The company had exploration activities in Angola, Norway, Greenland, Kurdistan Region of Iraq and in the producing countries.

[citation needed] The company was established in 1962 when Maersk Group was awarded a concession for oil and gas exploration and production in the Danish sector of the North Sea.

In 1986, Maersk Oil took over the operation of the Dansk Undergrunds Consortium's fields in the Danish section of the North Sea.

[9] The transaction was subject to regulatory and competition approval and was closed on 8 March 2018,[10] when Maersk Oil became a part of Total.

Maersk had owned the tanker business since 1928, which at the time of the sale, had a fleet of 161 vessels to transport refined oil products.