Norway's Westfal-Larsen Group has appointed Ulrich Muller as the new group chief executive at its core company, Skibsaktieselskapet Navigation.
Chairman Bernt Jacob Pettersen said Muller will start his new role within a few weeks.
He will replace Anders Lepsoe, who has been with the Bergen-based shipping group for 10 years and in his current position as chief executive for three-and-a-half years.
Muller, who was chief executive of Oslo-listed bulker owner Belships from 2011 to 2019, brings more than 40 years' of shipping experience to the role.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he spent the last year as a senior advisor to Grieg Shipbrokers.
Muller, who could not be reached immediately for comment on reports of his new job, spent almost the last 12 years at bulker owner Spar Shipping.
He was also a partner at Bergen-based shipowner Viken Marine for nearly three years, departing in 2011.
Westfal-Larsen is a family owned maritime group involved in a dry bulk, chemical shipping and shipmanagement, as well as retail, technology and real estate.
Its Skibsaktieselskapet Navigation unit is the core holding company overseeing all of the group's activities.
The group has 20 open-hatch bulkers and eight chemical tankers.
The privately owned company had a pre-tax loss of $5.9m in 2018, but the results for 2019 is not yet available.
Westfal-Larsen's roots date back to 1905 and it has passed through five generations of the family. The outfit is now owned by the family of Rolf Westfal-Larsen, who is also a company advisor.
