This month marks the Thome Group’s 57th year in business and what a year it has been. The whole world has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted our lives and livelihoods like nothing else in living memory.
However, at Thome, we have managed this crisis and weathered the storm thanks to careful planning, combined with the global support and loyalty of staff, suppliers and customers.
Looking back over the past 57 years that Thome has been in business, it is remarkable how much shipping has changed over the decades and how we have adapted and refined our services to reflect that.
Our Executive Chairman, Olav Eek Thorstensen, has guided the Thome Group for over 40 years, by initially providing port agency as well as brokering and chartering services to mainly Norwegian ship owners but then realising there was a huge gap in the market for offering ship management services to those owners trading vessels in the Far East.
He is a respected figure the industry, having been actively involved in various maritime bodies including the Singapore National Maritime Board, Singapore Shipping Association and a prominent advisor to various committees set up by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
I am pleased to say that Olav’s huge contribution to the shipping industry was recognised with a lifetime achievement award in 2018 at the Tanker Shipping and Trade’s annual conference.
Under his leadership, Thome has not stood still since those early days, growing its fleet and the range of services it can offer its clients including; marine consultancy, offshore, oil & gas, crewing and training.
The Group has stayed at the top of its game by taking advantage of technological innovations to provide greater operational efficiency and looking after its most important assets – its staff.
Trying to pick out highlights over our 57 year history is very difficult but gaining the recognition of our peers is always really special and so winning the ‘Ship Manager of the Year 2019’ at both Lloyd’s List and Seatrade Maritime awards last year was really special as it reinforces how we have thrived in what is a hugely competitive sector of the maritime industry.
We have achieved this by constantly evolving and refining the services we offer by taking advantage of technological advances to maximise efficiency of operations while investing in our most valuable resource – our staff.
So I would like to conclude by thanking our clients, partners, loyal seafarers and office staff who have made the Thome Group what it is today and, I am sure, will continue to flourish and be successful in the years to come.
