Quarterly June 2005 - Odfjell

Company Magazine for the Odfjell Group - June 2005

In this issue: 

P.O. Box 6101 Postterminalen 

N-5892 Bergen 

Norway 

Tel: +47 55 27 00 00 

Fax: +47 55 28 47 41 

E-mail: quarterly@odfjell.com 

Internet: www.odfjell.com 

Editor: 

Klaus Walderhaug 

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: 

Brit A. Bennett 

Tor Johansen 

Tor Jürgensen 

Geir Mjelde 

Siri-Anne Mjåtvedt 

Ellen Skagen 

Anne-Kristine Øen 

6 

8 

10 

Naming ceremony Bow Sky 

Dubai - the growth centre 

of the Middle East 

Marine Fuel - an industry 

of its own 

CORRESPONDENTS: 

Manila: 

Kjell Johansen 

Rotterdam: 

Theo Kruithof 

Singapore: 

Atle Knutsen 

Deadline next issue: 

September 5th, 2005 

Design: MacBox AS 

Cover: 

May 17th parade on board 

M/T Bow Faith, to celebrate the 

Norwegian Constitution Day. 

14 

Strengthening Odfjell 

seafaring skills 

Naming and launching of Bow Europe ........................................................................ 5 

Vessel of the issue - Bow Faith .................................................................................... 12 

Odfjell Competence Centre - easy access to learning ................................................. 16 

New Global Data Network for Odfjell ........................................................................ 17 

Safety Bulletin .............................................................................................................. 18 

Improving Port Turnaround in Singapore ................................................................... 19 

NPRA San Antonio - 2005 ............................................................................................ 19 

Middle Management Meeting in Bergen ................................................................... 20 

Odfjell Quarterly Brainteaser ...................................................................................... 21 

Greetings from around the world ............................................................................... 22 

Never a dull moment! - Terje Storeng ......................................................................... 26 

Personnel Corner ............................................................................................................ 28 

Trygve Arnesen - introducing the new head of Odfjell Ship Management .............. 29 

2 ODFJELL Quarterly June 2005

Dear Colleagues... 

This is the first column that I write 

after having been appointed “permanent” 

President/CEO of Odfjell. I 

have put the word “permanent” in 

quotation marks because, as you all 

know, the job is only permanent as 

long as I, with the help of all of you, 

continue to produce the short- and 

long-term results that our shareholders 

require. Looking back at the 

18 months that have passed since I 

took up the interim position I must 

say it has been a challenging but 

also a rewarding period. The speed 

of things has been high and I can 

assure you that I haven’t had one 

dull day. Although we face many 

challenges and have room for 

improvements throughout, I am 

confident that Odfjell is moving 

in the right direction and that we 

are well positioned to meet future 

opportunities and challenges. 

The parcel tanker industry is a complex 

business with many inherent 

dangers, both related to the 

unique environment of the sea 

as well as the many hazardous 

products that we handle. Therefore 

our industry is governed by an increasingly 

rigorous set of rules and 

regulations, to protect life, property 

and the environment. At Odfjell 

we support this development, and 

we are allocating all necessary resources 

to fulfill our part in that 

respect. However, for such rules 

and regulations to have the desirable 

impact, we believe they should 

be uniform throughout the world. 

A variety of regulatory regimes, 

between countries and customers, 

make compliance very difficult and 

costly and leave room for misunderstandings 

and mistakes. Customerspecific 

requirements related to 

inerting of cargo tanks is one example 

where we believe the industry 

should adopt one internationally 

agreed standard. Odfjell supports 

IMO and other related forums in 

their work towards such a solution. 

I am also deeply concerned when 

we see countries such as the US, EU 

and now also Canada impose criminal 

prosecution of seafarers after 

spills and accidents. Let me make 

myself absolutely clear: wilful and 

illegal discharges of oil and other 

hazardous waste from ships, and 

gross negligence of procedures that 

lead to pollution, should be properly 

investigated and the guilty ones 

prosecuted. However, we vigorously 

object to criminalizing accidental 

pollution, which will further add 

to the already heavy responsibility 

that lies with the master and the 

shipboard management team. It is 

now time to define clear lines between 

what is criminal conduct and 

what is accidental pollution, and to 

impose sanctions that reflect such 

distinction. Nevertheless, those that 

are being accused and investigated 

deserve a legal, fair and proper 

treatment. Innocent until proven 

otherwise! 

Early May we submitted our results 

for the first quarter of 2005. 

The reasonably favourable market, 

in particular on the shipping side, 

helped us achieve the best quarterly 

result in nominal terms in the history 

of Odfjell. However, the results 

should be seen in context with the 

fact that we also have record-high 

assets. The result is satisfactorily, 

but there is still a large potential 

for improvement. It is all a matter 

of having operational excellence 

in all chains of our organisation, 

to further improve earnings and to 

limit costs. Still, as I have repeatedly 

pointed out, increased earnings and 

cost control should never come at 

the expense of safety. There is really 

no contradiction between a “zero 

accident” culture and a profitable 

business; the two ought to walk 

hand in hand. 

We have had a very busy first half 

of 2005, with deliveries of new ships 

from Poland and Japan, several terminal 

projects of varying dimensions 

and degrees of maturity, and further 

development of our newbuilding 

project in Russia, to mention but 

a few of the activities. At the same 

time we have experienced the hardships 

of working in the middle of a 

construction site, as the refurbishing 

of the office building in Bergen is 

now finally coming towards an end. 

However, when we see how nice it 

will be we tend to forget the noise 

and dust. Finally, at the brink of 

the northern hemisphere summer I 

wish all of you a well-deserved and 

refreshing vacation, allowing you 

to return to duty with fully charged 

batteries. And for our colleagues 

below the Equator: at least you still 

have the prospects of a nice and 

sunny spring. 

Regards, 

Terje Storeng 

President/CEO 

ODFJELL Quarterly June 2005 3

Chairman’s Message 

According to the International 

Energy Agency (IEA), oil and 

energy companies have been 

“under-investing” by 15-20% relative 

to what is required to meet 

demand for the next 25 years. 

How the IEA can reach such a conclusion 

beats me. There are simply 

too many uncertainties out there, 

as we know all too well from our 

own business. 

The market has a way of sorting 

itself out. Adam Smith called it 

the market’s invisible hand. Higher 

prices encourage new supply, just 

as increased supply generally leads 

to lower prices. So also with parcel 

tankers. We ourselves are a 

case in point. As I reported in the 

last Chairman’s Message, we have 

recently contracted for a large 

number of new ships for delivery 

the next few years to meet the 

high demand for parcel tanker 

shipping services. But, the shipyards 

are now reacting to the 

high demand and the current high 

prices for new ships by increasing 

their own capacity. 

The upshot is that prices for 

new ships are likely to decrease 

going forward, the uncertainty 

being the speed of the market’s 

invisible hand. Steel prices are already 

weakening. The problem is 

current long delivery lead-times. 

Timing is everything. Having last 

year contracted for delivery of a 

large number of new ships, we are 

in an excellent position to wait it 

out for now. However, we will continue 

to look for opportunities. 

Only time will tell whether our expectations 

prove true, which brings 

me back to the prediction by the 

IEA. They do not know, of course, 

but they make their assumptions. 

What is sure is that their 

assumptions will be proven wrong. 

Demand will either be on the 

upside, or on the downside, 

short-term and/or long-term. The 

“experts” are cagey and talk 

always in terms of “average” 

numbers and long timeframes, 

which means most of us will be too 

old at the end of a 25-year timespan 

either to remember or to 

care or to be in a position to pass 

any judgment whatsoever. But a 

25-year time-span is also a typical 

ship’s lifespan, and to a large 

extent similar guesswork applies, 

therefore, to our internal ship 

replacement deliberations. The 

only way to swim is to plunge in, 

it seems, and to assume that our 

organization, our financial resources 

and our equipment is of sufficient 

quality to ride it out and to 

further expand, when necessary. 

On a more personal note, I do not 

intend to think business forever... 

I have many outside interests and 

projects and somehow I always 

manage to keep myself busy. 

What I hope going forward is that 

our organization and our equipment 

not only are up to par, but 

second to none, and first of all in 

terms of safety... That would give 

me peace of mind, when stepping 

off the bridge in a few years’ time. 

So dear colleagues, and quite apart 

from my own selfish wish for peace 

of mind, let us prove to ourselves 

and to our customers, and all 

around us, that we are professionals, 

that we can do. Remember, 

nothing succeeds like success. 

As Terje Storeng, our President/ 

CEO, wrote earlier this year, 2005 

is the year for improvements all 

around. Operational excellence 

leads to financial excellence, so 

let’s keep the horse in front of 

the carriage... Thus with competent 

mariners, good ship and 

terminal upkeep and operational 

excellence, we need fear neither 

competitors nor the stock market, 

not in a hundred years. 

So keep up the good work, and 

have a nice seasonal vacation, 

Dan Odfjell 

Chairman of the Board Odfjell ASA 


A new member of our 

T/C fleet 

Bow Europe named and launched in Fukuoka, Japan 

By Torfin Eide 

The latest addition to 

our Japanese owned 

timecharter fleet, 

M/T Bow Europe, 

was named and 

launched at Fukuoka 

Shipyard on May 

12th this year. The 

vessel is chartered 

in from Taihei Kaiun 

Co., Ltd, owned by 

Mr. Matsubara. He was accompanied 

by his wife and his daughter, the latter 

who also played an important part of 

the ceremony as the ship’s Lady Sponsor. 

More than 20 guests were gathered at 

the slipway when Mr. Jarle Haugsdal of 

Odfjell BDP gave the vessel her name 

and Ms. Matsubara cut the ribbon that 

released the traditional bottle of champagne 

and sent the vessel down the 

slipway. At 12:31 sharp she was safely 

afloat in the inner port of Fukuoka. 

The 19,700 dwt vessel is highly sophisticated 

with 36 stainless steel tanks, and 

will most likely be worked in tandem 

with another of these ships serving our 

South American trade. 

Vessel particulars: 

Length, Overall 144.09 m. 

Length, b.p. 136.00 m. 

Breadth, moulded 24.20 m. 

Designed Draft 9.50 m. 

Summer Dwt 19,700 tons 

Gross Tonnage 11,600 tons 

Stainless Steel 21,530 cbm. 

After the ceremony, with M/T Bow Europe in the background. 

From left Mr. Matsubara, the Lady Sponsor Ms. Matsubara, Mrs. Matsubara and 

Mr. Jarle Haugsdal. 

Cutting the final ribbon. 

M/T Bow Europe on the slipway before the launching. 

Sliding down the slipway. 


A new Polish lady added to 

our fleet 

Naming ceremony of M/T Bow Sky 

By Atle Knutsen 

Odfjell’s commitment 

to fleet development 

and its successful 

newbuilding 

programme means 

that naming ceremonies 

are coming 

on a very regular 

and frequent basis. 

So be it, but they 

are the proof that 

the company is on track with its fleet 

development. A naming ceremony is 

an important event and celebrates 

both the company, the yard and its 

employees’ achievements. April 9th was 

another day for celebration. 

The naming of the M/T Bow Sky represented 

the fourth vessel in a series 

of ten ships to come from the Stocznia 

Szczecinska Nowa shipyard in Szczecin, 

Poland, and the second vessel to carry 

that name in the Odfjell Seachem fleet. 

It is also important to note that this is 

the 20th vessel built for Odfjell by the 

shipyard. All this is a result of strong 

relationships and mutual commitments 

that go back more than 30 years. 

The naming ceremony coincided with 

the passing of Pope John Paul II. Born 

Karol Joseph Wojtyla in Wadowice in 

Poland on May 18, 1920, he was an icon 

The great 

moment, as the 

Lady Sponsor 

receives the final 

instructions 

before breaking 

the bottle. 

to the Polish people and gets much of 

the credit for the political developments 

in Poland over the past 10-15 years. 

