Expanding UK shipowner Purus Marine is beefing up its top team with the recruitment of BW LPG’s executive vice president of technical & operations, Pontus Berg.
The experienced executive will become chief operating officer from 1 February, running the growing fleet.
Berg will be responsible for Purus Tech, the company’s asset management company overseeing the commercial and technical operation of its vessels and infrastructure equipment.
He will also be co-head of the Purus Clean Energy and Purus Logistics businesses and will remain based in Singapore.
Purus is backed by US alternative financier EnTrust Global and an unnamed sovereign wealth fund.
It has amassed a fleet of more than 50 low-carbon vessels in the offshore wind, LNG, ammonia, logistics and ferry sectors.
About 300 employees work in London, Singapore, Rotterdam, Swansea and Newcastle.
Berg brings 24 years of experience in the maritime industry in gas operations, shipbuilding and ship management.
He led BW LPG’s fleet management and commercial operations, and previously held management positions at Greenship Gas, Evergas and Eitzen Gas.
Chiang becomes an advisor
Henry Chiang — current Purus chief operating officer and co-head of Purus Clean Energy and Purus Logistics — will become a senior advisor to the Purus board.
Earlier this month, Purus teamed up with Germany’s Nordic Hamburg to install a combined scrubber/carbon capture system on four container ship newbuildings in China.
Dutch supplier Value Maritime said its emissions-reducing Filtree equipment will be fitted between September this year and February 2024 at its berth in Rotterdam — the first time the 12.5-MW kit is installed on new boxships.
Nordic Hamburg is listed as having four 1,380-teu ships on order at Penglai Zhongbai Jinglu Ship Industry in China, due between August and November this year.
TradeWinds is told Purus is the majority owner of the vessels, with Nordic Hamburg having a minority stake and providing commercial and technical management.
The feeder units will be operated by BG Freight Line.
