Our history
The Anthony Veder Group was founded in 1937 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as ship owner and port agent. In 1968, we started operating our first gas tankers. Nowadays we are involved in all segments of the liquified gas market.
Oranje lijn
At the age of 23 Anthony Veder and a number of relations incorporated the ‘N.V. Maatschappij Zeetransport’ in 1937. He was the predecessor of the shipping company that now bears his name.
At that time the company operated under the ‘Oranje Lijn’. The ships, named after members of the Dutch Royal Family, maintained a scheduled service between Rotterdam and Canada and the Great Lakes in the US.
After the Second World War the freight scheduled service was expanded to include a passenger service. The emergence of aviation and the competition in both freight and passenger transport, resulted in the decision to sell the Oranje Lijn in 1958.
History
Divers range of activities
Following the profitable sale of the Oranje Lijn, the company established the Anthony Verder Group on Curacao and founded in 1961 the Koraal Scheepvaart Maatschappij, a subsidiary specialized in refrigerated shipping. The vessels sailed under the Netherlands Antilles flag. They bore names which begin with Coral, followed by the name of a type of coral. To this day, we use this format for the naming of our ships.
Over the years, the number of refrigerated ships increased and expanded to container ships and gas tankers. The first gas tanker, Coral Maeandra, was added to the fleet in 1969 for transport of ammonia. Gradually a diverse range of additional activities were developed, such as port agents in Rotterdam and the Netherlands Antilles, Avis rent-a-car on Curacao and Bonaire and a travel agency with branches in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and the Netherlands Antilles.
When Anthony Veder died in 1967 the family continues the business. In 1991 they decided to sell the company to its current owners: a private family and the HAL investment company.
Focus on gas shipping
During the early 90’s the new owners reviewed the future of the company and decided to sell the unrelated business and focus exclusively on the transport of liquified gas. The transport knowledge and experience goes back since 1969 with the necessary technology. The travel agency, a separate company called Anthony Veder Travel, is the sole non-shipowner business that remains a member of the Anthony Veder Group.
A new beginning
Anthony Veder’s new owners decided to expand the crewing and technical maintenance of the fleet to include its commercial operation. Times were difficult and the operations began on a modest scale, with three small 1,600 m3 gas tankers, two 2,200 m3 and one 4,000 m3.
New ships were ordered or second hand were purchased with the revenue from the sale of the non-shipowner operations to conquer market share. The company was one of the first gas tanker owners to order ships in China, designed according to European standards and fully equipped with European equipment. The relatively weak shipping market during the late ‘90s and early 2000 allowed the company to invest at attractive levels.
Growth and stabilization
When the market recovered in 2004 Anthony Veder had a modern fleet with a strong contract portfolio in both Europe and Asia. It allowed it to fully benefit from the rebound in the market and to further invest in additional ethylene carriers which were built in Italy due to the extreme busy order book in China. It allowed the company to cement long term relationships with its customers facilitating special requirements like ice class vessels or ethylene carriers with high cooling capacity. Its strong balance sheet and high customer service focus made it an ideal partner for its clients in the chemical industry.
Leading in small scale LNG
In 2006 the first step towards LNG was taken by the ordering of Coral Methane which was delivered in 2009. This combined vessel was suitable for transporting LNG, Liquid Ethylene Gas (LEG) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). With this we offered our customer a flexible solution for their LNG trade. After the first LNG vessel, more small scale LNG carriers were added to the fleet. They distribute LNG worldwide for different purposes such as power generation and LNG as a bunker fuel for sea going vessels. We believe that LNG is today’s most sustainable fuel available and we are dedicated to contribute to a sustainable supply chain.
Today we are a very focused company and we own, operate and manage a versatile fleet of small- and mid-size gas carriers. With over 50 years’ experience in shipping gas and more than 10 years in small scale LNG, we have secured a strong position in both the Petrochemical and LNG market.