The mourning of the Pope in Szczecin 

was observed by the whole city and 

reflected the loss of a person having 

had a very special place in their hearts. 

The Bow Sky and her sisters represent 

the largest stainless steel vessel ever 

built. With her 39,500 dwt and 52,000 

cubic mtr. divided on 44 cargo-tanks 

M/T Bow Sky ready for commencing her maiden voyage. 


The Lady Sponsor, Mdm Teng, Soo Fen. 

Captain Roy Johnsen receiving the picture of the Lady Sponsor. 

made of duplex stainless steel, she 

will be an important member of 

the Odfjell Seachem fleet for the 

future. 

On the day of the naming ceremony, the 

Bow Sky (or B-588-III/4 as was her premaiden 

description) was sitting alongside 

the outfitting quay and less than a 

week away from delivery. As is normal, 

the last few weeks are hectic as the final 

touch-up and commissioning work are 

drawing to a conclusion. Even so, the 

vessel looked impressive and beautiful 

on the guests’ arrival. The ceremony 

commenced at 12 o’clock sharp and 

welcoming and appreciation speeches 

were presented by the yard’s President 

Andrzej Stachura and our Chairman, 

Dan Odfjell. However, the moment 

everybody is waiting for is the naming of 

the ship and the breaking of the champagne 

bottle by the ship’s Lady Sponsor, 

Mdm Teng, Soo Fen. All the way from 

Singapore together with her husband 

Radm. Lui, Tuck Yew, the CEO of MPA 

Singapore and other guests, she performed 

a beautiful naming ceremony 

as well as speaking on the occasion. The 

ceremony at the yard was followed by 

a lunch reception at the vessel’s bridge 

area and Captain Roy Johnsen and his 

crew proudly presented the vessel to 

the guests. A traditional picture of the 

Lady Sponsor was presented by her to 

Captain Johnsen. 

An eventful day, which included a subsequent 

touring of Szczecin, ended 

with a beautiful dinner party hosted by 

the yard. In between the enjoyment of 

all the culinary dishes and toasting to 

success and continued good relations between 

Stocznia Szczecinska Nowa and 

Odfjell, the Lady Sponsor highlighted 

the day’s event and her excitement and 

challenge in her role. Odfjell President/ 

CEO Terje Storeng took the opportunity 

to thank the yard for their good work 

and close cooperation. 

Ellen Skagen has been closely involved 

in the co-ordination of the naming 

ceremonies since 1994. During that time 

there have been some 19 events to arrange. 

Each event is special for Odfjell 

and for the invited guests. Planning 

for the day is a major logistical exercise 

and Ellen’s expertise plays an invaluable 

part of ensuring the ongoing success of 

these occasions. 

Officers and crew ready to board the 

new ship. 

And then it was time for the visitors to 

inspect the new ship. 

As usual a local march band entertained on the quay. 

The Lady Sponsor and the Chairman 

during the evening dinner party. 


Dubai - the Growth Centre 

of the Middle East 

By Alireza Kaveh, Odfjell Dubai 

These days it seems 

everybody is talking 

about Dubai. 

Reading newspapers 

and watching 

TV, you hear about 

Dubai all the time. 

In this article I will 

outline some of 

the developments 

that have earned Dubai the place on 

everybody’s lips. 

Dubai, one of the seven United Arab 

Emirates, has a population of about 

1.3 million people, and has one of the 

highest growth rates in urban population 

(9%) because of a business upsurge 

turning the city into the region’s main 

commercial hub. Population growth 

is to remain high as more visitors are 

attracted by the city’s opportunities. 

United Arab Emirates is a relatively 

young state. In January 1968, following 

the announcement by the British 

Government that its forces would be 

withdrawn from the Persian Gulf by 

late 1971, Trucial Oman and the Sheikhdoms 

of Qatar and Bahrain initiated 

plans to form a confederation. After 

three years of negotiations, however, 

Qatar and Bahrain decided to become 

independent, sovereign states, and in 

December 1971 the former Trucial 

States announced the formation of the 

United Arab Emirates. By joining Ras Al- 

Khaimah in 1972, the number of emirates 

of this federation increased to seven. 

Since then the Al Nahyan family has 

ruled from the capital Abu Dhabi. 

Modern Dubai is the product of the 

past 20 years of intensive development. 

Prior to that, Dubai was nothing but a 

small trading port and a center for pearl 

fishing and pearl trade, clustered around 

the mouth of Dubai Creek. Dhows laden 

with between 200 and 300 tons of cargo 

used to anchor at the creek to serve the 

local markets or for re-export purposes 

mainly to Persian Gulf states, India and 

as far as East Africa, emphasizing the 

historical position of Dubai as a center 

for regional trade. In fact, today only 

dhows are allowed to enter the creek 

in order to keep this traditional feature, 

but still around 720,000 tons of cargo 

pass through the creek every year. 

Dubai’s oil and gas reserves are very 

limited, and thus, the UAE works to 

establish Dubai as the leading commercial, 

trading and tourism hub of the 

Middle East, CIS and Africa - basically 

to be a replica of Hong Kong and Singapore 

of the 1970s and 80s respectively. 

The vision is to attract 15 million 

tourists by 2010. The Jebel Ali airport 

project with an annual passenger 

capacity of 120 million, the large expansion 

of the Emirates Airlines’ fleet (US$ 

15 billion involving 45 Airbus 380 and 

44 additional Boeing 777) and the US$ 4 

billion expansion of Dubai International 

“Old” Dubai around 1990. 

8 ODFJELL Quarterly June 2005 

Modern Dubai.

Mixing traditional and modern architecture at Al-Qasr. 

airport clearly show the strong commitment 

to attain this goal. Today, Dubai 

enjoys a diversified economy with the 

non-oil sector accounting for 90% of 

GDP. The trade, tourism, construction 

and financial sectors are amongst the 

fastest growing industries in the country, 

and Dubai is today home to a blend of 

cultures where people of more than 185 

nationalities co-exist in a vibrant international 

environment. 

Dubai’s culture is firmly rooted in the 

Islamic traditions, but foreigners are 

free to practice their own religion. 

Alcohol is served in licensed premises, 

and the dress code is liberal. The 

rapid economic development over the 

last 20 years has changed life in the 

Emirates beyond recognition in many 

ways, but heritage is preserved by promoting 

cultural and sporting events 

that are representative of the past; 

such as falconry, camel racing and dhow 

sailing. Traditional aspects of life are still 

visible, most obviously in the clothes, 

since local citizens still wear headdress 

and long robes (white Dishdash for men 

and black Abaya for women). 

United Arab Emirates and in particular 

Dubai seem quite geared up with the 

growth of this region and is keeping 

a very good pace of progress. Back in 

1999, I was told that when being away 

from Dubai for a few months, you feel 

the difference upon return. We can 

easily claim that when being away from 

Dubai even for just one month these 

days you notice the change. With all the 

construction around, the new national 

bird is the “crane”. Traditionally 

foreigners could not invest in properties 

in Dubai, but the real estate market 

was opened in 2000 and since then we 

have experienced lots of projects including 

so-called ‘’new wonders of the 

world’’. To adequately describe all such 

projects in Dubai would be beyond not 

only the readers’ patience but also the 

capacity of this article. Here are just a 

few of the most famous ones: 

• Burj Al-Arab, the sail-shaped signature 

building in Dubai housing the world’s 

only seven-star hotel. 

• Palm Jumeirah, known as the eighth 

wonder of the world, is reclaimed land 

in a shape of a palm tree that will comprise 

2,500 beachside villas and 2,400 

apartments, 50 hotels and related 

retails and outlets. 

• Palm Deira, larger than Manhattan 

with an area of more than 80 square 

kilometers - the largest dredging and 

reclamation project in history. 

• The World, comprising 300 private 

artificial islands four kilometers off the 

coast of Dubai. Each Island will represent 

a country and range from 250,000 

to 900,000 square feet in size. 

• Burj Dubai, which when completed 

will hold the world record for highest 

structure, roof, antenna and occupied 

floor. The exact height is not known 

but confirmed to be at least 700 metres. 

It will be built adjacent to Dubai Mall, 

which will be the biggest shopping mall 

in the world with a main boulevard of 

3.5 kilometres. 

• Mall of the Emirates, with the biggest 

in-door ski slope. 

Will Dubai succeed in all its ambitions? 

There certainly is will, but only time can 

tell. 

The World. 

Burj Al-Arab. 

Odfjell in Dubai 

Odfjell Dubai was set up in early 

1990s to cover the Middle East, 

except Saudi Arabia and Bahrain 

that fell under the responsibility 

of Odfjell Riyadh. The activities increased 

towards late 90s when 

Qatar and Kuwait got their first 

petrochemical complexes and also 

adding Iran, we experienced more 

opportunities out of this region. In 

2003 we gathered the Middle East 

activities to Dubai and the Riyadh 

staff joined us. Since then we are 

actively covering the whole region 

both commercially and operationally. 

We have some interesting 

years ahead as the production 

and export out of this area will be 

tripled towards 2008/09. 


Marine Fuel – an industry of 

its own 

By Per Watne and Roald Gravdal 

Marine fuel, mostly called “bunker” after 

the space where steamships stored 

coal, is a crucial element of vessel operation 

and economics. The recent developments 

in oil prices and fuel quality 

requirements have made bunker one of 

the hottest issues both in the commercial 

and technical departments. Marine 

fuel has become a big industry also including 

services like testing and surveying, 

brokering, purchasing and technical 

consulting. In this article, we will 

take a look at this business in an Odfjell 

context. 

In 2004 Odfjell Seachem procured about 

713,000 mts of marine fuel - Heavy Fuel 

Oil (HFO) 380 Cst grade primarily for 

main engines and Marine Diesel Oil 

(MDO) and Gas Oil (GO) primarily for auxiliary 

engines and systems. Vessels controlled 

by Odfjell performed a total 

of 1,200 bunker operations in 2004 

with nearly 90 suppliers in 130 different 

ports. Most fuel, however, is procured 

through contractual suppliers at 

the major ports and hubs, where we 

order estimated quantities of fuel one 

month in advance to have volumes 

confirmed by our suppliers. Our inhouse 

bunker department is in close 

contact with the suppliers and adjust 

the vessels’ estimated time of arrival 

(ETA) and final quantities in near cooperation 

with the ship operators. 

In other areas the bunker is supplied 

on spot basis by a balanced mix of oil 

majors and independents. The marine 

fuel market in general is very efficient, 

responding quickly to changes in supply 

and demand. 

Some of the most important issues for 

all bunker deliveries are: 

• To buy quality fuel and diesel/gas oils 

at best possible prices and condition 

without any delay in delivery. 

• In co-operation with the superintendents 

to control that the fuel 

delivered is within specifications, 

based on standards and analyses by 

surveyors. 

• When required, to consult third party 

statistics for quality/suppliers in 

various ports. 

• To be in close contact with bunker 

brokers to negotiate prices for the 

vessels’ requirements, and to be 

updated on the market situation and 

bunker availability. 

• To take preventive measures in order 

to avoid quality issues. 

Perhaps again the future of shipping if bunker prices continue to rise. Thanks to Peter van Kessel at OTR for this great photo 

manipulation. 


• When quality issues arise, to obtain 

full information/documentation from 

the superintendents and ship 

operators in order to pursue 

compensation from the bunker 

supplier. 

Bunker prices - fluctuations 

and impact on the bottom line. 

The bunker price follows the oil price 

closely. As we can see from below 

diagram, the last thirty years have seen 

some dramatic moves, and the current 

levels are touching the peak of the 

“second oil crisis” in 1980/1981. A ten 

dollar hike in bunker prices will knock 

approximately US$ 6 million off the 

Odfjell bottom line, and on the first 

Polish class vessels, the fuel cost is 

currently at least US$ 12,000 per day. 

