Wilhelmsen Group News

Massterly has opened its new Remote Operation Center (ROC) in Horten, Norway as the company transitions from the testing phase to fully-fledged autonomous vessel operational capabilities."The opening of the ROC is a milestone in Massterly's history and represents a big step forward for autonomous shipping," said Tom Eystø, General Manager of Massterly, a jointly owned venture between Kongsberg Maritime and the Wilhelmsen Group formed in 2018. "With the support of our owners, including our partners ASKO…

With a fleet of nine U.S.-flag RoRo ships, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), is the U.S.’ premier commercial RoRo carrier of U.S. government and military cargo. As the world becomes an increasingly contentious place, Eric P. Ebeling, President & CEO, ARC, discusses the vast capabilities of the ARC fleet and logistics network, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for U.S.-flag ships in the international trade.By the numbers’ is a simplistic means to gauge the size and shape of any shipping company…

Wilhelmsen Port Services has completed its acquisition of Vopak Agencies first announced in October 2022.Vopak Agencies, which has now become a Wilhelmsen group company, is a specialist within both hub services and port agency in the tanker segments in Europe and has extensive experience within their field. As part of the transaction, Wilhelmsen has also acquired 50% of diize, a Vopak developed digital software company aimed at the future of port orchestration.“This opportunity…

Norwegian shipowner MPC Container Ships has contracted two carbon-neutral 1,300 TEU newbuildings at Chinese-based shipyard Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering for delivery in the second half of 2024.The vessels come with a dual fuel engine setup which enables operation on methanol as well as conventional MGO.The company said the order woul allow it to "take a significant leap forward in its commitment to use carbon-neutral solutions in regional container trades together with strong partners."The vessels come with 15-year time charters to North Sea Container Line AS (NCL), backed by CoAs from variou

Oslo-listed LNG FSRU specialist Höegh LNG has appointed Erik Nyheim as the new President & CEO, effective from mid-August this year.Nyheim comes from the position as Partner of Boston Consulting Group's Norwegian office where he has successfully led their maritime practice since 2019. Prior to this, he worked for more than 15 years with the Wilhelmsen group. Nyheim holds a BSc Economics and Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Business and Administration (NHH) in Bergen.Chairman of the Board,  Morten W.

Yara Birkeland, the world’s first electric, autonomous container vessel, was christened in Norway on Friday.The battery-driven vessel completed its maiden voyage in November 2021 and is due to enter service this year, transporting fertilizer across the fjord from Yara International’s Porsgrunn plant to Brevik port, eliminating the carbon emissions of 40,000 diesel truck loads per year, Yara said. Initially, the 80-meter ship will start operations as a manned vessel as part of a two-year trial period to become certified as an autonomous…

Hydrogen is touted as an inevitable green fuel of the future. Tell that to the people who'll have to ship it across the globe at hyper-cold temperatures close to those in outer space.Yet that is exactly what designers are attempting to do.In the biggest technological challenge for merchant shipping in decades, companies are beginning to develop a new generation of vessels that can deliver hydrogen to heavy industry, betting plants worldwide will convert to the fuel and propel the transition to a lower-carbon economy.There are at least three projects developing pilot ships that will be ready to test transporting the fuel in Europe and Asia within the next three years…

Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner Edda Wind has ordered two additional Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV), as it expects long-term growth for the renewable energy sector. The company is also set for an initial public offering, which is aimed at helping finance its growth.The company, owned by Wilhelmsen and Østensjø, and which owns and operates service vessels supporting the maintenance work conducted during the commissioning and operation of offshore wind farms…

Wilhelmsen, one of the world's largest shipping companies, has agreed to acquire a 25% stake in Østensjø Group’s growing offshore wind business Edda Wind.Wilhelmsen has also secured an option to buy another 25% before June 2021. Launched in 2018, Edda Wind owns and operates service vessels supporting the maintenance work conducted during the commissioning and operation of offshore wind farms.Commenting on the Edda Wind deal, Thomas Wilhelmsen, CEO of the Wilhelmsen group said: "The Wilhelmsen group’s strategy is very clear…

Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly (a Kongsberg Wilhelmsen joint venture) have signed contracts with the Norwegian grocery distributor ASKO to equip two new all-electric vessels with autonomous technology, and to manage their operations at sea.ASKO, which currently transports its cargo by more than 800 trucks daily, is investing heavily in environmentally friendly technologies such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. At present, road transport is the single mode of transportation…

Wilhelm Wilhelmsen, the fourth-generation owner of the maritime industry group Wilhelmsen group, died on February 22 at the age of 82.Wilhelmsen, born June 8, 1937, was a very well-respected business leader and spokesperson for Norwegian shipping and the maritime industry at large. Wilhelmsen group was established by his great grandfather in Tønsberg, Norway in 1861.Wilhelm Wilhelmsen said it was instrumental in developing the Wilhelmsen group from a traditional liner company with trades all over the world to one of the largest maritime industry groups with almost 15 000 employees in more than 70 countries."His extensive network and business relationships in Norway and internationally have been essential in building the company the past almost 60 years…

NorSea Wind, part of the Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) Group, has named Anders Peter Pedersen as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Pedersen  has extensive experience from the green energy sector. A lot has happened in the harbor since Anders Peter Pedersen as 17-year-old started his career on his first ship in Esbjerg, but now the circle is in many ways closed for the new CEO of NorSea Wind.He is practically back at the same harbor quay, where he boarded MS Stafford in the fall of 1982, but now it is as captain of NorSea Wind, and the view goes far from the bridge. He has solid support from one of the world’s largest maritime groups…

