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Shipping line Maersk has put part of Pentalver Transport, its container haulage subsidiary, up for sale, MT has learnt.

The Danish firm, which reported a £335m loss in the first half of 2009, is understood to be open to offers for Pentalver (Cannock), formerly Bowmur Haulage, which was acquired a little over four years ago.

A company insider confirmed that  so far seven or eight companies - a mixture of venture capitalists and hauliers - have expressed interest. However, he stressed that given the state of the container haulage market, there was little guarantee that the sale would go through.

He adds: "Who in their right mind would buy a transport operation in the UK now?" Bowmur Haulage was purchased by Pentalver in May 2005 for £7m. It has since changed its name and moved to a new £12.5m site in Cannock, Staffs.

The firm runs 200 trucks and employs 400 people at the Cannock operation. In a statement, Maersk says it is "not in active discussions relating to the sale of any UK shareholdings".

"Similar to any large company, we continuously review our shareholding portfolio. This is an ongoing process as we strive to act in the best interests of our shareholders and is not affecting present operations of any of our businesses," adds the statement.

MT understands that another multi-depot container haulier  has also been put up for sale by its parent company.

Market insiders point to DHL's container arm, DHL Container Logistics (UK), as being the most likely candidate. However, this is denied by Jeroen Eijsink, MD of the business, who offered a curiously similar statement to Maersk's. He says: "Under the current economic circumstances, we are always looking at any options. [However], we have not entered into a formal process."

In its last set of accounts for the year to 31 December 2007, the company made a pre-tax loss of £2.7m and was only signed off as a going concern thanks to continued support from its parent company, Deutsche Post. A loan of £12.2m from Deutsche Post was due for repayment in September last year.