Description

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Westfal-Larsen is a group of shipping companies based in Bergen, Norway, owning 20 open hatch ships and 12 chemical tankers. The group’s main activities also include investment as well as ship technical and commercial management. Among the subsidiaries are Masterbulk which owns and manages the fleet of open-hatch ships, and its wholly owned subsidiary Westfal-Larsen Shipping AS commercial management. AS. The group was founded by Hans Westfal-Larsen in 1905. The first owned ship was “SS Hardanger” built by the local shipyard Bergens Mekaniske Verksted. In 1917 the company took delivery of it´s first tanker “ST Malmanger”. Unfortunately, she was torpedoed during her maiden voyage in the North Atlantic. During World War I, Westfal-Larsen lost nine ships, despite Norway being neutral during the war. Westfal-Larsen & Co. AS expanded in the post-war period and was involved in oil tankers and overseas liner trades. Westfal-Larsen was the Bergen-based shipping company that suffered the greatest losses during World War II. Out of a fleet of 36 ships, 22 were lost during the war. Westfal-Larsen restored its fleet by acquiring vessels from the surplus war transport reserve, and the fleet returned to its pre-war size in 1955.