New BEE tanker broking company is born

SA and Asian interests join forces
RAY SMUTS
A ‘MARRIAGE’ between two leading South African and Asian companies has resulted in the formation of a new tanker broking company, located in Cape Town.
To be known as MBC-Platou, it is a joint venture between established shipping-related companies, Marine Bulk Carriers (MBC), on the South African side, and Singapore-based R.S.Platou (Asia), bringing between them a host of expertise in this line of business, from a local and international perspective.
MBC-Platou’s sphere of expertise will ultimately cover tanker and dry bulk chartering, off shore, sale and purchase, new building contracting, business and project development, ship finance and research.
Marine Bulk Carriers was established in 2003 by businessmen Leister Peteni (Sizwe Shipping Investments) and shipping personalities Robert Knutzen (formerly of Golden Ocean) Jan Rabie ( formerly with Safmarine) and Lance Manala (at one time with BP Shipping Southern Africa and Dudula Shipping) – now all executive directors and shareholders of MBC.
R.S. Platou (Singapore) is, on the other hand, a wholly-owned subsidiary of R.S.Platou Shipbrokers a.s. Norway, the ‘R.S’ group of companies established as one of the world’s leading brokerage companies tracing its roots back to 1936.
These days, the group head office is located in Oslo, Norway, and credit for the new venture must go to Gavin Warner, a South African with more than ten years international tanker broking experience, and Peter Ugland, whose ship broking career spans 23 years, much of it to do with Africa.
MBC-Platou, through its 51% shareholding, is a black-empowered company, aimed primarily at not only servicing the local tanker industry but also focusing on transfer of skills to South Africans in the broking business.