LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Danish shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk Friday that it swung to a first-half net loss of 3 billion Danish kroner ($540 million) after taking higher depreciation and impairment charges and recording lower gains from asset sales. Last year, the firm reported a profit of 12 billion kroner. Sales fell 14% to 127.4 billion kroner. "The global economic crisis had a severe negative impact," it said. Freight rates dropped 30% and volumes fell 7% for container shipping compared to 2008 and average rates for tanker activities fell considerably. The result for the second half of 2009 is expected to be similar to the first half with the outlook subject to considerable uncertainty, the firm said
