Seatrade Maritime: Norden picks up more parcelling power from Taylor Maritime

Norden has continued its expansion in the parcelling segment with the acquisition of Taylor Maritime’s cargo activities in southern Africa, which previously operated under the IVS brand.

The purchase price has not been made public.

The acquisition is Norden’s third in three years and follows Northern European forestry product parcelling business Norlat Shipping in 2024, and break bulk, steel and wind energy cargo parcelling outfit Thorco Projects in 2023. Both companies have since been fully integrated into the group’s Freight Services & Trading business unit.

The acquisition includes a specialist parcelling team based in Durban, South Africa, headed by Brandon Paul, who together with his team will continue to service customers on parcel trades from South Africa. Taylor Maritime has owned IVS since 2022 when it acquired previous owner Grindrod Shipping in a $500m takeover.

Durban becomes Norden’s third office in Africa alongside the Ivory Coast and Gabon. Norden said Africa’s growing mining sector and some of the world’s fastest growing economies presents great potential for the company.

“To unlock this potential, we believe local presence is required to develop close partnerships with customers and other key stakeholders in the region,” the company said.

Norden CEO, Jan Rindbo, said: “We are delighted that Brandon and his team join Norden as we are committed to further grow our activity and customer offering in Southern Africa as a global provider of ocean-based freight services for bulk and project cargo of all sizes. With a fleet of over 400 vessels, we are looking to further expand our business in the region and offer our customers fully flexible solutions.”

Rindbo added that the acquisition is another strengthening of Norden’s parcelling strategy. “The project cargo business is more specialised and niche than our traditional shipping activities, calling for specialist knowledge, customisation and differentiation. We look forward to bringing these services to even more customers across the world.”