Obviously, reducing the risk and impact 

of bunker prices is an important task. 

Bunker quality - an increasingly 

important issue. 

Questions and concerns regarding 

bunker quality are becoming increasingly 

important, partly as refinery 

processes target high-end products at 

the sacrifice of fuel grades. However, 

modern engines in general are less sensitive 

to fuel quality variations than what 

used to be the case some years back, 

and the range and quality of lubricants 

to mitigate bad fuel has also become 

very good. International standards on 

marine fuel oil were introduced in 1982. 

This is a rapidly developing area, and 

recent headlines on contaminated fuel 

involved substances normally not tested 

for. Bad fuel does not only increase wear 

and maintenance cost of machinery, but 

may even result in engine operation 

problems or engine damage. In worst 

case this can lead to loss of propulsion 

and subsequent collision or grounding. 

Consequently, the practise of not using 

received bunker until duly tested is easy 

to understand. It does sometimes happen 

that our vessels must return offspec 

bunker parcels. 

During bunkering operations, drip 

samples are taken in order to ensure 

that the samples cover the average 

quality of the delivered fuel. One in 

four samples, one will be analysed by 

DNV Fuel Quality Testing Programme, 

two are retained on board and one is 

delivered to the supplier. 

Testing will be even more important 

as the recently adopted Annex VI of 

Marpol – “Prevention of Air Pollution 

from Ships” has come into force. Both 

the vessel and supplier are responsible 

for the sulphur content in any fuel 

not to exceed 4.5%. Nor shall the fuel 

contain inorganic acids or any added 

substance that can jeopardise the safety 

of the ship or adversely affect the performance 

of its machinery, be harmful 

to personnel or contribute to additional 

air pollution. Needless to say, the shipping 

industry is facing considerable 

challenges related to bunker supplies in 

the years to come. 

Bunker Price Development 1973 - 2005 (380 Cst Rotterdam). 


Vessel of the issue 

Bow Faith - 

reliable sophistication 

By Captain Jan Nilsen, Master on Bow Faith 

M/T Bow Faith was delivered at Florø 

in April 1997, as number eight in the 

Kværner series of sixteen vessels. Since 

then she has been trading in most of the 

world and carried more than two million 

tonnes of cargo. 

The last twelve months we have been 

employed in the chemical trade from 

the US Gulf via South Africa to India, 

and the acid trade from West Africa 

to India with reloading again in the 

Arabian Gulf for the US or Europe. Most 

cargoes on these routes are easy to 

handle, although ports in India and West 

Africa can present quite a challenge 

in terms of handling the ISPS (International 

Ship & Port Security) Code 

and controlling all visitors who want to 

embark, especially to avoid stowaways. 

As an example we recently arrived 

Kandla, India with 18 parcels, 

and within the first hour we checked 

on board 43 people who in some ways 

had interests in the cargoes. During 

the same period we stopped quite a 

few who wanted to come on board in 

private business. 

The life out at sea is not as romantic 

as many at home tend to think, with 

Pumpman Schistad, Headmaster for the Framo system on board. 

women, wine and song in every port. The 

work burden is high with cargo handling, 

cleaning, maintenance, safety/security 

drills and inspections. Thus, the opportunities 

to go ashore are few, also with 

the increasingly strict port regulations 

restricting shore leave and hence, disallowing 

many welfare services. Many of 

the crew serve a whole contract period 

with very few or even no shore leaves. 

M/T Bow Faith at anchor. 


3rd Officer Kristin Østby working 

on deck. 

Accordingly, social gatherings and leisure 

activities on board are getting 

ever more important, and our activities 

differ little from what other vessels 

report in Odfjell Quarterly: watching 

movies, table tennis, darts, playing 

music and using the gymnasium 

(everybody wants to be fit for the bikini 

season). Another popular pastime is 

fishing, and during two days at anchor 

on our last voyage we got about 70 

kilos of different types including 

barracudas. According to the proud 

fishermen all were excellent for food, 

and it helps us keeping control with the 

provisions budget. 

On the 17th of May we celebrated the 

Norwegian Constitution Day, in beautiful 

weather in the Gulf on Aden. The 

crew participated in a parade on the 

catwalk, and as the captain took over 

the bridge watch, he could wave to 

the “crowd” from the “balcony” in 

royal style. The chief officer gave a nice 

speech, and everyone joined in when 

3rd officer presented the Norwegian 

national hymn “Ja, vi elsker”. 

Two of the trainees, Ketil Nilssen Saltnes (left) and Rune Langeland, posing in the 

South Atlantic Ocean. 

Bow Faith is one of the vessels in our 

fleet appointed for training of the 

next generation of Norwegian seafarers, 

and accordingly our crew composition 

is somewhat atypical with 

ten Norwegians and seventeen Filipinos. 

Time is precious in modern 

training, and the activities must be 

focused. Each of the trainees must 

complete various tasks on their own, 

both practical and theoretical. Documentation 

and verification of the 

training has become increasingly 

important, and thus, all tasks are 

evaluated and the results recorded. 

A challenging, yet rewarding project 

for everyone involved. 

All our three deck trainees have future 

plans that include further education 

and careers at sea, and for the time 

being we are working hard to make 

them full bodied A/B`s within the 

summer of 2006. This trip they have 

been performing their first sea watches, 

steered for pilot and visited Brazil 

for the first time. Our two Norwegian 

junior officers have shown great interest 

in leading the way for the trainees, 

which is admirable taking into account 

that they have their own tasks and 

training to attend to. 

All the trainees have a positive view of 

life at sea, on board training and Odfjell 

as employer. This is an opinion that we 

share, all of us involved with on board 

training of boys and girls soon to be 

seamen. 

Deck Trainee Ketil Nilssen Saltnes 

performing sandblasting. 

Members of the Bow Faith crew during May 17th celebrations. 

Preparing for a fire drill. 


Strengthening Odfjell seafaring skills 

An emerging academy (Part II of III) 

By Captain Kjell Johansen, Odfjell Manila 

In the previous issue 

of Quarterly we 

introduced Odfjell 

Manila’s Competence 

and Career 

M a n a g e m e n t 

(C&CM) program 

and the Odfjell 

Academy. This time 

we will discuss 

more in detail the Academy’s work to 

enhance health, safety, security and 

environment (HSSE) awareness among 

our seafarers. In this effort we place the 

highest priority on the following areas: 

• Increase ship & cargo handling 

knowledge. 

• Enhance HSSE awareness. 

• Improve emergency response skills. 

• Familiarisation with mandatory rules 

& regulations, industry guidelines 

and Odfjell procedures. 

• Develop cadet competences. 

Increase ship & cargo handling 

knowledge 

Odfjell has made an agreement with 

Wärtsila for the use of ‘state-of-the-art’ 

bridge, cargo and engine simulators for 

22 weeks per annum for the next five 

years. These simulators will be installed 

and commissioned in July this year, 

which means that we expect to be fully 

operational in August. 

The bridge simulators are composed 

of one full mission bridge with an 

actual vision area of 240 degrees, one 

120 deg. secondary bridge and three 

40 deg. bridges. All will have installed 

actual models of our major ship types in 

addition to waterways frequently sailed 

by our vessels. These simulators are 

also interconnected to the engine and 

cargo handling simulators, giving us 

many possibilities when preparing 

training scenarios. The only limitation 

will be our own creativity or should 

I rather say lack of such. During all 

training scenarios, regardless what 

type of training (e.g. ship handling & 

manoeuvring, collision & grounding 

avoidance, practical navigation & position 

determination, cargo handling & 

cargo care, engine performance, marine 

plant operation, etc.), it will of course 

be imperative to comply with applicable 

mandatory rules & regulations, industry 

guidelines as well as Odfjell’s ship board 

procedures to inculcate these requirements 

to the trainees. The end result 

will be a better prepared, more skilled 

and more confident deck/engine officer 

on our ships. 

Enhance health, safety, security and 

environmental (HSSE) awareness 

During April and May 2005, Odfjell 

Academy, Odfjell Manila and Odfjell 

Bergen have been cooperating to revise 

and extend our previously developed 

PEC (Protection and Environmental 

During bridge simulator training. 


Fire handling training. 

Course), to establish a training package 

focusing solely on our main challenge: 

ensuring a healthy, safe, secure and 

environmental friendly work environment 

on board. This combined effort 

has resulted in a one week HSSE training 

for all our seafarers. The syllabus of 

the course includes topics such as but 

not limited to: 

• Odfjell’s HSSE policies 

• Critical operations 

• Health, hygiene, housekeeping and 

cleanliness 

• Shipboard familiarisation and 

training 

• Safety requirements 

• Security requirements 

• Environment protection and 

prevention requirements 

• Inspections, vettings and audits 

• Risk assessment 

The course will be reviewed on a 

regular basis to ensure that we include 

any changes to mandatory and company 

requirements. 

Improve emergency response skills 

About one year ago Odfjell decided 

to implement SOLAS Safety refresher 

training for all crew, regardless 

whether this type of training would 

become mandatory or not. Based on 

this decision Odfjell Manila and Odfjell 

Academy started to make plans to 

ensure that we were ready for this 

‘new’ challenge. We started up a project 

of looking into how we could, in the 

most effective way, give required refresher 

training to all 1,600 crew in the 

pool over a not too long time-frame. 

This project has resulted in a training 

programme where management level 

officers (MLOs) will receive four days of 

training whereof the first two days are 

allocated to theory and the last two days 

to practical training. Our intention is to 

use MLOs as instructors for operational 

& support level crew during their two 

days of practical training, overlooked 

by a professional instructor. In this way 

the MLOs will not only improve their 

emergency response skills, but also develop 

their abilities as instructors, which 

will be useful during on board training 

and drills. Operational level officers 

will have one day of theory and two 

days of practical training while support 

level crew will receive a short introduction 

prior to their two days of practical 

training. 

Familiarization with mandatory 

rules & regulations, industry 

guidelines and Odfjell procedures 

The objective of this training is to 

strengthen the MLOs’ knowledge, 

as well as their ability to look up 

applicable mandatory rules & regulations, 

industry guidelines requirements 

and Odfjell procedures in the various 

publications and shipboard management 

manuals (SMMs) in the library on 

board. We have structured this training 

differently from other courses, which 

basically means that it is in the form 

of a project assignment. The group of 

trainees consists of one or two captains, 

one or two chief officers, one junior 

officer and one chief engineer and/or 

2nd engineer. They are given five days 

and full access to all publications and 

SMMs under strict supervision/guidance 

by an instructor to solve the tasks given, 

which all are based on the ‘Hot Items 

Report’ published by the company on 

a quarterly basis. The last day is used 

for presentation of the conclusions and 

results of the project assignment. 

Develop cadet competence 

This four-week program at Odfjell 

Academy is divided into a practical and a 

theoretical part, focusing mainly on the 

company’s shipboard procedures, use 

of personal protective & safety equipment, 

HSSE requirements/expectations 

and basic seamanship, housekeeping 

and cleanliness. During the whole duration 

of their stay at Odfjell Academy the 

cadets’ performance and attitude will 

be thoroughly monitored on a day-today 

basis by their instructors, who are 

carefully selected bosuns with long seagoing 

experience. The whole program 

is concluded with a final exam to ensure 

their suitability for vessel assignment. 


Odfjell Competence Centre 

Easy access to learning 

By Rønnaug Kamlund 

Since the last article 

on this topic in the 

March 2004 issue of 

Quarterly, activities 

in the Odfjell Competence 

Centre (OCC) 

have expanded. We 

have now produced 

courses for ship 

operators globally 

and for terminal operators in Rotterdam. 

