A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S’s container line, which this month ditched a strategy of building new vessels and will instead try to grow through acquisitions, is targeting South Korea’s two biggest shipping firms, according to Jefferies International Ltd.

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., South Korea’s second-largest container line, surged in Seoul trading after the company was said to be looking at some assets of troubled rival Hanjin Shipping Co. for a possible acquisition.

HOUSTON — Intermodal businesses that have become accustomed to long-term growth likely are facing tougher times ahead in the form of a recession, changing freight patterns and other obstacles.

Hanjin Shipping Co. and its customers are being asked to pay more than usual to bring freight into U.S. ports, creating a backlog that could keep goods off shelves during the holiday shopping season.

The owner of the world’s largest container shipping line will stop ordering newly built vessels and instead pursue takeovers in an industry that has been plagued by overcapacity for almost a decade.

Hanjin Shipping Co. won’t allow containerships anchored at sea to complete their journeys to the United States, according to an e-mail obtained by Transport Topics.

Korea Development Bank, the main lender to Hanjin Shipping Co., offered a conditional credit line of 50 billion won ($45 million) to help ease supply chain disruptions caused by the collapse of the nation’s biggest container mover.

A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S will split into separate transport and energy businesses as Denmark’s biggest company moves ahead with an historic shake-up of the conglomerate.

LOS ANGELES — For the past five years, top shipping companies pushed forward with fat investments in more and bigger vessels, even as signs of trouble piled up.