Jebsens: A Group History

Of Danish ancestry, a young Kristian S. Jebsen took a bold step during the Depression when he founded this prolific company at Bergen in 1929, and thus began a long and distinguished ship owning career, initially operating with small purpose-built cargo steamers. Having suffered heavily during WW2, Jebsen successfully rebuilt his business and alongside the renewed dry-cargo fleet he also entered the tanker trades, again with purpose-built vessels, a strategy that was to benefit the company greatly in coming years and to establish Kristian Jebsens Rederi AS (KJR) as a household-name in the bulk shipping fraternity. In the 1960’s, dry-bulk trades became their forte as tankers were phased out. Large and medium ocean-going, and small coastal vessels and oil drilling rigs have since served an ever-increasing clientele, some vessels being tailored to meet their requirements. Having weathered many financial storms over the years, Jebsens through prudence and financial partnerships, some proven catastrophic, have survived and today with their large fleet of innovative self-unloading beltships, operating under many nationalities, offer quite a different portfolio to that of 1929.This 224 page, A4, case-bound volume with laminated colour cover, contains a foreword by Atle Jebsen, Chief Executive Officer until May 2005, and details the development of the group together with their fleet of over 200 controlled vessels, they being supplemented by over 30 chartered vessels. The book is illustrated with over 300 photographs and other images and provides a valuable insight to the vagaries of operating a large multi-national, contemporary shipping group.

Authors: W.J. Harvey
ISBN: 0-9543310-6-0
Publication Date: Oct 2005
Member’s price: £10+p&p (£3.20 UK, £11.65 EU & Rest of the World)
Non-member’s price: £15+p&p (£3.20 UK, £11.65 EU & Rest of the World)

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