Bergesen

From Wikicompany

Bergesen d.y. ASA is a Norwegian shipping company, and one of the largest in world.

The company has about 3,500 employees worldwide, and is the world's largest owner and operator of gas carriers.

Bergesen has branch offices in France, Japan and USA and manning offices in India, Latvia and the Philippines.

History

The company was founded by Sigval Bergesen d.y. (1893-1980). He was the son of Sigval Bergesen, who was also a shipping magnate, but in 1935 he broke with his father to form his own company.

That same year he bought the tanker President de Vogue (renamed Bergesund), and in 1937 Charles Racine and in 1939 Anders Jahre (renamed Bergeland).

By the time of WWII he had three major tankers, though Charles Racine was hit by torpedoes and destroyed in 1942. Bergesen used the war to position himself in the market, and by 1950 he had four ships in his fleet, by 1955 seven, and 16 by 1970.

In 1976 Sigval Bergesen d.y. was forced to retire for medical reasons. Management of the company was handed over to his two grandchildren, Petter C.G. Sundt and Morten Sig. Bergesen.

In 1978 the company moved into the gas carriers segment.

In 1986 the company went from being a privately owned to a public company. The two grandsons sold their shares in the company to World-Wide Group in 2003.