Marlberg AB
Marlberg Aktiebolag, more commonly known as Marlberg AB, is a Cryrian company active in freight transportation, supply chain management, shipbuilding, and port construction and operations. It is among the largest shipping companies in the world and one of the largest companies generally within Cryria, with offices and tens of thousands of employees across Urth. The company is headquartered in Leidenstad.
 Logo of Marlberg AB | |
 Marlberg AB's headquarters in Leidenstad | |
| Type | Aktiebolag |
|---|---|
| Leidenstad Stock Exchange: MRB | |
| Industry | Container shipping and terminals, logistics and freight forwarding, ferry and tanker transport, drilling rigs, oil and gas exploration and drilling, shipyards and shipbuilding, store retail |
| Founded | 1918 |
| Founders | Oskar Marlberg |
| Headquarters | Leidenstad , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Revenue | 95.2 billion SHD (2021) |
| 24.7 billion SHD (2021) | |
| 18.4 billion SHD (2021) | |
| Total assets | 93.4 billion SHD (2021) |
| Total equity | 49 billion SHD (2021) |
Number of employees | 97,295 (2021) |
| Subsidiaries | 900+ |
| Rating | Preston & Cole: A1 |
It is a publicly traded family business, with the namesake Marlberg family controlling 70% of its shares through holding companies that make up the Marlberg Egendom. The company is traded on the Leidenstad Stock Exchange.
History
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.
Marlberg continued to head the company until 1972, by which point it had grown into one of the largest shipping conglomerates in the world and was rapidly expanding into adjacent sectors.
Segments
Transport and Logistics
Marlberg AB's largest segment by both staff and revenue is its transport and logistics division. Centered on ocean freight transportation, Marlberg AB operates one of the largest container fleets in the world with over 18,000 crew, 700 vessels and a total capacity of 4.1 million TEU. It also has a small air transport wing with 17 cargo aircraft.
Marlberg AB is heavily involved in port operations. The company provides expertise and equipment for inland container transportation as well as port management, maintenance, and repair worldwide. It currently stands as one of the largest container terminal operators in the world. Marlberg AB also operates a fleet of over 400 tugs, line handlers, and other support vessels with which it provides harbor and terminal towage services. The company is also involved in salvage, wreck removal, and marine firefighting.
Marlberg AB also offers a range of consulting services and software solutions for government customs agencies.
Energy
Marlberg AB has been involved in the energy sector since the Cryrian oil boom when it was awarded contracts to support oil and gas exploration in the Loopian Sea. Although Cryrian oil and gas concessions were ultimately only granted to state-owned entities, Marlberg AB has since expanded its activities to other countries such as Serramal, and operates a variety of concessions and consortiums in the industry. However, most of the company's presence in this sector remains a supporting role. In addition to developing new techniques, Marlberg AB operates 24 drilling rigs and over 40 vessels to provide anchor handling, towage, and supply services. The company also operates over 160 vessels to transport refined products.
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
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, inland depots, and provides various forms of equipment repair.
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."