MOL Chemical Tankers has announced a change at the top, with chief executive Akira Sasa set to retire at the end of March.
Sasa, who took over as president and CEO in April 2022, joined the Singapore-based chemical tanker operator as a director in 2020 and has led the business through a period of fleet expansion and investment in alternative fuels.
He will be succeeded by Tomoaki Ichida, currently a managing executive officer at parent company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL). Ichida has been responsible for MOL’s Americas business since April 2023 and also serves as chief executive of MOL SWITCH, the group’s climate-tech investment arm. He is a board member of the Ammonia Energy Association.
The management change will take effect on April 1, 2026.
MOL Chemical Tankers is the chemical tanker arm of MOL, Japan’s largest shipowner by dwt, and operates one of the world’s biggest chemical tanker fleets, with more than 100 vessels in service.
The company has been steadily adding lower-emission tonnage to its portfolio, following the earlier introduction of LNG dual-fuel and MGO-fuelled ships. Most recently, it moved into ammonia with a series of long-term charters from CMB.TECH. Last year, MOL Chemical Tankers agreed charter contracts with Antwerp-based CMB.TECH for six 26,000 dwt newbuilding chemical tankers, including four ammonia dual-fuel-ready vessels and two ammonia dual-fuel-fitted ships. The vessels will be built at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng and are due for delivery between 2028 and 2029. Once delivered, the ships are expected to become the world’s first ammonia-fuelled chemical tankers.