Recently we completed a pilot 

project in English language training, 

and by the end of June an updated 

version of Odfjell Common Competence 

will be available. 

Odfjell Competence Centre is launched 

through the Intranet, and all employees 

have their own personalised page, 

related to their position. All new 

employees in Bergen get access to the 

Competence Centre, and are introduced 

to the company, its policies and values 

through the “Odfjell Common Competence” 

e-leaning course. The feedback 

on the course has been very positive, 

and it seems to be a good way to be introduced 

to a rather complex company. 

The training structure for ship operators 

and terminal operators is a combination 

of classroom sessions, lecture 

notes/handouts and a test related to the 

subject, taken before or after the course. 

In our experience, competence building 

through various learning methods gives 

high quality and sustainable learning in 

an efficient way. All learning is based on 

a competence profile for each position, 

describing the skills needed to perform 

this particular job. Currently such learning 

profiles have been established for 

ship operators, superintendents and 

terminal operators. Competence profiles 

for shipbrokers and other positions 

will be developed within the next six 

months. Lecture notes, presentations 

and tests on the different subjects are 

standardized and will be updated when 

needed. This means that high quality 

learning material will be available 

throughout the organisation. 

Svend Foyn-Bruun, Vice President 

Operational Support, has been responsible 

for running courses for operators 

on a variety of subjects. Odd Jarle 

Pollen, Ship Operator at Odfjell Seachem 

in Bergen, has been through some of the 

courses, and his response is favourable: 


Odd Jarle Pollen 

“I think the combination of e-learning 

and attending lectures is an effective 

way of learning new skills or brushing 

up on my knowledge. In addition, with 

this way of doing it, one can to a large 

extent decide when to “study”. It is 

better to take “five minutes at leisure” 

when one has a spare moment, rather 

than adding it to a busy work situation.” 

Odfjell Terminals (Rotterdam) has developed 

a test in terminal procedures and 

a special course in operating procedures 

for tank pit 10A, the latter being 

produced by Hans Vermeulen of the 

Project Department at OTR. His experiences 

in using the OCC as a learning 

tool are equally positive: 

Hans Vermeulen 

“The feedback on Odfjell Competence 

Centre after the introduction on May 

20th, especially the e-learning course 

of our new tank pit 10A, is very positive 

and the course can be considered a 

success“. 

Although the target group for these 

particular courses is operations, there is 

also broad interest from other departments. 

In addition to being a learning 

system, I hope the OCC also stimulates 

mutual understanding and brings the 

different departments closer together. 

I have even received feedback from 

colleagues who have not yet been introduced 

to the OCC. As they were curious 

they started investigating on their 

own, which shows that the Competence 

Centre is easily accessible. This also confirms 

my own experience from when 

I was introduced to Odfjell Common 

Competence as a member of the pilot 

group. Learning is not only more 

efficient due to the use of graphics and 

animation (as they say; one picture says 

more than a thousand words), but it’s 

also much more fun. 

At the moment we are already developing 

new courses using existing 

information such as General Information 

OTR, General Terminal Structure 

and Valves & Instruments. But also 

relevant learning material about upcoming 

projects will be produced and 

can be accessed via OCC. 

It looks like we have been provided with 

a tool that allows competence requirements 

to be documented and communicated 

effectively.” 

Further development of OCC 

Our intention is to provide both training/courses 

for core positions and more 

generic learning material through OCC. 

The business units will continue to produce 

and use courses, presentations, 

lecture notes and tests on subjects they 

find relevant based on competence 

requirements for the different positions. 

By applying standards and offthe-shelf 

tools we can produce most of 

the needed courses in-house. Bergen, 

Singapore and Rotterdam have taken 

the system into use. The next location 

will be Houston. By the end of 2005, we 

hope all locations are able to use OCC.

New Global Data Network 

for Odfjell 

By Harald Helness, ICT Bergen 

Odfjell introduced 

our first global data 

network in 1996/ 

1997, when we implemented 

a Frame 

Relay network between 

the locations 

Bergen, Rotterdam, 

Singapore, Houston, 

Tokyo and São Paulo. The Frame Relay 

Technology was state-of-the-art at the 

time, but nevertheless this network was 

expensive to operate and the performance 

was not satisfactory. 

Due to the high cost and the slow performance 

of the Frame Relay network, 

Odfjell ICT turned the attention to 

IP-enabled virtual private networks 

(IP VPNs). Definitions vary but, simply 

put, an IP VPN provides a private and 

secure end-to-end connection through a 

public IP (Internet protocol) network. 

During the period 2000 – 2004 the 

Global Odfjell Network was upgraded 

to include 19 nodes (offices) in 17 countries, 

using the Internet as carrier. 

Even though the direct cost of this network 

transport was clearly reduced, 

there have been serious concerns about 

the quality of service. The speed of the 

network was originally adequate, but 

over time it has become slow. It is like 

driving on a highway: normally traffic 

flows well, but during rush hours or 

in case of traffic accidents, traffic gets 

slow or stuck. Several branch offices 

have complained about response times 

and our network monitoring system 

confirms poor quality for several of the 

connections. 

Due to the reasons described above, the 

BGO ICT section was asked by the senior 

management to bring forward a new 

network solution. The following key 

requirements were set up: 

• Guaranteed response times. 

• Guaranteed data transmission 

capacity. 

• Guaranteed quality of data 

transmission. 

• Flexibility when it comes to upgrades, 

both with respect to network 

capacity and implementation of new 

locations. 

• Be prepared to handle both voice 

and video when it becomes cost 

beneficial. 

The following sites are included in the new network: 

• A secure environment. 

• Managed by a professional supplier 

according to a service level agreement. 

A consequence of the requirements 

was to look into Multi-Protocol Label 

Switching (MPLS) based technology. 

Four major suppliers were invited to 

present their solution, and to cut a long 

story short, AT&T won the contest due 

to an excellent product, one of the best 

network coverages in the business and a 

solid standing in the market. 

One important feature of MPLS is the 

support of Class-of-Service (CoS) and 

Quality-of-Service (QoS) on an end-toend 

basis. QoS is describing the handling 

mechanism and hence performance of 

the different traffic classes. Without 

QoS, traffic of all classes will basically be 

handled in a “first-in-first-out” manner. 

If the access line is under congestion, 

delay-sensitive applications (e.g. Odfjell 

application servers) may have to queue 

data and considerable delays may be 

the result, making the application 

unusable. 

CoS is about how to classify data 

traffic into different categories. The 

Odfjell data traffic between our sites 

has been classified into the following 

four categories: 

The entire network is scheduled to be 

operative within the end of summer 

2005. If the MPLS technology turns out 

to work in our environment, and I believe 

it will, we will achieve a fast and 

reliable network without any rush hour 

traffic or collisions. If this is not the 

case, AT&T will have to pay SLA credits 

to Odfjell. However, due to the importance 

of having a fully operational 

network we would really prefer not to 

“earn” such money. 

Traffic Class Traffic Type Odfjell usage 

CoS 1 Real time Voice Future use 

CoS 2 Real-time Video Future use 

CoS 3 Interactive traffic for mission critical Application server 

business applications 

Business critical servers at the Odfjell 

BGO site. 

traffic (Citrix) 

CoS 4 Less delay sensitive applications HTTP, FTP, Print 


Safety Bulletin 

ISPS & Piracy 

By Toralf Sørenes 

New measures to improve security within 

the marine transportation industry 

have been high on the international 

agenda for some time. Piracy, however, 

continues to be a significant problem. 

At a recent session of the IMO’s Maritime 

Safety Committee the Chairman 

noted that although the number of 

reported acts of piracy and armed robbery 

against ships in 2004 decreased by 

27% as compared to 2003, the ferocity 

has increased significantly. The number 

of crew-members reportedly killed rose 

from 13 to 30 and the number injured 

rose from 45 to 87, compared with 

2003. These are alarming figures, and 

come despite the implementation of 

the new security code. The areas most 

affected in 2004 were the Far East, in 

particular the South China Sea and the 

Malacca Strait, South America and the 

Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, West and 

East Africa. No governments have reported 

piracy incidents in their territorial 

areas, and the IMO encourages such 

reporting to enable possible action. This 

lack of government level reporting and 

attention indicates that further focus 

on piracy is required. Our ship security 

plan (SSP) is presently undergoing its 

first annual review, and this is an area 

we will give particular attention. In the 

meantime it is important for all ships 

to stay alert, monitor local or regional 

broadcast and follow the relevant guidance 

in their SSP. 

MARPOL Detentions - Criminal Sanctions on Seafarers 

MARPOL detentions and the use of 

criminal sanctions against seafarers 

have been high profile issues for some 

time. We pointed out the importance 

of strict adherence to the Marpol regulations 

already in Odfjell Quarterly 

December 2002, then triggered by a 

US enforcement initiative or campaign. 

The main elements in this campaign 

were increased use of strict liability for 

operational and/or technical errors and 

use of relatively harsh criminal sanctions 

against crew, companies and officers of 

the companies. Very high rewards for 

whistle-blowing was another element 

fuelling the enforcement campaign. 

This new doctrine has gradually found 

its way to Europe, assumedly at least 

in part triggered by the ‘Erika’ and 

‘Prestige’ accidents, and also Canada. 

Criminalization of seafarers for operational 

mistakes or technical malfunctions 

in a legal system where the 

old neglect element are being replaced 

by strict liability thinking is in our 

opinion not the optimal way forward. 

Odfjell has recently been involved in two 

incidents related to the oily water separation 

systems (OWS) that give room for 

concern. In 2001, French air surveillance 

recorded a slick in one of our ship’s 

wake in the southern entrances of the 

English Channel. The slick was originating 

from the 15 PPM OWS system in the 

engine room. The matter was followed 

up by the French authorities and came 

before a criminal court in Brest in May 

this year. On another ship, a US Coast 

Guard (USCG) inspection team doing an 

intermediate Certificate of Compliance 

(COC) inspection in May this year discovered 

oil leaking out of a valve in the 

15 PPM OWS system in the engine room 

and subsequently ordered disconnection 

of pipes, etc. Oil was found and the 

ship was put under a MARPOL detention 

order until the system was cleaned 

on the discharge side and confirmed operational 

by the class. Fortunately this 

incident was considered to be of operational 

nature and handled within the 

USCG as such. We did, however, loose 

time. Further, a port state SOLAS, ISPS or 

MARPOL detention give negative points 

on the USCG boarding matrix and move 

the manager/owner/operator (Odfjell) 

up the USCG boarding and exam target 

list, which again may effect our QUAL- 

SHIP 21 status. Our high QUALSHIP 21 

compliance rate gives us some advantages 

in the US. We are not boarded 

as frequently as many others, and less 

boardings give less delays. A QUAL- 

SHIP 21 ship may arrive out of public 

office hours (i.e. evening, weekend, etc.) 

with an expired mid term COC and still 

be able to do port operations until the 

public offices open and inspection can 

be arranged. Our port state detention 

record is also an important factor when 

our ships are screened or vetted. 

If matters involving OWS in USA are 

transferred to the USCG’s law enforcement 

department, FBI or other agencies, 

less “operational” and more 

punitive approaches are often taken. 

We have seen severe penalties imposed 

on other companies in cases involving 

these systems. It is therefore imperative 

to fully comply with MARPOL and make 

sure that log book entries including 

corrections are accurate and updated. 

Spring outing at the Risk Management Section, celebrating Stephen 

Boudreaux’ 50th birthday. The very happy jubilant in new “lusekofte” 

surrounded by Inger Østensjø, Elisabeth Alfheim and Lih Chyun Tok Finne. 


Improving Port Turnaround 

in Singapore 


Through consolidation 

of load and discharge 

operations 

of our chemical tankers, 

Odfjell can improve 

the turnaround 

and reduce time in 

port. The concept 

may sound easy, but 

planning and execution is a different 

ball game. There are also costs involved 

by using smaller feeder vessels and 

intermediate storage, hence these operations 

must be carefully evaluated and 

Visitors on the bridge of Bow Sun. 

will only be executed when it contributes 

positively to the results. 

