Norway’s Odfjell SE and giant shipowner Nissen Kaiun Co., Ltd will set up a joint venture for the operation of chemical tankers out of Bergen, Norway.
The new joint venture, Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS, will be a Norwegian entity, headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and operational from December 2025.
“Nissen Kaiun controls a significant fleet of advanced chemical tankers, built to the highest quality and sustainability standards. With their contribution to this joint venture, we further reinforce Odfjell’s position as one of the world’s leading and most energy-efficient chemical tanker operators,” says CEO of Odfjell SE, Harald Fotland.
Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS will initially comprise 10 stainless steel vessels equally contributed by Odfjell and Nissen Kaiun.
Nine of the vessels are already operated by Odfjell Tankers under various charter agreements, while the tenth will join the fleet early December.
The impact of this initiative and Odfjell’s other fleet renewal projects in 2026 will be a ~12% increase in commercial trading days compared to 2025, Odfjell said in its release on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Odfjell’s chartering organization, Odfjell Tankers, will be the commercial manager. The vessels will be fully integrated into Odfjell’s commercial fleet, operating across all major deep-sea trade lanes and global shipping hubs.
“The partnership comes amid growing demand for safe and efficient chemical transportation as we transition to lower-emission operations,” noted Fotland.
Headquartered on Hakata Island in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, Nissen Kaiun has a fleet of more than 200 vessels.
Fotland added: “We are pleased to expand our collaboration with Nissen Kaiun. We share a common goal of reducing the industry’s carbon footprint and Japanese shipyards are frontrunners in terms of quality and energy-saving technology. Together, we now continue on a path that grows our fleet and strengthens our services, while keeping decarbonization at the core.”
