Former Maersk Supply Service boss emerges to head up AD Ports offshore and subsea business

Former chief executive of Maersk Supply Service (MSS) Steen Karstensen has been selected to lead the offshore and subsea business of Abu Dhabi-based ports and logistics giant AD Ports Group.

Karstensen announced his new appointment on LinkedIn more than a year after he had left MSS, following A.P. Moller Holding’s takeover in which Christian Ingerslev, the ex-boss of Maersk Tankers, was picked as the new head of the Danish offshore vessel owner.

Fast-expanding AD Ports Group has made several investments in assets and services exposed to different markets, including the offshore segment, amidst forecasts of an upward trend over the medium-long term.

Last November, the company agreed to buy 10 offshore vessels from E-NAV for $200m to bolster offshore operations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. 

Karstensen, who spent most of his career at Maersk, including about 10 years as chief procurement officer and senior vice president of the group, led MSS between 2016 and 2023. MSS is now in takeover proceedings with Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF.