Leading global ship management company OSM Maritime Group has been awarded full crew management of Lauritzen Kosan’s entire fleet of advanced liquefied gas tankers. The agreement, covering 26 refrigerated ethylene, semi-refrigerated and pressurised gas carriers, will help Lauritzen Kosan deliver on its promise of providing optimal efficiency, safety, quality and value for its global base of energy and petrochemical customers.

OSM wins crew management for Lauritzen Kosan’s entire fleet of 26 vessels
Caption: LPG tanker Henrieta Kosan - Image courtesy of Lauritzen Kosan

OSM’s focus on the provision of personal service and expert seafarers, combined with delivering significant business efficiencies and economies of scale, has seen the company grow considerably in 2017. This latest contract ranks as its largest individual win of the year, bringing the number of vessels OSM provides services to far beyond the 500 mark. It also consolidates the company’s position as one of the world’s largest, and leading, crew managers for gas tankers.

“Lauritzen Kosan is a major player within its niche, and one that is renowned for its high quality, safe and reliable operations,” comments OSM Managing Director Crew Management Tommy Olofsen. “We’re obviously delighted to announce this partnership, which will see us assume crew management duties across their state-of-the-art fleet from December this year.”

“Our proven expertise in this specialist sector, combined with our focus on developing crew competence and utilising the most efficient management processes and systems, will help Lauritzen Kosan deliver optimal customer services, and maintain its competitive edge in the marketplace.”

OSM Crew Management in Copenhagen, a key regional base for the company, will coordinate activities for Lauritzen Kosan, which is itself headquartered in the Danish capital. The Manila office of OSM will perform the Crew agency tasks and is currently recruiting additional expert seafarers.

Olofsen says his team is now “working intensively” on preparation for the takeover.

Speaking of the decision to award the contract to OSM Maritime Group, Claus Winter Graugaard, Senior Vice President, Head of Fleet Management, Lauritzen Kosan, comments:

“We have been looking for a crew manager who is experienced in full-scale technical ship management, thus giving them a full picture understanding of the unique demands of the tanker and LPG industry, including TMSA and OCIMF. We are proud to present OSM Maritime Group as our new partner and convinced they will provide high quality crewing services.”

He continues: “Our Fleet Management Value Proposition is focused on delivering the highest standards for our customers, and our crew members are key facilitators in this regard. In partnership with OSM we’ll focus on crew training and further competence development, ensuring that we have the very best people to meet the growing demands in this specialist sector. We look forward to creating a strong partnership that will be beneficial for all our stakeholders.”

Alongside Lauritzen Kosan, OSM has also brought JP Morgan, Statoil and Scorpio into the fleet, amongst others, this year. The company, which boasts extensive technical and crew management experience in all the major shipping segments, now offers a global crew pool of more than 11,000 expert seafarers.

OSM provides a comprehensive range of bespoke solutions for its customer base – ranging from complete ship management and all-inclusive arrangements to individual value-added services, such as crewing, procurement and accounting and insurance.

Source: OSM