M/T Bow Sun successfully performed 

such an operation on April 24th, alongside 

our joint venture terminal OOTS 

in Singapore. There are 17 terminals 

and 40 different berths for chemicals in 

Singapore, and Bow Sun was scheduled 

to load and discharge a total of 16,800 

tonnes of 22 different grades at eight 

terminals. These operations should in 

theory take 5.5 days, but in practice much 

longer due to congested berths and 

unforeseen delays. Alongside 

OOTS Berth #11, 

Bow Sun discharged and 

loaded a total of 12,500 

mts of 16 different grades 

into three transhipment 

vessels (board-to-board 

and via terminal looplines) 

as well as to and 

from the OOTS terminal, 

in only 34 hours. 

Such an operation requires 

large efforts and particular 

skills from the people involved. 

We commend our 

port captain, our chartering, 

operations and agency departments 

as well as the terminal and the ship on 

setting up and performing such a complicated 

operation. To witness this major 

event, key executives from the Maritime 

and Port Authority of Singapore visited 

the vessel to see the operations taking 

place. More of these operations will be 

made, and we hope that our customers 

will take an active role in facilitating 

more optimal logistics port solutions so 

that we all can benefit from improved 

operational efficiency. 

NPRA San Antonio - 2005 

By Petter Maasoe, Odfjell USA 

During transhipment operations. 

The National Petroleum 

Refiners 

Association held 

their annual International 

Petrochemical 

Conference 

in San 

Antonio, Texas on 

April 3-5. Odfjell 

had transportation 

and storage representatives from 

both Europe and North America present, 

with busy meeting schedules and a 

united focus. 

The conference attendance this year 

was substantial compared to previous 

years, and the mood considerably more 

positive in lieu of the financial results of 

2004, bolstered by the anticipated gains 

of 1st quarter 2005. 

The Odfjell Reception Party was once 

again held at the Rio Grande Ballroom 

at the Hyatt San Antonio and graciously 

attended by the many key representatives 

attending the NPRA. The comments 

that our Reception Party is the 

most attended in comparison to the 

other shipping companies, makes this a 

From the Odfjell Reception Party. 

great opportunity to socialize with old 

and new customers all in one room. 

Meeting reports concerning the NPRA 

can be found on the Intranet. 


Middle Management 

Meeting in Bergen 

By Brit A. Bennett 

Leadership awareness 

and good 

management are 

of greatest importance 

to Odfjell, 

to reach our goals 

and implement 

company strategies. 

Our Leadership 

Development 

Programme focuses on organisational 

challenges and the individual manager’s 

performance. We arrange annual meetings 

for senior and for middle management, 

and this year the focus has been 

on quality management at corporate 

level and the safety culture at Odfjell. 

The Middle Management Meeting 

was held in Bergen in the beginning 

of June, with the participation of 28 

middle managers representing eight 

locations worldwide. In his opening address 

to the participants, President/CEO 

Terje Storeng discussed the challenges 

we are facing within the HSE field and 

Odfjell’s definite ambition to be a zeroaccident 

company. We will continue 

to strengthen our work to improve 

safety and build a better safety culture, 

both at sea and on shore, through the 

commitment from managers and by 

improving our employees’ knowledge, 

skills and behaviour. Main tools to reach 

this goal, Mr. Storeng stated, are better 

attitudes, enhanced training, improved 

procedures and compliance. There will 

be no tolerance for unsafe practices at 

Odfjell. 

The rest of the first day was allocated 

to group discussions on management 

responsibilities and challenges related 

to unsafe and illegal practices and 

non-compliance with our working 

procedures. 

In the evening we had the pleasure of 

attending Mahler’s Eight Symphony, 

‘Symphony of a Thousand’, as part of 

the Bergen Music Festival. With a choir 

of more than 300 singers and in total 

close to 500 people on stage, this was 

really an outstanding and memorable 

experience. 

Chairman Dan Odfjell opened day 

two with some clear messages to the 

middle managers. Mr. Odfjell expressed 

his concerns for the seafarers, and the 

significance that the organisation on 

shore does its utmost to support the 

mariners. He also spent time on the 

importance of safe working practices 

and compliance with procedures. 

However, we should avoid creating a 

“fear” culture where dread for sanctions 

may inhibit initiative. Since we are only 

Terje Storeng during his opening 

address. 

human, the Chairman remarked, mistakes 

will happen. Nevertheless, we 

have to learn from our mistakes, analyse 

and understand what triggers incidents 

and ensure that we do not 

make the same error twice. 

He also mentioned that, although 

it is only natural in 

a busy job to concentrate 

on the problems, we should 

also remember to praise and 

reward proper conduct and 

achievements. 

In the afternoon the new 

Senior Vice President Ship 

Management, Mr. Trygve 

Arnesen, presented himself, 

and Mr. Jan Didrik Lorentz, 

the newly appointed Senior 

Vice President Quality 

Management, introduced his 

new unit, its tasks and 

responsibilities. 

During group sessions 


Quarterly goes Su Doku 

The international craze called Su Doku 

has now finally also reached Odfjell 

Quarterly. The rules for this puzzle are 

really easy: you should fill in the empty 

cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that 

each number appears only once in 

each row, in each column and in each 

3x3 box marked by a bold border. This 

is a “real” Su Doku, meaning that it is 

possible to find the solution by applying 

logics; no trial & error and subsequent 

backtracking should be necessary. Only 

one unique solution exists. 

However, although the rules may be 

easy, finding the correct solution is 

perhaps not as straight forward. Good 

luck! We look forward to receiving your 

solutions, by September 5th at the very 

latest. 

Solution to the March 2005 brainteaser 

In our previous issue of Odfjell Quarterly 

we asked you to assist M/T Bow 

Quizzy and the Mhes Zi terminal in finding 

how to discharge exactly 870 metric 

tons (mtons) by using the volumes of 

four empty shoretanks of 920, 605, 410, 

and 65 cbm respectively, plus an empty 

open container of 30 cbm. 

As it turns out, there are several ways 

of doing this. My original solution is as 

follows: 

1. Discharge from vessel so that A is 

full (920 cub. mtrs = 920 mtons) 

2. Transfer from A to B so that B is 

full. Remaining in A = 920 - 605 = 

315 mtons. Transfer volume in 

B back to ship. 

3. Discharge from ship to fill C, and 

then transfer to A. 

In A = 315 + 410 = 725 mtons. 

4. Discharge from ship to fill D and 

transfer to A. Repeat this operation. 

In A = 725 + 2*65 = 855 mtons. 

5. Use the crane to lift the open 

container E so that it stands in 45 

degree angle and fill the container 

until the level of the product 

reaches the top of the container on 

one side and just completely 

covers the bottom on the other 

side. 

The container is then exactly half 

full (= 15 mtons). Transfer to A, 

which then holds 855 + 15 = 870 

mtons. 

This requires eleven transfers, including 

returning of cargo from B to ship. 

However, as our five respondents have 

suggested, there are several other 

methods that also may give the required 

quantity. Two of the suggestions, 

although reaching the correct volume, 

involved multiple use of the small tank 

container E which would require too 

many transfers and thus be too time 

consuming. A third solution assumed 

that the ship carried exactly 870 tons of 

the product, which is not necessarily the 

case. If so, then they could have pumped 

the volume straight into Tank A in just 

one transfer. The fourth suggested solution 

tried to find the correct volume 

based on pumping time. Although by 

far the most innovative one, it violated 

several of the assumptions and would 

not work in practice. The fifth contributor, 

Mr. Reidar Lien of the Odfjell 

Board of Directors, has suggested a 

solution which would work OK and that, 

although requiring one more transfer 

(= 1 hour) more than the original solution, 

is by far the least time-consuming 

of the solutions received. Hence, Odfjell 

Quarterly congratulates Mr. Lien as this 

issue’s “Brainchamp”. The price is on its 

way! 


Singapore Minister of State 

visits Bergen 


In combination with the Nor-Shipping 

Conference in Oslo, Singapore participated 

with a prominent delegation led 

by the Minister of State for Finance and 

Transport, Mdm. Lim Hvee Hua and the 

new head of Singapore Maritime and 

Port Administration, Brigadier General 

Tay Lim Heng. On Friday June 10th, the 

delegation from Singapore took the 

time to visit Odfjell at our headquarters 

in Bergen. During a “working lunch”, 

President/CEO Terje Storeng gave a brief 

introduction of Odfjell and our activities 

worldwide, and Minister Lim Hvee 

Hua presented a very nice old map of 

Singapore and its surroundings to our 

Chairman, Mr. Dan Odfjell. The meeting 

at the office was followed by a boattrip 

and a visit to the famous violinist 

and composer Ole Bull’s summerhouse 

at Lysøen. 

President/CEO Terje Storeng, Minister of State Mdm. Lim Hvee Hua and Chairman 

Dan Odfjell. 

Odfjell’s Bank Presentation 

By Tom Haugen 

Once a year Odfjell’s principal banking 

partners are invited for an in depth 

presentation of the financial position 

and strategy of the Odfjell Group. This 

year the event took place early May and 

was chaired by Senior Vice President 

Finance/Accounts Haakon Ringdal. 

A total of 24 bankers from 15 global 

shipping banks participated, representing 

nearly all of the Odfjell Group’s 

lenders. 

The meeting was held in a very positive 

mood as the Odfjell Group delivered the 

best financial quarter ever in 1st quarter 

of 2005, with a net income of US$ 

50 million. We anticipate continued 

strong results in 2005. Over the past 12 

months we have reorganized our debt 

to take advantage of a competitive 

banking marked. With the debt reorganization 

we have achieved lower interest 

rate margins and longer repayment 

periods. The sound financial standing 

makes Odfjell a preferred customer for 

our banking partners. 

After a two-hour presentation Mr. Dan 

Odfjell hosted an informal dinner, in 

a relaxed atmosphere in the old part 

of the Bergen harbour, “Bryggen”. In 

this neighbourhood, ship owners and 

bankers/financiers have meet for centuries 

in Bergen’s rich shipping history. 

Haakon Ringdal presenting. 


Some of the bank representatives.

The ship is ready - 

Open day at the new PID facilities in Rotterdam 

By Theo Kruithof 

Our Petrochemical Industrial Distillation 

plant (PID) in Rotterdam recently 

inaugurated its new office and central 

control room (CCR), and on May 28th 

the PID gave an open doors afternoon 

for its staff and their families. The attendance 

was high, in total some 60- 

65 people, as many parents, spouses 

and (grand)children were eager to see 

where their relatives are working. 

The guests were welcomed in the canteen 

of OTR’s beautiful office building 

1 by PID General Manager Wim van der 

Sanden. In his speech Mr. Van der Sanden 

touched upon PID’s history, its line 

of business, the plant’s future outlook 

and of course the recent investments. 

His main points were the high safety 

standards of the new CCR 

(it’s a fire and explosion 

proof bunker), the hightech 

computer management 

system and the pleasure 

it is to work in such an 

environment. This investment 

really shows confidence 

in PID’s future. 

After the presentation the 

visitors went on a terminal 

tour by touring-car, hosted 

by Robert Kok of the HR- 

Department, followed by 

a guided walk through 

the new offices and CCR. Marijn van 

Maanen, PID’s production manager, explained 

in a clear way the purpose of 

The new CCR building, shaped like the bow of a ship, 

completes the vessel-look of the OTR office structure. 

all the CCR equipment. In particular he 

described the very safe construction of 

the CCR which in case of an emergency 

allows continuing to work in the PID 

CCR for another hour. This is a necessity, 

since the PID must be able to stop 

its processes easily and adequately if a 

major incident should occur. 

