersk Company Ltd we recognise that it is our responsibility to use our core competencies to benefit the community in which we live, work and operate. The primary emphasis of the Company's charitable activities is on education within the local community and maritime industry. This forms the central theme of the three main pillars of charitable actitity below:

• Local Community

• Maritime Charities

• Education

We engage in a number of local projects and initiatives across the UK and Ireland. A few examples of our recent local community involvement can be found below.

• Local Community

The Maersk Company Ltd supports projects for local disabled and underprivileged children from particularly deprived areas. This support is channeled through the AHOY organisation – Action Help and Opportunities for Youth – which operates from the banks of the river Thames in South East London.

Among other things, the children are given an experience of success by learning how to sail, and also social inclusion and teamwork. The Maersk Company Ltd has supported AHOY since it opened in 2000, and last year provided funding for a ramp to enable wheelchair users to board the sailing boats with minimal assistance.

• Maritime Charities

The Maersk Company Ltd is one of the largest ship owners in the country. It puts to sea over 2,000 seafarers, including a large number of Officers and Cadets trained in the UK. The Company has a very strong relationships with key organisations, working hard to ensure the welfare of UK seafarers, whether retired, serving at sea, or still training.

A key partner in this effort is Seafarers UK, formerly known as King George's Fund for Sailors, which was founded by King George V in 1917. Seafarers UK is a central umbrella fund making grants to nautical charities which look after the welfare needs of seafarers and their dependants in the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets.

• Education

In May 2007, the Maersk Company Ltd provided a rare education opportunity for the children at Crowstone Preparatory School in Essex. The UK-flagged vessel Maersk Gairloch communicated directly with the school, via daily e-mails, and provided the children with data concerning the weather, the ship's position and speed. The children learnt about life on board, the cargo and destinations, and the size and capacity of the ship and it's containers.

Maersk Gairloch was instrumental in enabling live communication across the world to this small school in England, as the children tracked the vessel during its transit across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Panama Canal. Geographic information was learnt in a live and exciting way.