Maersk CEO Andersen Has Emergency Heart Surgery; Full Recovery Predicted

A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, owner of the world’s largest container line, said Chief Executive Officer Nils Smedegaard Andersen has undergone emergency heart surgery.

Andersen “has, unwittingly, had a leak in one of his heart valves, caused by either an infection or a weakness,” the Copenhagen-based company said in a statement today. “During a vacation in Switzerland his condition deteriorated acutely, and therefore he has undergone surgery which comprised replacement of a cardiac valve. The operation went well. Nils S. Andersen is expected to be absent for about one month, and the doctors are expecting a full recovery.”

Andersen, 53, was admitted to hospital in Switzerland on Dec. 30, the statement said.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Harrison at mharrison5@bloomberg.net