Denmark's Wrist Ship Supply has continued to consolidate in the sector with the takeover of Belgian rival Van Hulle.
The move strengthens its position in the key Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA) market.
Antwerp‐based Van Hulle will operate as a stand‐alone business unit, Wrist said.
Wrist CEO Robert Kledal said: “We are looking forward to initiate a great cooperation with Van Hulle and we will for sure benefit both ways from each our experiences in the ship supply market.”
Led by Bart van Hulle, the Belgian unit will run from Antwerp and Zeebrugge, where the former family‐owned business has large and modern warehouse and storage facilities,.
"With the inclusion in the Wrist Group, Van Hulle will benefit from Wrist’s global setup and scale advantages providing even better opportunities for our customers,” Bart van Hulle said.
Wrist has been pursuing its consolidation strategy for more than a decade.
It bought Klevenberg Shipping Center in 2018 and Garrets International in 2016.
In 2017, it added an office in Shanghai, targeting mainly newbuildings.
It also started new branches in Hamburg and in Las Palmas.
