Marlberg AB: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
|||
| (9 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 36:
| divisions =
| subsid = 900+
| rating = [[Preston & Cole]]: A1
| website =
}}
Line 46 ⟶ 47:
Oskar Marlberg was born to a wealthy whaling family in Brekkim and began a naval career in 1900 at age 18. By the outset of the Great War he had become an officer in the Fleet Logistics Section. This unit would experience large expansions during the conflict as the Kingdom became a source and transit hub for industrial goods, raw material, and military manpower throughout the north Cerenarian region. As an already established professional within the Section, Marlberg enjoyed a meteoric rise through its ranks over the years long war, particularly as the unit was considered to be largely unglamorous and was often avoided by better-connected military and aristocratic families. By the end of the war however, the FLS faced the prospect of peacetime force reductions and Marlberg himself was among those dismissed.
Sensing an opportunity in the large numbers of decommissioned vessels, Marlberg used his contacts within the FLS to arrange for his own family's business to purchase ships cheaply and before potential competitors in what historians have called "One of the most brazen acts of profiteering in Cryrian military history that could only have been concealed amidst the chaos of the Anarchy."
Marlberg's ability to acquire both resources and skilled former FLS personnel allowed him to quickly develop his newly established Marlberg AB as a provider of freight services even in spite of the difficult economic circumstances at the time, particularly as oceangoing freight remained vital to the Cryrian economy and its ability to move goods within the Kingdom itself.
Line 65 ⟶ 66:
The company also provides consulting and training services for oil and gas and terminal operations. As part of its push to support sustainable models, Marlberg AB has also begun to expand into offshore wind power.
Marlberg AB attempted to expand its operations into on-shore oil drilling and mining in Älemsi Negdel, but lost out on lucrative contracts to thethe Polstjärnan Group. Marlberg AB later brought lawsuits against the conglomerate and Duchess Saga of Tynam, claiming that she had leveraged her family connections with the Gazny clan and engaged in corrupt activities to illegally undercut Marlberg AB's operations in Älemsi Negdel. These suits were eventually withdrawn.
=== Manufacturing ===
Line 70 ⟶ 73:
Marlberg AB is a major player in the shipbuilding industry. It owns the Kalsa Shipyards, which produce some of the largest container ships and tankers in the world. In addition to these large cargo vessels, the Kalsa Shipyards are also an important naval supplier. While Marlberg AB does not directly produce military systems, almost every vessel in the Royal Cryrian Navy has undergone assembly at Kalsa. The Shipyards are also major defense suppliers for Älemsi Negdel and Serramal.
Marlberg AB also produces ISO shipping containers,
== Controversies ==
=== Climate Targets and Sustainability ===
Marlberg AB is considered to be one of the largest sources of Cryrian carbon dioxide emissions, and as such has faced increasing scrutiny particularly since the signing of the [[International Convention on Climate Change]]. Though the company has presented plans to be carbon neutral by 2040, studies have shown that its output is still increasing and thus effectively offsetting other Cryrian emission reduction efforts. However, as much of Marlberg AB's fleet operates under foreign registries, its emissions are often not counted as Cryrian, a fact which has produced some controversy.
As a massive user of bunker fuel, Marlberg AB is also a major contributor to sulfur dioxide emissions. Altogether, the pollution from Marlberg AB vessels is estimated to contribute to 100 premature deaths every year in Leidenstad alone, along with tens of thousands of annual premature deaths worldwide. The Cryrian Government first intervened in 2009 to mandate that shipping companies install desulphurization scrubbers into their ships' chimneys. In 2022 the Riksdag also levied a new tax on bunker fuel whose revenues will be used to combat climate change. The bill was ultimately signed into law, but has been criticized for its small scope and low rates.
Marlberg AB has also unveiled its own initiatives to support the development of algae biofuel as an alternative fuel source.
=== Lobbying Scandals ===
Due to its immense size relative to many other Cryrian entities and its status as a national symbol, Marlberg AB has often been thought to wield disproportionate political influence in Leidenstad. The powerful Shipping Lobby has notably upheld favorable tax rates for the shipping industry that exempts it from the regular corporate tax rate in order to ensure that it remains on Cryrian soil. Marlberg AB also became embroiled in scandals towards the end of Prime Minister Charles Marlberg's 18-year rule when it violated lobbying regulations in its push for the privatization of oil drilling and port infrastructure in the Kingdom. This effort ultimately failed and contributed to the fall of the Marlberg Government.
=== Labor Practices in Serramal ===
Marlberg AB has been accused of maintaining abusive labor conditions at its terminals in Kipaltura and Iratura. These charges include excessive work hours, poor wages, and bribing local law enforcement to target labor organizers. Marlberg AB has denied these allegations, but several labor rights organizations have stated that the conditions in Serramal are "Symptomatic of wider abuses aboard Marlberg AB's vessels and at the facilities it manages in developing nations."
[[Category:Cryria's Pages]]
| |||