Back in the canteen it was time for some 

socializing over snacks and drinks, before 

leaving with a small remembrance 

gift after a merry and instructive afternoon. 

Relatives attending the PID open day. 

Reception on Bow Star in 

Jebel-Ali 

By Willy Thorsen, Odfjell Dubai 

On April 5th Odfjell Dubai 

took the opportunity to host 

a reception for our clients in 

U.A.E., when M/T Bow Star 

called Jebel-Ali for discharging. 

We were very pleased to 

see about 45 guests attending 

this party, which was held on 

the bridge of the ship. 

Mr. Shehab Al-Rahma from 

Dubai Port Authority presented 

a plaque to Captain Johan 

Hanssen, to express the good 

co-operation between the port 

and Odfjell vessels. We send 

our thanks to Captain Hanssen, 

officers and crew of Bow Star 

for a well organized party. 

From left: Chief engineer 

Otto Anneland, Captain 

Johan Hanssen 

Mr. Shehab Al-Rahma (Dubai 

Port Authority) 


Enthralling weekend at 

Batam Cable Ski Park By Jack Yu, Odfjell Singapore 

Teambuilding should be fun, and the 

Odfjell Singapore operations and chartering 

departments joined by the VP for 

Asia Pacific, Mr. Morten Nystad, certainly 

succeeded when visiting the Batam 

(Indonesia) water ski park on April 23rd 

this year. 

One unique feature of Batam cable ski 

park is that it uses a “ski-lift” system, 

towing up to eight skiers simultaneously 

in a racetrack format. The cables 

runs counter-clockwise around the lake. 

Powered by an electric system, the skiers 

are pulled by hooks on the cable while 

gliding across the glassy water. It’ll take 

a skier about two minutes to complete 

one round with the cables running at 

Jamie Lian doing the double-banking stunt... 

Odfjell Korea Ltd completes first year 

of operation By Trond Garshol 

Odfjell Korea Ltd. has been operating 

from Ulsan since March 26th 2004, and 

thus, we have already completed our 

first year of operation. Our office is located 

in Jangsengpo, a shipping district 

where you find the port authorities, 

customs, immigration and quarantine, 

various sub-contractors, the launch boat 

station, various terminals and also a 

nice view to the sea. In our first year we 

facilitated 127 calls by Odfjell Seachem 

vessels and 125 calls by Odfjell Asia 

vessels. We assist our fleets with prearrival 

information, custom clearance, 

the usual speed of 28 km/h. Non-swimmers 

are ensured maximum safety as we 

were done up in mandatory life vests 

and water helmets! There is also an 

additional safety measure in the shape 

of a local “Baywatch hero” on standby. 

Odfjell’s staff quickly learnt the use of 

kneeboard, waterski and wakeboard 

under the instructions of the cable 

crew. Although many of us started the 

skiing with bad falls, our determination 

to master the skills was overwhelming, 

and by late morning almost all of us already 

managed one or two rounds on 

our own. Impressive, right?! 

By end of the evening, and after music, 

food and drinks 

in the sun and plenty 

of laughs, the Odfjell 

skiing ‘pros’ were all 

exhausted. Nevertheless, 

the event was very 

successful and all of us 

are looking forward 

for the next water-skiing 

trip. 

arrival/sailing clearance, notifications to 

customers, bills of lading, arrangement 

of vessels requisitions, advice for port 

operation, tank cleaning, repairs etc. 

We have developed a good relationship 

with port authorities, terminals, 

customers and sub-contractors, and we 

are cooperating closely with Odfjell 

Terminals (Korea) Co., Ltd. in Ulsan and 

our chartering office in Seoul. The staff 

counts nine people, and we would all 

like to take this opportunity to thank 

our colleagues for the assistance given 

to us so far. 

May 17th in 

Singapore 


May 17th, the Norwegian Constitution 

Day, most Norwegians in Singapore 

get together at various social functions 

during the day. This year, the public celebration 

started with a reception at the 

Ambassador’s residence followed by a 

family arrangement at four o’clock in 

the afternoon at the historic Fort Canning 

Park where more than 300 people 

participated. Later in the evening, those 

who still had some energy left could indulge 

at the shrimp party hosted by the 

Norwegian Seamen’s Church. 

The programme at the Fort Canning 

Park was headed off by the traditional 

May 17th Procession. Even though the 

length of the walk was rather short 

compared to what we are used to in 

Norway, the dedication and excitement 

of joining was high. Equally important 

to make a successful May 17th celebration 

are hot dogs, ice cream and soda 

pops, which were readily available. 

This year we commemorate that it is 100 

years since the breaking of our union 

with Sweden in 1905, and equally notably, 

on August 9th Singapore celebrates 

the 40th anniversary as an independent 

state. 

In conclusion and despite of the rainy 

weather, everybody had a memorable 

experience and the attendance proves 

that May 17th is maybe more important 

to us when we are living away from 

Norway. 

The staff of Odfjell Korea Ltd. in Ulsan. From left: D H Kim, Y J Park, JH Kim, 

W J Lee, Y T Kwon, Y K Park, Trond Garshol, Sylvia Kim, Danny Kwon. 

Young Magnus Eidsvåg, during 

celebrations. 


OTR football team wins K.R.V.E. 

football tournament 

By Rob Stuijfzand and Martin Mutsaers 

The K.R.V.E. football tournament is 

one of the most prestigious tournaments 

in the Rotterdam port area. In 

May the OTR football team managed to 

take home this magnificent cup, in the 

competition with 20 other seven-a-side 

teams. 

In the group play we won five of the six 

matches, and on a close call we made it 

into the semi-finals. There we met the 

very team that beat us earlier, but what 

better opportunity to take revenge. After 

a tight and exiting match, where we 

scored our equalizer to 2-2 just before 

the last whistle (superb time management), 

we managed to win the penalty 

kicks to qualify for the finals. 

In the vibrating final, we played the 

team that had won the cup the two previous 

years. As underdogs, and because 

the crowd really wanted the cup to stay 

in Rotterdam, we got a lot of spectator 

support. However, our opponents 

put a lot of pressure on us, and only a 

number of spectacular saves from our 

keeper kept us in the game. Through a 

scarce OTR counterattack we managed 

a 1-0 lead, which actually lasted to the 

end of the match. Time for “We are the 

Champions!” This is a superb result for 

the OTR football team, permanently establishing 

Odfjell’s name in Rotterdam. 

Next year, hopefully we will defend the 

cup in front of a lot of Odfjell supporters. 

And in the meantime to our colleagues 

from the Bergen football team: Wanna 

play? 

We assume the Bergen team will accept 

the challenge to prove who are “Odfjell 

Champions”. This squad is close to being 

unbeaten in the Bergen inter-company 

league this season, so we’re really talking 

a “clash of the titans”. Any other 

Odfjell teams who want to join in? 

The victorious OTR team. Aft from left: Richard de Haan, Michel 

van Strien, Harry van Kapel, Bob Polack, Ton van Ooijen. Front 

from left Rob Stuijfzand, Mehmet Arabaci, Martin Mutsaers, 

René Lankhaar. 

Odfjell participates in the 

annual RoPaRun 

This year’s RoPaRun from Paris to Rotterdam, 

as always benefiting cancer 

patients, saw an Odfjell team for the 

seventh time on the 540 km challenge. 

There were some new faces in the team, 

and the night temperatures, down to 

And the Bergen team. 

2ºC, was quite a challenge. Further, one 

of our biking assistants was involved in a 

small accident. Despite this, we beat our 

average speed benchmark and finished 

in 40 hours and 15 minutes. Many donors 

had already exhausted their charity 

budgets after the Tsunami catastrophe, 

but we still managed to raise EUR 

24,000. Last, but not least, we would 

like to thank the Management of OTR 

for their usual kind cooperation. 


Never a dull moment! 

By Anne-Kristine Øen 

Good colleagues and the pulsating 

nature of the business, are the main 

sources of inspiration and motivation to 

Terje Storeng, President/CEO of Odfjell 

ASA. 

As a young man, growing up only one 

kilometre away from the Odfjell headquarters 

in Bergen, it never occurred to 

Terje Storeng that maybe one day he 

would work in the shipping industry. He 

wanted to fly jets. Or perhaps become a 

professional football-player, or possibly 

a tax-lawyer! 

Then, before he had made any firm decisions 

about his future career, he was 

head-hunted, straight from college, at 

the age of nineteen, to work for Rieber, 

a large Bergen based import company. 

A string of coincidences later led him to 

work for Odfjell, where his merits over 

the last twenty-three years now have led 

him to the position as President/CEO. 

What is it about this industry that 

fascinates you, and keep you going? 

The pulsating nature of the business. 

During all my years in this industry there 

has never been a dull moment. We are 

faced with new challenges all the time. 

Sometimes in the form of new rules 

and regulations that we have to comply 

with, or new types of cargoes that 

we are transporting. At other times 

through new cultures that we start to 

do business with. The general development 

over the years where everything 

is gradually becoming more and more 

complex, continues to motivate me into 

further performance. 

Good colleagues are to me another important 

source of inspiration. People 

generally seem to enjoy working in the 

Odfjell organisation. Even in the busiest 

and most stressful moments, the smile 

is never far away, and that really makes 

a difference. The atmosphere is friendly 

and informal and in my experience that 

provides for a good and efficient working 

environment. 

One person that I would like to mention 

in this connection, is Mr. Adelsten 

Sivertsen, one of my predecessors as 

President/CEO. He has been a very important 

man both to Odfjell and to me 

personally. A real gentleman of the old 

school; knowledgeable, trustworthy, 

and with a clear mind and pleasant 

personality. 

On a more general note, I would 

like to emphasize the importance 

of good colleagues constantly pulling 

and pushing each other. What 

we are dealing with every day is 

a complex jigsaw of activities that 

interact to produce the whole 

picture. In this connection it is 

also important that we keep a 

tolerance level, where it is safe 

to admit that you don’t always 

know how to deal with 

a particular matter. 

What have you seen as the 

most important development 

in the industry over the 

years? 

The communication revolution 

is the first answer that 

comes to mind. The incredible 

development that we 

have seen from the years of 

telex and up to today’s instant 

communication. This has had a 

tremendous influence on a global 

business like ours. 

The general development in 

South East Asia has of course also 

been of vital importance to our 

growth over the years. It will also 

continue to be of the greatest 

importance in the near future. At 

the moment our tank terminal 

projects in China and the process 

of phasing in our many newbuildings, 

including the Japanese 

built time-charter ships, are 

among our future challenges. 

So will indeed be the Sevmash 

newbuildings. 

Is it possible to point out one 

particular occurrence that 

has made a strong impression 

on you and that has 

shaped your view of how 

to run the business? 

Allow me to mention 

two occurrences 

in 


chronological order. First the antitrust 

case, that in fact led me into this chair, 

secondly the Bow Mariner accident. The 

tragic Bow Mariner accident was to me 

an eye-opener that hit me full strength, 

head and heart, and made it crystal 

clear that the core of all our operations 

is safety. All our employees have 

to be drilled and trained over and over 

again for the worst possible scenario, so 

that they are able to do the right thing 

without even thinking twice about it in 

case of an incident or accident. I cannot 

emphasize enough how important this 

is. In everyday operations we are all 

under a lot of commercial pressure, but 

we can never allow any compromises 

with regards to safety. Safety comes 

first, no matter what! 

Newly employed with Odfjell, in 1983. 

When you are not working, what do 

you do to unwind and relax? 

I am interested in sports, in being out 

and about in nature, and particularly in 

spending time at our mountain cabin. 

