Odfjell SE and Japan’s Nissen Kaiun Co. Ltd have formed a new joint venture to operate a fleet of stainless steel chemical tankers from Bergen, Norway, the firms said on Thursday.
The venture, named Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS, builds on a long-standing partnership between the two companies. “The new JV… marks another chapter in the long-standing partnership between Odfjell and Nissen Kaiun,” Harald Fotland, CEO of Odfjell SE, said.
The JV will start with 10 stainless steel chemical tankers, equally contributed by both partners. Nine of the ships are already trading under Odfjell Tankers on charter, and the tenth is due to join in early December. The initiative, combined with Odfjell’s broader fleet renewal plans, is expected to lift the firm’s commercial trading days by about 12% in 2026 compared with 2025.
Odfjell’s chartering arm, Odfjell Tankers, will act as commercial manager, integrating the vessels into the company’s global deep-sea network.
“The partnership comes amid growing demand for safe and efficient chemical transportation as we transition to lower-emission operations,” Fotland said. He added that both partners share the goal of cutting the industry’s carbon footprint, noting the strong energy-saving credentials of Japanese shipyards.
Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS will be a Norwegian entity headquartered in Bergen and will be operational from December 2025.
