Former Maersk COO Soren Toft has landed the top job at 2M alliance partner MSC.
TradeWinds is told the 45-year-old Dane, who quit the Danish giant this week, will be the Swiss company's CEO, with an announcement due next week.
MSC declined to comment when contacted by TradeWinds on Friday.
It is not clear how a reorganisation at MSC would be handled. The current president and chief executive is Diego Aponte, the son of controlling shareholder Gianluigi Aponte.
But the group also has big cruiseship interests, so a division of leadership could be carried out.
Toft confirmed this week that he left the company he joined in 1994 for a big chief executive role.
There was speculation in Denmark that the brief wording of Maersk's statement and Toft's immediate departure indicated that he had landed a top job at a rival.
This inevitably focused on MSC, CMA CGM or Hapag-Lloyd.
'Have to be a CEO'
Toft told the Borsen daily: "I have to be a CEO and now have the opportunity. There is an opportunity that I have thought about for a long, long time."
"I have been incredibly happy with my time in Maersk, but at the same time have felt that I would like to try my hand at this challenge.
"I leave Maersk happy and with a smile on my lips."
Toft played a key role in integrating German line Hamburg Sud and had been very focused on finding new sustainable fuel sources for the group.
Maersk group chief executive Soren Skou, an experienced containership man, will take on the role of COO while a successor is found.
Strong bench
Asked about this on Friday, Skou told a conference call: "What I can say is that we are just spending a few weeks thinking about how to handle the situation.
"We have a very strong internal bench. That is one of our strongest points.
"So I can say 100% that we will not be dropping the ball or lose momentum on our cost-saving agenda."
He added: "I am sure we will find a good solution for the organisation soon."
The executive board has now been trimmed to Skou, chief financial officer Carolina Dybeck Happe, chief commercial officer Vincent Clerc and Morten Engelstoft, chief executive of APM Terminals.