Norway-based global maritime industry group Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) has announced the acquisition of a 50% stake of NorSea Wind and it’s subsidiaries to expand its offerings in the the renewable wind energy market.NorSea Wind, founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of  Norsea Group, provides project management and logistics planning throughout all stages for on and offshore wind farm projects.It is the focal element within Norsea Group where it integrates all service offerings for the wind energy segment as it’s go-to-market strategy. Its accumulated expertise and experience combined with proven track record globally provide a market…

The Wilhelmsen group recorded a $29 million net profit after non-controlling interests for the first quarter of 2019. Increased share of profits from associates and net financial gains more than offset a reduction in adjusted EBITDA when compared with the previous quarter.Total income for the Wilhelmsen group was $199 million in the quarter, while EBITDA came in at $34 million. This included a $7 million sales gain. Adjusting for new IFRS 16 accounting standard for leases, EBITDA was $25 million.Share of profits from associates was $15 million in the first quarter…

Norway-based global maritime industry group Wilhelmsen Holding has introduced a new digital start-up named Raa Labs to speed up maritime digitalisationRaa Labs will enable maritime companies to harness data, drive digitalisation and adopt technology to take a leap into the future, improving efficiency and introducing new business models. “To fully embrace innovation, you need to understand the bigger picture to ensure that every action you take not only saves the day or the week, but positions you for future growth,” says Raa Labs CEO, Ari Marjamaa.A press release said that the diverse Raa Labs team has the digital and entrepreneurial…

Norwegian offshore shipping company GC Rieber Shipping announced acting chief executive officer Einar Ytredal has appointed to the CEO role on a permanent basis. At the same time, Øystein Kvåle was named new chief financial officer (CFO) and Christoffer Knudsen was promoted to chief commercial officer (CCO).Ytredal was appointed acting CEO in mid-September 2018. He has been with the company since 2007, first as vice president finance and then as CFO since September 2011. Before joining GC Rieber Shipping, Ytredal worked at Deloitte.

The Wilhelmsen group delivers a slight increase in top line in the second quarter, mainly supported by higher operating revenue in supply services. The positive underlying market trends are expected to continue. The total income for the second quarter was USD 222 million, up 5% from the first three months of 2018.“We note that the positive development in top line in the first quarter continues into the second. Maritime services deliver stable revenue, while supply services record improved income following a seasonal upswing and property sales gains in NorSea Group,” says Thomas Wilhelmsen, group CEO at Wilhelmsen.EBITDA was nil for the quarter.

A US District Court for the District of Columbia announced that it will grant the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) motion for an injunction to block Wilhelmsen’s acquisition of Drew Marine Technical Services.Consequently, Wilhelmsen and Drew have agreed to abandon the transaction.“We disagree with the views of the US competition authorities. This would have been an important strategic investment for our group, which we believe would have meant better services and better prices for our customer. We are therefore disappointed that we will not be able to bring the deal to a close,” says Thomas Wilhelmsen, group CEO in Wilhelmsen.Wilhelmsen and Drew have agreed on a termination fee of USD 20 million.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the global finished vehicle logistics provider, has signed an agreement to acquire 70% of the membership interest in Syngin Technology  for an initial purchase price of USD 22 million on a cash and debt free basis. "The future of logistics lies in combining digital services, physical assets and a deep understanding of logistics flows. With Syngin we boost our digital capabilities, setting us up to better support the changes we see in our customers' needs for the future", says Craig Jasienski, President and CEO of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen group. Syngin is a leading provider of automated logistics solutions for disposition of used vehicles through an electronic marketplace currently operating in the US and Canadian market.

Wärtsilä and Norwegian Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a Wilhelmsen group company, have signed a five-year agreement covering the maintenance of exhaust gas cleaning systems installed in three vessels managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management. All three vessels have a 25 MW Wärtsilä Hybrid Scrubber System, which can operate in both open and closed loop, using seawater to remove SOx from the exhaust gas. In closed loop mode additional reagent is used in combination with sea water.The agreement between Wärtsilä and Wilhelmsen Ship Management was signed in December 2017.

The road toward autonomy has taken a major step with the announcement that Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg are collectively taking the next step in autonomous shipping by offering a complete value chain for autonomous ships, from design and development, to control systems, logistics services and vessel operations. The new venture is dubbed "Massterly". What is Massterly? The Massterly plan is to have land-based control centers monitor and operate autonomous ships globally, tapping Kongsberg's tech solutions and Wilhelmsen's logistics and ship management operations.

Effective April 1, 2018, Radio Holland Group appointed Philip Bannerman as Regional Director Americas. Bannerman will be based at the RH regional head office in Houston and will be responsible for all offices and activities of Radio Holland in the Americas region, being USA, Canada, Curaçao, Panama, Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago. Philip Bannerman is a senior business development executive with 20 years in the international maritime, cruise and energy industries. He holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Glasgow University.

Wilhelmsen is exploring concrete ways of leveraging their data on DNV GL’s Veracity industry platform. In one of the first data sharing pilot projects on the new open platform, Wilhelmsen is testing a system to share ship compliance and condition data with port state authorities to reduce paper work and physical inspections when entering ports. “As ships and their systems become more sophisticated, we have more equipment with sensors onboard that are generating and sharing data.