OSM Maritime, Thome merge to take lead in ship management
ORWEGIAN firms OSM Maritime and Thome Group have agreed to a merger.
By joining forces, the two companies hope to establish a stronger presence in the global fleet and offer world-class ship management services to customers.
The combined company will be named OSM Thome.
In a statement, Finn Amund Norbye, chief executive officer (CEO) of the OSM Maritime Group, said, “By joining our resources in OSM Thome, we will become an even better partner to our customers. Our companies are a good match in terms of expertise and capacity, and we share a common agenda on important areas such as digitalization, cybersecurity and green shipping.”
He said that with emphasis on safe and efficient operations as well as innovation, the aim is to make the combined company even more relevant and attractive to customers, employees and seafarers.
Both OSM Maritime and Thome, Norbye said, are deeply rooted in the
Norwegian shipping tradition and expertise combined with the “modern drive of Asian business enterprise.”
The headquarters of the combined company will be located in Arendal, Norway, with strong technical management hubs maintained in Singapore and Europe.
Olav Nortun, CEO of the Thome Group, informed that combined, the two companies have a total of 31,000 employees, with 2,000 onshore in 22 countries, representing a diversity of expertise and experience.
“It is the people that enable us to deliver top quality and sustainable solutions to our customers. We operate across all the world’s oceans, and the efforts of our 29,000 seafarers are key for the position we have gained within international shipping,” Nortun added.
Today, the two companies manage 1,000 ships, 450 of which are on full technical management and 550 ships on crew management.
Many of the world’s leading shipping companies are customers of OSM and Thome, and the fleet consists of different segments such as tank, bulk, container, car carriers, cruise ships, and offshore vessels and units.
Completion of the merger of the two companies is conditional upon approval from the competition and other relevant authorities, which is anticipated during the first quarter of 2023.
Until the merger is formally approved, the two companies will operate as before, with separate management and organizations.
OSM Maritime’s CEO Norbye will assume the role of CEO for the merged OSM Thome, while Thome’s CEO Nortun will take up the position of COO for the consolidated ship management activities.
OSM founder Bjørn Tore Larsen will become chairman of the new board of directors and Thome’s Claes Eek Thorstensen will be the vice chairman.