GLOBAL SHIPPING LEADER Norwegian Odfjell ASA is a leader in the transportation and storage of bulk liquid chemicals, acids, edible oils and other special products. Industry Europe looks at its operations.
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orwegian chemical transportation and storage company Odfjell ASA has unrivalled expertise in the shipping of complex chemical products. The company transports around 20 million tonnes of chemicals a year from everyday chemicals to high value, sophisticated products. Odfjell’s specialised fleet consists of about 80 ships. The company also has three new-
buildings on order. The total capacity of the current fleet is around 2.2 million dwt. A gross revenue of USD 1028 million was generated for last year (2013).
Looking back Established in 1916, over the decades Odfjell grew in the business of transportation. In the 1950s the company began to focus on the transportation of specialised cargoes, such as chemicals and liquid gases. In the early 1960s it entered into a cooperation with WestfalLarsen & Co A/S and went on to operate as Odfjell-Westfal-Larsen (OWL) until late 1989. In 1986, the company was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with the Odfjell family maintaining a controlling stake. Then in 1990, Westfal-Larsen and Odfjell parted company with Odfjell buying out its partner.
“In 2000 there was another major development for us,” says a company spokesperson. “We merged with Seachem to form the largest chemical tanker operator.” A big portion of the company’s ships today are stainless steel and this gives it a great deal of flexibility in terms of cleaning, safety and quality.
Global service provider Headquartered in Bergen, Norway, the company’s current operations are fully integrated with in-house functions for chartering, operations and ship management. Major trade lanes are from the US and Europe to Asia, India, the Middle East and South America. In addition, there is a considerable trade between the US, Europe and South America. Seagoing transport from the Middle East Region to destinations both in the East and
