Leveraging Odfjell’s worldwide trading platform and Nissen Kaiun’s modern chemical tanker fleet will provide significantly increased flexibility and capacity to the global customer base.
“The new JV, named Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS, marks another chapter in the long-standing partnership between Odfjell and Nissen Kaiun,” said CEO of Odfjell SE, Harald Fotland. “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.”
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’s chartering organisation, 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,” Fotland says. “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 decarbonisation at the core.”
Odfjell Hakata Maritime AS will be a Norwegian entity, headquartered in Bergen, Norway, and operational from December 2025.
You can read more of the latest from the world of Marine here.
