The GAC Group has acquired an 80 percent stake in Ole R Olsen AS (ORO) Norway’s oldest shipping agency. This follows a strong and positive half-year strategic alliance between GAC and ORO.
GAC purchased the shares of ORO’s retiring President Frank H Toftesund. The remaining 20 per cent shares are held by ORO’s Managing Director, Ahmet Øzsoy, who will continue to head the new entity GAC-ORO.
The merger brings together GAC’s global connections with ORO’s 162 years of maritime experience in Norway and its support for that country’s oil installation in the North Sea. Established in Bergen, Norway in 1845, ORO’s headquarters are in Mongstad, home to the country’s biggest oil, gas and product terminal.
Mr Toftesund said the merger had been driven by the recognition that the two companies shared a strong business philosophy bolstered by a common Scandinavian heritage. This, he believed, will remain deeply rooted in the new entity.
GAC Group President Lars Säfverström said he had been impressed with the professionalism, knowledge and competence of ORO’s staff in all its eight offices.
Benefits will be evident in improved vessel turnaround time and cost savings for operators in Norway and beyond.