The world's largest shipping line Maersk is looking for ways to expand into Australia's on-land logistics operations.

"We've got a vision to be the global integrator of container logistics," said Gerard Morrison, managing director of Maersk's Oceania business to The Australian Financial Review.  "Shipping and logistics can be quite fragmented - multiple parties, multiple documents, multiple invoices - but we're hoping to find ways to simplify that."

Although global shipping rates are still down - 19 percent down for Maersk - Mr. Morrison said, "Australia and New Zealand are doing very well, there's very steady growth out of both markets," adding, "Customers are asking us to carry more and more cargo."

Getting into the business of offering container storage, customs clearance, and trucking to the logistics sector in Australia might mean that Maersk will will have to acquire other businesses:  "If the right opportunity was there, we wouldn’t look away from it," Morrison said.

The shipper is already increasing its activities in Aussie waters, sending a cargo ship to make regular calls at Bell Bay, Tasmania; that will allow seafood companies and other producers to move their products to Melbourne and New Zealand, and then off to clients around the world reached via Maersk ships.