Independent Danish company NORDEN A/S was
founded in 1871, making it one of the country’s oldest
internationally operating shipping companies.
NORDEN operates in dry cargo and tankers
worldwide. It is one of the world’s largest operators
of Handymax and Panamax dry cargo vessels and has
growing activities in the Handysize, Post-Panamax and
Capesize vessel types. Its total operated fleet today is
180 vessels (included owned and chartered tonnage).
 
DRY CARGO
The dry cargo commodities carried by NORDEN
include coal, cement/cement clinker, alumina, fertilizer,
grain, petcoke, sugar, wheat and steels. Most
Handymax, some Panamax and most Handysize vessels
are equipped with cranes and grabs, which ensures
maximum flexibility for self-handling of cargoes in areas
where port facilities are insufficient.
 
FLEET
NORDEN’s fleet is among the most modern and
competitive in the industry, with a mix of owned and
chartered tonnage. A modern fleet, combined with
professional and experienced staff, ensures that NORDEN is
able to provide its customers with competitive and reliable
transportation of bulk commodities worldwide. In addition
NORDEN has a newbuilding programme (dry cargo 44,
tanker five). Orders have been placed with world-leading
shipyards.
 
MOVING INTO POST-PANAMAX VESSELS
Last year NORDEN entered into a new vessel type, Post-
Panamax and launched the NORDEN Post-Panamax Pool in
collaboration with Interorient Navigation Company Ltd
(INC) on 1 January 2010. The Post-Panamax dry cargo
carrier is a new vessel type designed to fill the gap between
Panamax and Capesize. The competitive advantage of the
Post-Panamax bulker is economy of scale compared with the
traditional Panamax, which translates into savings for
customers.
Following the planned expansion of the Panama Canal in
2014, the Post-Panamax will offer new opportunities to
transport cargo between the Atlantic and Pacific, and vice
versa, in a faster and more efficient way.
The pool offers worldwide market coverage, and the size
of the pool will mean a high degree of reliability and flexibility.
The pool will continuously be expanded and NORDEN
expects to become a leading operator in this vessel type.
Compared with Capesize vessels, the Post-Panamax can
efficiently trade in ports with e.g. limited draught without
cutting cargo. All vessels in the NORDEN Post-Panamax Pool
are of the modern, shallow draughted 110,000–120,000dwt
design with seven holds. The typical length of the vessels is
240–260 metres, and they only draw 14.5–15.25 metres.
The pool is managed and operated by NORDEN. The
pool is a mix of owned vessels, and long-term and short-term
chartered vessels.
 
SAFEGUARDING THE ENVIRONMENT
NORDEN believes firmly in the need to be as ‘green’ as
possible in its operations. It continuously strives to optimize
vessel design and operating procedures to reduce fuel
consumption and emissions from its ships. Higher engine
efficiency, careful route planning and slow steaming are just
some of the initiatives NORDEN has carried out. It does this
to protect the environment and also because it is good
business practice, giving it access to almost every port in
every part of the world; an increasingly important factor in
offering its customers the most beneficial solutions.
NORDEN continuously strives to raise the bar in the
climate area. So far, efforts on the vessels have been aimed at
14 focus areas, which reduced CO2 emissions by
approximately 2.4% last year and 3.3% this year. However,
NORDEN has now included a further three areas:
  electric boilers on the tanker vessels: tests on a vessel
have shown very solid results and, consequently, electric
boilers will be installed on all the company’s tanker vessels in
2010. Expected effect: around 3% reduction of fuel
consumption and thus reduction of CO2 emissions;
  plan to introduce GreenSteam™ trim optimization on four
new Post-Panamax vessels in 2010 after successful tests on a
tanker vessel. Expected effect: at least 2.5% reduction of fuel
and CO2; and
  plan to change to new antifoulings, which reduce the
vessels’ propulsion resistance in the water. Has a potential of
up to 2% reduction of fuel and CO2.
 
GLOBAL COVERAGE
As well as its head office Hellerup, Denmark, NORDEN has
offices in Singapore, Shanghai, USA, Rio de Janeiro and India.
It has a total of 252 employees in these offices, and about 400
on the company’s owned vessels.