Comment / Analysis: solid balance sheet helps Maersk weather the storm battering container shipping

“Net interest-bearing debt increased to $10.7bn ($7.8bn), mainly due to share buy­back of $475m, dividends of $1bn, new finance leases of $947m and net interest­-bearing debt of $0.4bn acquired through the Grup Marítim TCB transaction, partly offset by proceeds from sale of Danske Bank shares of $482m.” – Maersk, annual results 2016 (emphasis on the amount of debt is mine)

It is relatively easy to forget how big certain numbers can become, spiralling out control when cyclical hurdles become harder to predict ...