UPDATE 3-Maersk ups outlook, bids for Brostrom, shares jump

(Adds CEO comment, updates share to close)

By Kim McLaughlin and Rasmus Jorgensen

COPENHAGEN Aug 27 (Reuters) - Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), the world's biggest container ship operator, beat forecasts with a 37-percent rise in net profit on Wednesday as it raised its outlook and announced a bid for a Swedish firm.

First-half net profit rose to 12 billion crowns ($2.37 billion) from 8.7 billion a year earlier, topping the 10.2 billion average forecast from a Reuters poll of analysts.

The shipping and oil conglomerate said higher crude prices would allow it to raise its full-year profit forecast to 20-23 billion crowns from a previous forecast of 18-20 billion.

Maersk said it expected higher oil production and higher-than-expected gains on the sale of ships and rigs.

Shares in the operator of container shipping firm Maersk Line closed up 7 percent to 56,600 crowns.

"While market expectations already were higher than the old guidance level, the new upgraded guidance managed to beat expectations," Credit Agricole Cheuvreux Nordic said in a research note which rated the stock "Outperform".

Maersk said it no longer expected to sell stakes in non-strategic assets this year because the potential buyers had retreated in the face of the economic downturn. The firm had earlier said a potential sale of the stakes could improve its expected net result by some $800 million in 2008.

CONTAINERS CHALLENGING

Maersk on Wednesday also launched a bid worth 3.62 billion Swedish crowns ($569 million) for shipping company Brostrom BROb.ST in a deal that would make it the world's top product tanker firm.

Maersk's oil and gas arm made a net profit of 6.5 billion crowns in the first half, up from 3.3 billion a year earlier.

It said oil prices were up 73 percent on average, while its oil and gas production rose 15 percent. Maersk pumps oil in the North Sea, Qatar, Algeria and Kazakhstan.

Maersk benefits from higher oil prices over time. However, rising bunker fuel costs that cannot be passed on quickly to customers can hurt shipping profits. So far this year the net effect of higher oil prices was positive, Maersk said.

It said the general outlook for its container activities for the second half was challenging due to slowing market growth, significant new tonnage and high fuel costs.

Maersk Chief Executive Nils Andersen told a conference call the group would have to accept a smaller slice of the market as it struggled to improve profitability in its container arm.

"Obviously we don't want to lose market share, on the other hand we are, given the present market conditions, quite pleased we don't have the largest order book coming on stream in the next couple of years," he said.

Maersk said global growth in numbers of containers shipped in the first half reached 7 percent compared with 9 percent in the same period last year. It achieved 5 percent growth in the first half.

Its container unit posted a 359 million net profit in the first half, reversing a 1.2 billion crown loss a year earlier.

Its gains on the sale of ships and rigs were 3.6 billion crowns, largely flat year on year.

Since its takeover of Dutch rival P&O Nedlloyd in 2005, Maersk has seen its world container market capacity share decline from above 18 percent to around 16 percent last year, according to analysts, although its share of volume is lower.

The Copenhagen-based group's other operations include a retail arm, an offshore oil services company and a stake of about 20 percent in Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO). (Reporting by Kim McLaughlin; Editing by Jason Neely/Richard Hubbard)