Wallem Group has made John-Kaare Aune permanent chief executive, after he spent nearly nine months as interim head of the ship manager following the resignation of Frank Coles.

Aune's appointment, effective from 1 October, recognises his hard work and commitment during what has been a challenging year for the maritime industry, said Wallem.

Chairman Nigel Hill said: "We have been very impressed with the calm and professional manner in which he has performed throughout his stewardship of the Wallem Group as interim CEO."

Aune joined Wallem in 2019 as managing director for ship management, having previously been regional director for the Asia Pacific region at the Cayman Registry following a time at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate.

He is a naval architect who holds a degree from the University of Newcastle.

Aune said he sees Wallem continuing to strengthen its position as one of the leading providers of maritime services by focusing on the future needs of clients, employees, the environment and community.

"By combining Wallem’s broad industry experience with the application of new technologies, we will be in excellent stead to support our partners in achieving sustainable value and assist them in our transition towards decarbonisation in the years to come," he said.

Hill added that the Hong Kong-based management group is confident Aune can take it forward and deliver a safety and environment-focused service that matches the sustainable, long-term growth and profitability vision of its shareholders.

When Coles resigned in January, Wallem said he wanted to become more involved in promoting the welfare of seafarers as well as pursuing other opportunities.

His LinkedIn profile says Coles is currently a strategic advisor to Kariwa Maritime, a company set up in Florida in July that appears to be linked to his yacht. He has also called for seafarers to take strike action over the lack of a response to the crewing crisis.

Coles spent two and a half years at Wallem after joining from maritime software company Transas. He started out as a maritime lawyer and also worked for Pacific Basin, Rydex, Globe Wireless and Inmarsat Maritime where he was president for nearly three years.