Norwegian chemical tanker owner Odfjell has joined forces with Japanese shipping major Nissen Kaiun to launch a new Bergen-based joint venture for operating stainless-steel chemical tankers.
The new company, Odfjell Hakata Maritime, will pool 10 modern chemical tankers contributed equally by the two partners. Nine of the ships are already trading under Odfjell Tankers on charter arrangements, while the tenth is due to join early December. The fleet will be folded into Odfjell’s global commercial platform and trade across all long-haul chemical routes, the Oslo-listed company said.
Odfjell CEO Harald Fotland said the partnership builds on a long-running relationship between the two companies and strengthens the group’s position in the stainless-steel segment. “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 reinforce Odfjell’s position as one of the world’s leading and most energy-efficient chemical tanker operators,” he said.
The joint venture will also lift Odfjell’s commercial capacity. With this fleet addition and other renewal moves underway, the company said it expects around a 12% increase in commercial trading days in 2026 compared to 2025.
Odfjell Tankers will act as commercial manager for the joint fleet, coordinating operations across major deepsea lanes and key chemical hubs.
Fotland said the move comes as demand for safe and efficient chemical transport continues to climb and owners step up investments in lower-emission operations. “We share a common goal of reducing the industry’s carbon footprint, and Japanese shipyards are frontrunners in quality and energy-saving technology,” he noted.
Nissen Kaiun controls a fleet of more than 200 vessels across multiple shipping segments, while Odfjell operates a fleet of about 70 chemical tankers globally. Odfjell Hakata Maritime will be established as a Norwegian company headquartered in Bergen and will begin operations in December 2025.
