DNV Holding AS is funding two thirds of the cost of taking full control of merged Norwegian and German classification society DNV GL through a bank loan.

TradeWinds understands DNV Holding and parent DNV Foundation will use their own cash reserves to fund only one third of the final, as yet undisclosed takeover price for the Germany Mayfair Group’s remaining 36.5% shareholding in DNV GL.

An unnamed Scandinavian bank is understood to be funding the remainder of the acquisition.

The move is an unusual one for DNV Holding, which operates with very low levels of debt.

At the request of Mayfair’s main owners, Gunter Hurz and Daniela Herz-Schnoeckel, DNV Holding is not disclosing how much it is paying for the shares.

Mayfair first bought into the then Hamburg-based Germanischer Lloyd (GL) in 2006 before completing a merger with Det Norske Veritas in 2012. Under that deal, DNV holds the majority 63.5% shareholding.

However, the price of the shares is likely to be declared in DNV Holding’s next annual financial results, which are due in May next year.

The cost of the acquisition may weigh heavily on DNV Holding at a time when DNV GL’s earnings have been hit by a prolonged recession in the shipping, oil and gas and energy markets.

Its earnings from last year show revenue fell from NOK 23.39bn ($2.8bn) in 2015 to NOK 20.834bn in 2016, while operating profit slumped from NOK 1.738bn in 2015 to just NOK 154m in 2016. In 2016, DNV GL reported an equity ratio of 64.8%.

DNV Foundation is stressing the financial benefits of taking full control of DNV GL.

DNV Foundation board chairman Leif-Arne Langoy said: “The merger between DNV and GL has created significant value, and we are thrilled about the opportunity to invest in DNV GL’s long-term success. 100% of the cash generated will remain within the group to support further development and positioning of DNV GL globally. ”

Attention is now turning to whether DNV GL will be able to maintain its part-German identity now that the Norwegian partner is in full control.

In a statement following the full acquisition of DNV GL, it said it “remains committed to [its] maritime headquarters in Hamburg”.

However, observers point out that the German-controlled fleet has declined by more than one third since the financial crisis of 2008 and Hamburg is in a long-term decline as a maritime city.

In addition, many German owners have lost loyalty in DNV GL since the 2012 merger. During that time, competing classification societies such as Lloyd’s Register, American Bureau of Shipping and ClassNK have targeted the business of German owners who classed their ships with the old GL.

During that time, DNV has also been modernising and expanding its office space at Hovik outside Oslo.