The mountain cabin is probably the 

place where I relax and unwind more 

than anywhere else. It is a very simple 

cabin, with electricity from a solar-cell 

panel, and water that we collect from 

a nearby stream. The cabin was built by 

my wife’s parents, and is a place that 

is very dear to us. Because there is not 

much electricity it is not possible to use 

a PC for more than a short time (before 

the battery runs out...), so then I’m free 

to go skiing in the winter and for walks 

and fishing in the summer. By the way, 

the mobile coverage is excellent! 

What main lines of development do 

you see for Odfjell in the future? 

On-time delivery of our ships on order 

will be of vital importance. Also, it is 

safe to say that the future looks bright, 

and that we will continue to need a 

lot of good people to work for us. It is 

therefore important that Odfjell keeps 

up its reputation as an attractive employer 

to seafarers as well as to shorebased 

staff. 

From a more strategic perspective we 

will consolidate our position as a fully 

integrated shipping company. We will 

manage our own ships and through 

that gain more control of our future. 

So even if you ended up not flying 

jets, or playing professional football, it 

would be fair to say that you don’t lack 

excitement? 

That is true! The way I see it there are 

a lot of challenges ahead for me and 

for everyone at Odfjell in the years to 

come. 


The Personnel Corner 

NEW HIRES 

Headquarters Bergen 

Trygve Arnesen 

Senior Vice President 

Ship Management 

01.04.2005 

Odfjell Terminal (Rotterdam) 

Trygve Sandven 

Håland 

ICT System Integrator 


Håvard Andre Støle 

Pedersen 

Advisor Service 

Support ICT 01.05.2005 

Odfjell Singapore 

Luis-Alberto Salomon 

Broker Assistant 


Øystein Vasset 

Controller, 

Ship Management 


Fred Matthee 

Manager Maintenance 


Peter Weijers 

Operator II 


Nair Ashok 

Superintendent 


William Lee Hee Huat 

Senior Superintendent 


Rachel Poon Lee Meng 

Purchaser 


Odfjell Korea 

RELOCATIONS 

Addison Sim Geok Seng 

IT Consultant 


Jung-Min Shin 

Secretary/Accountant 


IN SERVICE FOR ODFJELL 

35 

YEARS 

Jan Annar Antonsen 

Captain 

M/T Bow Cardinal 

14.07.1970 

30 

YEARS 

Harald Eskilsen 

Chief Engineer 

M/T NCC Madinah 

01.08.1975 

Per Aksnes 

Manager Operational 

Support. From 

Singapore to Bergen 


25 

YEARS 

Roberto Goncalves Ferreira, 

Deputy General Manager 

Odfjell Brasil 

16.05.1980 

SUPERVISION TEAM FOR 

S-CLASS PROJECT IN RUSSIA 

Position Name Relocated from 

Site Manager I William Telfer Site Team Florø 

Site Manager II Leif Årvik Bow Star , Captain 

Engineering Inspector I Jetmund Barmen Chief Engineer, Bow Firda 

Engineering Inspector II Tor-Arve Skjerli Chief Engineer, Bow Mate 

Marine Inspector Ian Shaw Bow Lancer, Captain 

Paint/Hull Inspector Maciej Zietek Paint Inspector, Poland 

Knut Mevatne 

Operation Manager 

Headquarters Bergen 

01.07.1980 

Ans Pollee 

Customer Service Representative 

Odfjell Terminals (Rotterdam) 

01.06.1980 

Thor Thorsen 

Captain 

M/T NCC Jubail 

20.06.1970 

Idar Remman 

Captain 

M/T Bow Clipper 

21.01.1975 

Peter Groenenboom 

Custom Officer 


14.04.1980 

Ron Schothuis 

Shiftleader 


01.06.1980 


Trygve Arnesen - 

introducing the new head of 

Odfjell Ship Management 

By Klaus Walderhaug 

Trygve Arnesen is the new Senior Vice 

President of Odfjell Ship Management, a 

key position in our organisation. Odfjell 

Quarterly has taken the opportunity to 

have a chat with Mr. Arnesen, to introduce 

him to our readers and to try to 

get behind the name and the face. 

You have been with Odfjell for only two 

months and is still unknown to most of 

our colleagues. Thus, let us start by taking 

a brief look at your background. 

I am 47 years old, born in the small 

village of Uskedalen on the Norwegian 

west coast, but I have lived in Bergen 

since 1984. After taking a Master of 

Science degree in petroleum engineering 

in Trondheim, and having completed 

military service in the Royal 

Norwegian Navy, in 1982 I started my 

professional career as deckhand (roustabout) 

with Wilh. Wilhelmsen in the 

North Sea. Seven years later I had advanced 

to Tool-pusher (Drilling Section 

Leader), now with Transocean, another 

Norwegian drilling company. My last 

job offshore was as “kill supervisor”, 

assisting in extinguishing the Treasure 

Saga blow-out. In 1990 I went ashore 

and worked in Transocean’s shorebased 

organisation with construction, 

contracts and operation. In 1997 I was 

appointed Managing Director of Procon 

Drilling Services in Bergen, and from 

2001 to this spring I held the position as 

Managing Director of Prosafe Offshore 

Ltd. in Aberdeen, a company owning 

and managing eight semi-submersible 

service vessels worldwide. 

I am married and we have three 

children aged 17, 14 and 11. 

You have spent close to 25 years 

working in the oil exploration services 

industry. What made you change track 

and enter shipping? 

After almost four years of commuting 

between my home in Bergen and my 

job in Aberdeen, I was about to accept 

a position in Singapore for my previous 

employer to cut back on this rather 

tiresome practice. When Dan Odfjell 

asked me to consider taking up a job 

for Odfjell, this seemed like an exciting 

opportunity to try something new 

in my life. After seeing Dan Odfjell and 

Terje Storeng, and experiencing their 

enthusiasm for Odfjell and the industry, 

I decided to make the move. And so 

far I haven’t regretted one bit. 

In your opinion, what are the most 

important things the chemical tanker 

business in general and Odfjell in 

particular can learn from the offshore 

oil industry? 

There are certainly elements in the oil 

companies’ approach to Health, Safety 

and Environmental (HSE) work that we 

should incorporate also in shipping, 

although not necessarily all of it. In the 

oil industry I experienced that some 

risk analysis processes and procedures 

simply could turn out too complex and 

extensive, and that we at times didn’t 

manage to follow up on all aspects. 

We should remember that it’s actually 

people that have to relate to and adopt 

the procedures. 

What do you at present see as the main 

and immediate challenges in your new 

job, and what lies ahead for the Ship 

Management department? 

We need to establish ambitions and 

goals that are coherent with the company’s 

Mission Statement, and we 

should define a set of key performance 

indicators enabling us regularly to 

measure our performance. I also want 

to further improve the communications 

with our customer, Odfjell Seachem. To 

excel we need constructive feedback 

from a demanding customer. However, 

Odfjell Ship Management should also 

be a demanding supplier, so this goes 

both ways. It is my ambition to have 

the very best relationship with our seafarers, 

as they are the ones ultimately 

making the major difference when it 

comes to safety, quality and performance. 

To get first-hand impression of 

vessel operations I now look forward to 

embark on a voyage on the Bow Star, 

to meet the colleagues on board, to 

observe and to learn. 

As a newcomer to Odfjell, what do you 

see as Odfjell’s strong sides? 

So far I have experienced Odfjell as an 

organisation of open, honest and skilled 

professionals, so the people obviously 

constitute a force. We have a healthy 

financial platform, and with our large 

orderbook the company seem well 

positioned to face future opportunities 

and challenges. 

And in what areas do we really have to 

improve? 

No doubt we have to improve within 

the field of HSE. There is simply no 

alternative, as such requirements from 

both customers and authorities will 

only be stricter. We also need to be better 

at vetting and inspections, speed/ 

consumption and off-hire time. 

Have you yet been able to identify an 

“Odfjell culture” and, if so, how would 

you describe it? 

Odfjell seems to me to be characterised 

by friendliness, professionalism, 

high quality standards, open and frank 

communication and a quite informal 

and un-hierarchical atmosphere. The 

company has a way of thinking longterm, 

not least through the contracting 

of new tonnage with a planned lifetime 

of up to 30 years, that I find appealing. 

I feel that there may be a cultural gap 

between ship and shore, which, if really 

so, must be bridged. It is in my opinion 

crucial that the colleagues at sea share a 

sense of belonging and community with 

the land-based people. 

Odfjell Quarterly thanks Trygve Arnesen 

for his time and patience, and we wish 

him all the best in his new and challenging 

position. 


Fleet and terminals 

STAINLESS 

NUMBER 

SHIPS BUILT DWT CBM STEEL,CBM OF TANKS 

Owned: Bow Sky 2005 40 005 52 126 52 126 40 

Bow Spring * 2004 39 942 52 126 52 126 40 

Bow Star * 2004 39 832 52 126 52 126 40 

Bow Sun 2003 39 842 52 126 52 126 40 

Bow Firda * 2003 37 427 40 515 40 515 47 

Bow Chain * 2002 37 518 40 515 40 515 47 

Bow Favour 2001 37 438 40 515 40 515 47 

Bow Century 2000 37 438 40 515 40 515 47 

Bow Fortune 1999 37 395 40 515 40 515 47 

Bow Cecil * 1998 37 345 40 515 33 236 47 

Bow Flora 1998 37 369 40 515 33 236 47 

Bow Cardinal 1997 37 446 41 487 34 208 52 

Bow Faith 1997 37 479 41 487 34 208 52 

Bow Cedar 1996 37 455 41 608 34 329 52 

Bow Fagus 1995 37 375 41 608 34 329 52 

Bow Clipper 1995 37 166 41 492 34 213 52 

Bow Flower 1994 37 221 41 492 34 213 52 

Bow Sea 1978 27 950 34 656 21 035 43 

Bow Hunter 1983 23 002 25 026 21 031 28 

Bow Pioneer 1982 23 016 25 965 20 969 28 

Bow Eagle 1988 24 728 32 458 19 662 25 

Bow Viking 1981 33 590 40 956 21 745 36 

Bow Fighter 1982 34 982 41 184 6 299 34 

Bow Lancer 1980 35 100 42 468 6 252 34 

Bow Heron 1979 35 289 42 109 5 882 31 

Bow Cheetah 1988 40 258 47 604 - 29 

Bow Leopard 1988 40 249 47 604 - 29 

Bow Lion 1988 40 272 47 604 - 29 

Bow Panther 1986 40 263 47 604 - 29 

Bow Puma 1986 40 092 47 604 - 29 

Bow Petros 1984 39 722 47 963 - 28 

Bow Transporter 1983 39 738 47 963 - 28 

Bow Lady 1978 32 225 41 354 3 077 42 

Bow Princess 1976 32 362 42 480 1 400 42 

Bow Peace 1987 45 655 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Power 1987 45 655 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Pride 1987 45 655 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Prima 1987 45 655 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Prosper 1987 45 655 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Fertility 1987 45 507 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Fraternity 1987 45 507 52 173 2 167 23 

Bow Maasstad 1983 38 039 48 866 - 22 

Bow Maasstroom 1983 38 039 48 866 - 22 

Bow Maasslot 1982 38 039 48 866 - 22 

Bow Master 1999 6 046 6 878 6 878 14 

Bow Mate 1999 6 001 6 864 6 864 14 

Bow Pilot 1999 6 000 6 865 6 865 14 

Bow Sailor 1999 6 000 6 870 6 870 14 

Bow Antisana 1989 8 192 9 899 5 777 22 

Bow Gorgonilla 1989 8 192 9 899 5 777 22 

Bow Balearia 1998 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Bow Bracaria 1997 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Bow Brasilia 1997 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Bow Bahia 1996 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Bow Andes (50 %) 1977 28 060 34 756 21 136 43 

Bow Pacifico (50%) 1982 18 657 22 929 10 849 31 

Owl Trader 1982 12 450 14 482 8 070 22 

Angelim (50 %) 1985 10 259 10 136 6 500 18 

Araucaria (50 %) 1984 10 259 10 159 6 500 18 

Jatai (50 %, LPG) 1979 4 452 4 031 - 3 

*Vessel beneficially owned through financial lease. 

