History
Atlas Chemical Tankers was founded in 2008 by Mr. Carl Edward Jansen and Mr. Kenneth Audestad Wara. Our company was from day one based on a philosophy of trying to do things different than all the others. That doesn’t mean that we claim to be better than any of our friends and colleagues worldwide; only that we do believe we work differently than them.
The personal touch was, and still is, important for us. We involve ourselves with our customers, analyze their needs and tailor everything according to the specific situation we are facing at any given time. At Atlas Chemical Tankers, we wanted to put quality ahead of quantity.
Shortly after the founding of our company, we decided to take our first three vessels on long term time-charter. We made an agreement with Tersan Shipyard in Istanbul, Turkey, where we took the three 10 740 dwats m/t Cesteni, m/t Askara and m/t Basat on time-charter. The three vessels were named after old Turkish Gods of War. The parallel to fighting in a collapsed shipping market against very established competitors proved the symbolic to be rather striking.
Turning towards 2009 we had managed to conclude our first two contracts, transporting Methanol and Caustic, and the early signs of our trading pattern were born. In less than six months, the company grew from two, to a total of 12 dedicated men and women, all a very important part of our Company’s early stage. As our fleet gradually expanded, same did our area of trading. Moving into 2009 we had eight vessels evenly spread over the Continents of the World; Europe, US, Africa, Asia. Our flexibility and capability of fast learning prooved valuable for our Company in a challenging Financial market.
In February 2009 we set up the Atlas Commercial Pool - which was a tool for creating a highly sophisticated and versatile world spanning fleet. Together with our close Turkish friends and Yards, we have a clear goal of expanding this pool, stretching our scope of business even further. Following this pool we managed to conclude our first transatlantic contract in July 2009, establishing ourselves as a regular player on the USAC. With our regular presence in the US, we put high priority in this tradelande - something we hope to reflect in the years to come.
Friday 2nd of October 2009 - a day to remember for Atlas Chemical Tankers. This was the day when we truly established the fact that our Company was here to stay for many years to come. On this day, Dow Chemical Company - one of the worlds largest chemical producers - and Atlas reached an agreement for transportation of Propylene Oxide (PO) at Dows new plant in MapThaPut, Thailand, for a period of upto 15 years, starting in 2011. The transportation commitment will fully utilize two vessels, and a third will be placed as backup, hence Atlas established a definite presence in the region. It was with great joy we could confirm that Atlas had suddenly taken the step into the big boys leauge.
In December 2009 it was decided to further integrate into the Shipowning sphere, by establishing Atlas Tanker Management of Istanbul, a company which will take over the Technical Management of Atlas tonnage in due time. By doing so, we took a definite step towards controling the quality of the services that we deliver to our end customers.
22nd December 2009 Atlas reached an Strategical Agreement with Knutsen OAS Shipping of Haugesund, concerning the Commercial handling of their two Stainless Steel tankers MT Ellen Knutsen and MT Synnøve Knutsen. Hopefully this marked the start of a long term, prosperous relationship.
In March 2010 it was decided after lenghtly studies that we were to open an office in Singapore. As the worlds foremost growth engine, it was imperative for us to have a solid presence in a relation-driven market. As from 1st of September 2010 our office will be fully operational in Singapore, and we trust that this will contribute in strenghtening our global presence.
23rd of June 2010 our Company expanded its relations by taking on the 6 850 dwt Stainless Steel vessel MT Blue Garnet from reliable and respected Owners in Turkey. The vessel, with Ice Class 1A, marked a push also towards the sub 10 000 dwt segment in the Baltic / European market.
We have great belief in the future, and will continue to develop our distinctiveness with full strength. Becoming the preferred carrier for transports directly from the US, into Baltic, to Far East and back again demands dedication. That’s what Atlas Chemical Tankers was founded on – and that is how we will continue to develop both ourselves and our Company.