In memoriam: Wilhelm Wilhelmsen passes away at 82
PRESS RELEASE – Wilhelm Wilhelmsen has passed away on 22 February at the age of 82. Through a long career, he was a well-respected business leader and spokesperson for Norwegian shipping and the maritime industry at large.
Wilhelm Wilhelmsen represented the fourth-generation family owner of the Wilhelmsen group, a maritime industry group established by his great grandfather in Tønsberg, Norway in 1861.
Although he had many positions in the company from a very young age, he formally joined as a partner in 1964. In 1992, he accepted the position as chair of the board. Except for a short period as group CEO, he held the top position in the company until 2010. He remained active until the day he passed away.
Wilhelm Wilhelmsen was instrumental in developing the Wilhelmsen group from a traditional liner company with trades all over the world to one of the largest maritime industry groups with almost 15,000 employees in more than 70 countries. His extensive network and business relationships in Norway and internationally have been essential in building the company the past 60 years, He also steered through many important and difficult situations in the company’s history, including the offshore crisis in the 1980’s and the Partnair and Tampa incidents.
In addition to serving on boards of many companies and having honorary posts in several Norwegian and international shipping and maritime organisations, Wilhelm Wilhelmsen was a true believer in sharing some of the values his family generated. Through the Tom Wilhelmsens Stiftelse, a family foundation named after his father, he contributed to donate large sums back to society, including maritime and medical research, sports, culture, and humanitarian organisations. For his outstanding contribution to business and society, Wilhelm Wilhelmsen received The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav Knight 1st Class in 2007.
More news
Fuel prices take a massive nosedive
Fuel prices have taken a massive nosedive since the beginning of the year with low sulphur fuel prices in Singapore dropping from USD 734 per tonne on January 1st to USD 415 per tonne today. The price drop comes at a good time as the transport and logistics industry is struggling with low demand as… Read more ›
Zeamarine closes offices in Denmark
Zeamarine is closing its operations in Denmark. The Danish subsidiary has filed for bankruptcy resulting in the closure of two offices and 23 employees being sent home, confirms local liquidator Hafnia Law. The German breakbulk carrier has two offices in Denmark, one in Naevsted and one in Aarhus, but both offices have now been closed… Read more ›
Manager loses contact with general cargo vessel after pirate attack
Chinese vessel manager Tianjin Xinhai International Ship Management has lost contact with its general cargo vessel Huanghai Glory after the vessel sent a piracy alert using its Ship Security Alert System (SSAS). An unknown number of pirates are believed to have boarded the vessel, which is currently drifting off the coast of Nigeria. The vessel’s… Read more ›