GAC acquires Finnish ship agency

By on Sep 1, 2010

The GAC Group has strengthened its Baltic Sea region coverage with the acquisition of Helsinki-based ship agent, John Nurminen Navis Oy (JNN)

A subsidiary of the John Nurminen Group, JNN is one of the top three ship agencies in Finland in terms of market share, handling up to 3,000 ship calls per year at all major Finnish commercial seaports

JNN has offices in Helsinki (HQ), Porvoo, Kotka, Turku, Naantali and Rauma, as well as a comprehensive network of sub-agencies

Under the agreement signed on August 31st, JNN is is now rebranded as GAC- Nurminen Navis Oy

According to Erland Ebbersten, GAC Group's vice president - Europe, Mediterranean, Black & Caspian Sea and Africa, JNN's position in the local market and its strong client-base of major international and domestic shipping and chartering principals made it an ideal candidate for acquisition to help drive GAC's development strategy in the Baltic Sea region

The addition of Finland to the GAC network boosts the Group's growing presence also in the Nordic region, which has grown steadily since GAC's acquisition of a majority stake in Norway-based Ole R Olsen in 2007, followed by an alliance formed with Pole Position in Spitsbergen last year and the opening of new offices in Bergen and Sandnessjoen during 2010

That strong presence in the region enables GAC to meet a growing range of client needs, particularly those in the oil and gas sector where the search for new sources continues to progress further north