Major freight services provider NORDEN provides ocean-based freight services for bulk and project cargo of all sizes on its +500 operated fleet, including the shipment of large volumes of biomass products — equal to roughly 3% of the total amount of all the dry cargo handled by NORDEN. The company has been supporting customers within the biomass space for many years.
The main biomass products handled by NORDEN includes wood pellets, wood chips, wood pulp and a wide range of forestry products such as logs, sawn timber and timber. Last year, NORDEN shipped approximately 2mt (million tonnes) of wood pellets, primarily to customers in Europe as well as to customers in a wide range of other countries around the world.
ACQUISITION OF NORLAT SHIPPING
To further grow its business within this area and to grow its overall projects and parcelling activities, NORDEN last year acquired the Norwegian dry bulk operator Norlat Shipping, which specializes in the shipment of forest products and other bulk commodities. Upon the acquisition, NORDEN CEO, Jan Rindbo, said: “Norlat is an extremely skilled parcelling business, increasing NORDEN’s access to the Northern European forestry trade, new customers and cargo. Matched with NORDEN’s size and access, there are significant opportunities for further growth and commercial synergies.”
Since the acquisition, Norlat Shipping has been fully integrated into NORDEN’s Projects & Parcelling business unit. NORDEN has already started to harvest the strong synergies between the businesses with steadily increasing numbers of forestry product shipments. Norlat Shipping has offices in Sarpsborg and Bergen in Norway and an office in Stockholm, Sweden.
BIOFUELS PROPELLING NORDEN’S DECARBONIZATION AMBITIONS
Besides being a trusted shipper of biomass products, NORDEN has an ambition to decarbonize its customers’ supply chains in the here and now. Ever since it performed the first-ever commercial biofuel voyage back in 2018, NORDEN has pioneered the use of biofuels to lower emissions in the shipping industry directly on voyages and through its Book & Claim solutions.
NORDEN’s Book & Claim solution allows customers of marine transportation across the globe to take advantage of emissions reductions from biofuels, even when biofuels are not physically available to be bunkered on a specific trading route or voyage. Last year, NORDEN collaborated with leading US tech company, Meta, to lower its maritime supply chain emissions via the Book & Claim solution.
In 2023, strengthened its future supply of renewable fuels by acquiring a minority stake in Danish-Indian biofuel scale-up, MASH Makes. The investment places NORDEN at the forefront of the research and development of future renewable fuels, where NORDEN can also benefit from future renewable bio-oils once developed. Since the investment, NORDEN has worked closely together with MASH Makes to validate its product for marine use. Together with MASH Makes, NORDEN recently performed a successful vessel trial of MASH Makes’ biofuel on an auxiliary engine of an ocean-going vessel. The B20 biofuel blend (20% pure biofuel and 80% conventional marine fuel) was consumed during a roundtrip voyage between Singapore and Brazil.
The next trial will be to use biofuel on a main engine. Looking into 2025, NORDEN has the ambition to triple the use of biofuels, supporting its customers in their efforts to lower emissions in the here and now.
ABOUT NORDEN
NORDEN is a global provider of ocean-based freight services for bulk and project cargo of all sizes. It integrates freight solutions with port logistics, helping its customers to optimize and decarbonize supply chains. It provides tailored solutions based on flexibility, reliability and intelligence. The company’s agile business model ensures stability by continuously adapting its fleet to market developments and customer needs.
Founded in 1871, NORDEN is one of Denmark’s oldest internationally operating shipping companies. Incorporated in Denmark, NORDEN is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen as a part of the OMX Nordic Large Cap index. With 19 offices across 6 continents, NORDEN is a truly integrated part of global trade.