Time-Chartered: NCC Jubail 1996 37 499 41 488 34 209 52 

NCC Mekka 1995 37 272 41 588 34 257 52 

NCC Riyad 1995 37 274 41 492 34 213 52 

NCC Yamamah 1977 28 053 34 656 21 035 43 

NCC Jizan 1976 28 024 34 656 21 035 43 

NCC Jouf 1976 28 026 34 656 21 035 43 

NCC Madinah 1976 28 053 34 656 21 035 43 

NCC Asir 1983 23 001 24 965 20 969 28 

NCC Arar 1982 23 002 24 965 20 969 28 

NCC Baha 1988 24 728 32 458 19 662 25 

Bow Orion 1977 28 083 34 656 21 035 43 

Bow Neptun 1976 28 060 34 656 21 035 43 


STAINLESS 

NUMBER 

SHIPS BUILT DWT CBM STEEL,CBM OF TANKS 

Bow Saturn 1976 28 030 34 656 21 035 43 

Bow Merkur 1975 27 952 34 656 21 035 43 

Bow Santos 2004 19 997 21 846 21 846 22 

Bow Americas 2004 19 707 22 050 22 050 36 

Brage Pacific 1997 17 460 18 620 18 620 24 

Brage Atlantic 1995 17 460 19 587 19 587 22 

Bow Andino 2000 16 121 17 270 17 270 30 

Bow de Rich 2003 12 452 13 300 13 300 22 

Bow Wallaby 2003 11 951 13 485 13 485 22 

Bow de Feng 2002 12 514 13 289 13 289 22 

Bow West 2002 12 503 13 299 13 299 22 

Bow de Silver 2000 11 747 12 296 12 296 20 

Bow de Jin 1999 11 752 12 296 12 296 20 

Bow Asia 2004 9 901 10 866 10 866 20 

Bow Singapore 2004 9 888 10 867 10 867 20 

Bow Wave 1999 8 594 9 225 9 225 20 

Bow Wind 1999 8 587 9 226 9 226 20 

Jacaranda (50%) 1978 9 970 9 924 5 877 17 

Aragas (50 %, LPG) 1983 9 300 8 026 - 5 

Multitank Batavia 1998 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Multitank Badenia 1997 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Multitank Bolognia 1997 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Multitank Britannia 1996 5 870 5 941 5 941 20 

Number of ships: 95 2 307 787 2 706 803 1 373 354 

YARD DELIVERY DWT OWNER 

On order: NB Szczecin - B588/III/5 9/2005 39 500 Odfjell 

NB Szczecin - B588/III/6 3/2006 39 500 Odfjell 



NB Szczecin - B588/III/9 10/2009 39 500 Odfjell Option 

NB Szczecin - B588/III/10 4/2010 39 500 Odfjell Option 

NB Sevmash #1 9/2007 45 000 Odfjell 








NB Fukuoka 8/2005 19 700 Time-charter 

NB Shin Kurishima 10/2005 19 990 Time-charter 

NB Kitanihon 6/2005 30 000 Time-charter 

NB Kitanihon 5/2006 30 000 Time-charter 



NB Fukuoka 12/2007 19 900 Time-charter 

NB Shin Kurishima 5/2008 32 500 Time-charter 


NB Fukuoka 12/2008 19 900 Time-charter 

NB Shin Kurishima 5/2009 32 500 Time-charter 

NB Usuki 11/2006 19 900 Variable t/c 




Number of newbuildings: 29 953 690 

TANK TERMINALS 

STAINLESS NUMBER 

LOCATION SHARE CBM STEEL, CBM OF TANKS 

Odfjell Terminals (Rotterdam) BVRotterdam, NL 100 % 1 540 000 31 000 300 

Odfjell Terminals (Rotterdam) BV Rotterdam, NL 100 % 1 540 000 31 000 300 

Odfjell Terminals (Houston) LP Houston, USA 100 % 270 563 81 902 92 

Odfjell Terminals (Dalian) Ltd Dalian, China 64 % 59 700 5 750 35 

Odfjell Terminals (Korea) Co Ltd Onsan, Korea 50 % 109 500 2 850 39 

Oiltanking Odfjell Terminal Singapore Ltd Singapore 50 % 213 000 5 700 51 

VOTTN Ltd (Ningbo) Ningbo, China 12.5 % 63 500 7 900 36 

2 256 263 135 102 553 


Offices and addresses 

MAIN OFFICE 

Odfjell ASA - Odfjell Seachem AS 

Conrad Mohrsv. 29, P.O. Box 6101 

Postterminalen 

5892 Bergen, NORWAY 

Tel: +47 5527 0000 

Fax: +47 5528 4741 

Fax: +47 5527 9070 

(Chartering/Operations) 

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES 

Odfjell USA LP 

12211 Port Road 

Seabrook, TX 77586, USA 

Tel: +1 713 844 2200 

Fax: +1 713 844 2211 

Odfjell Singapore Pte Ltd 

6 Shenton Way, # 27-08/09 

DBS Tower 2 

SINGAPORE 068809 

Tel: +65 6349 1300 

Fax: +65 6224 2285 

Odfjell Japan Ltd 

Ogawa Bldg. 8F 

2-2 Uchikanda 1-Chome 

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0047, JAPAN 

Tel: +81 3 3259 8555 

Fax: +81 3 3259 8558 

Odfjell Netherlands BV 

Oude Maasweg 6, P.O. Box 5010 

3197 XC Rotterdam-Botlek 

The NETHERLANDS 

Tel: +31 102 953 666 

Fax: +31 102 953 668 

Odfjell Brasil Ltda 

Av. Paulista 460 - 18 andar 

CEP 01310-000 Sao Paulo SP, BRAZIL 

Tel: +55 11 3549 5800 

Fax: +55 11 3549 5808 

Odfjell Shanghai 

Suite B, 13/F 

Huamin Empire Plaza, 

728 Yan An West Road, 

Changning District, 

Shanghai 200050, P.R. China 

Tel: +86 21 5239 9469 

Fax: +86 21 5239 9897 

Odfjell Argentina SA 

Alicia Moreau de Justo 1960 

Office no. 202 - Puerto Madero 

1107 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA 

Tel: +54 114 313 7837 

Fax: +54 114 313 4619 

Odfjell Australasia Pty Limited 

Suite 4, Level 1 

443 Little Collins Street 

P.O.Box 1279 

Melbourne VIC 3001 AUSTRALIA 

Tel: +61 3 9642 2210 

Fax: +61 3 9642 2214 

Odfjell India 

A-26, Nandbhuvan Industrial Estate 

Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (East) 

Mumbai 400093, INDIA 

Tel: +91 22 5695 4701 

Fax: +91 22 5695 4707 

Odfjell Seachem South Africa Pty Ltd 

The Sharaf House 

2 Sinembe Crescent 

La Lucia Ridge 

Durban 4051, SOUTH AFRICA 

Telefon: +27 31 583 4470 

Fax: +27 31 583 4488 

Odfjell Korea Co Ltd 

Room 1301, Dongbu-Dadong Bldg. 

#103, Da-Dong, Jung-Gu 

Seoul, KOREA 

Tel: +82 2 775 9760 

Fax: +82 2 775 9761 

Odfjell Manila 

c/o Magsaysay Maritime Corp. 

5th floor, 520 t.m. Kalaw Street 

Ermita 

Manila, PHILIPPINES 

Tel: 63 2 526 9773 

Fax: 63 2 525 7720 

Odfjell Dubai 

c/o Sharaf Shipping Agency 

Sharaf Building, Al Mina Road 

P.O. Box 576, 

Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 

Tel: +971 4 351 9785 

Fax: +971 4 351 9756 

Odfjell (UK) Ltd 

14 Headfort Place 

London SW1X 7DH 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Tel: +44 207 823 0605 

Fax: +44 207 823 0606 

National Chemical Carriers Ltd Co 

Room 301, 3rd Floor, Al-Akariyah Bldg No 1 

Sitteen Street, Malaz Area 

P.O. Box 8931 

Riyadh 11492, SAUDI ARABIA 

Tel: +966 1 477 3934 

Fax: +966 1 476 4328 

Terquim SA 

Blanco Encalada 840 

Dept 702, San Antonio 

CHILE 

Tel: +56 35 211 050 

Fax: +56 35 211 161 

REGIONAL OFFICES 

Odfjell Asia Pte Ltd 

6 Shenton Way, # 27-08/09 DBS Tower 2 


Tel: +65 6349 1300 

Fax: +65 6224 2285 

Odfjell Ahrenkiel Europe GmbH 

Gurlittstrasse 11 

Postfach 100 220 

20001 Hamburg 

GERMANY 

Tel: +49 40 24838 307 

Fax: +49 40 24838 319 

Flumar Transportes de Quimicos e Gases Ltda 

Av. Paulista 460 - 18 andar 

CEP 01310-904 Sao Paulo SP, BRAZIL 

Tel: +55 11 3549 5800 

Fax: +55 11 3549 5807 

TANK TERMINALS 

Odfjell Terminals (Houston) LP 

12211 Port Road 

Seabrook, TX 77586, USA 

Tel: +1 713 844 2300 

Fax: +1 713 844 2355 

Odfjell Terminals (Rotterdam) BV 

Oude Maasweg 6, P.O. Box 5010 

Harbour Number 4040 

3197 KJ Rotterdam-Botlek 

The NETHERLANDS 

Tel: +31 102 953 400 

Fax: +31 104 384 679 

Odfjell Terminals (Dalian) Ltd 

No. 3 Binhai North Road 

Zhongshan District 

Dalian 116001, P.R. CHINA 

Tel: +86 411 8262 9701 

Fax: +86 411 8262 3707 

Odfjell Terminals (Jiangyin) Co, Ltd 

Jiasheng South Road 1 

Economic Development Zone (West) 

Jiangyin 214446 

Jiangsu Province 

P.R. CHINA 

Tel: +86 510 6669111 

Fax: +86 510 6669110 

Odfjell Terminals (Korea) Co, Ltd 

136, Cheongyong-Ri 

Onsan-Eup, Ulju-Gun 

Ulsan, KOREA 

Tel: +82 522 311 600 

Fax: +82 522 376 636 

Oiltanking Odfjell Terminal Singapore Pte Ltd 

1 Seraya Avenue 


Tel: +65 6473 1700 

Tel: +65 6479 4500 

VOTTN, Ningbo Ltd 

Jetty No. 16 Zhenhai Port Area 

No. 1 Zhaobao Shan Road, Zhenhai District 

Ningbo 315200, P.R. CHINA 

Tel: +86 574 8627 5929 

Fax: +86 574 8627 5931 

ASSOCIATED TANK TERMINALS 

TAGSA S.A 

Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 1960, 

piso 4 Of.402 

1107 Buenos Aires 

ARGENTINA 

Tel: +54 11 4001 9700 

Fax: +54 11 4001 9701 

GRANEL QUIMICA Ltda 

Av. Paulista 460, 18 andar 

CEP 01310- 000 São Paulo, SP 

BRAZIL 

Tel: +55 11 3549 5800 

Fax: +55 11 3549 5832 

TERQUIM S.A 

Blanco Encalada 840 

Dept 702, San Antonio 

CHILE 

Tel: +56 35 21 1050 

Fax: +56 35 21 1161 

DQM S.A 

Jr. Huascar 251, Urbanizacion Chacaritas 

Callao 

PERU 

Tel: +511 429 4651 

Fax: +511 429 0637 

w w w . o d f j e l l . c o m

Quarterly June 2005 - Odfjell

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