About Ultranav
Ultranav is a privately owned shipping company with offices in 19 countries. Through twelve business units, we operate in five market segments: Tankers, gas, dry bulk, coastal trades, and towage & offshore. We operate a fleet of gas and chemical carriers, tankers for crude oil and clean petroleum products, bulk carriers, feeder container ships, multipurpose vessels, harbor tugs, PSVs, AHTS, pusher tugs, barges and pilot boats.
Ultranav key figures
1960
Founding year
12
Business units
19
Countries
3,700+
Staff & crew
310+
Deep sea vessels
100+
Tugs & offshore vessels
Ultranav businesses
Ultrabulk is a dry bulk operator servicing its customers in the Panamax, Supramax, Handysize segments as well as MPP & Minibulk Services, Parcel Services and African Services.
Navigator Gas is the owner and operator of the world’s largest fleet of handysize liquefied gas carriers.
Cape Tankers is part of Panamax International and Aframax International, both trading platforms in the Americas for dirty petroleum products in their respective segments.
Austral Product Tankers is part of the CPTA joint venture, a world leading MR product tanker operator.
Ultratank operates a modern fleet of chemical tankers, trading between North, Central and South America.
Ultranav Chile owns and operates various vessel types involved in Chilean cabotage and regional trades.
Antares Naviera is an Argentinean shipowner and operator providing cabotage services for crude oil and refined products.
Naviera Transoceánica (Navitranso) is a Peruvian ship owner and operator providing cabotage services for crude oil, refined products, LPG and chemicals.
International Shipowning owns and manages vessels chartered out to various Ultranav operating businesses, particularly in the tanker segments.
Ultratug operates offshore vessels, harbor and terminal tugs, servicing 40 ports in 7 countries in Latin America.
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Group history
Founded
Ultranav was founded as Sociedad Naviera Ultragas Ltda. by Captain Albert von Appen (1901 – 1971).
1960
Started shipowning activities. Building our first ship, the very small “Ultragas”.
1965
Built first tugboat “Ultramar”, the most modern tug at the time, fitted with steerable nozzle around the propeller, providing an improved maneuverability.
1966
Regional Trade in clean petroleum products in Chile.
1969
Transmares established a new liner service between Chile and Brazil.
1970s
Sven von Appen took over management of Naviera Ultragas Ltda.
1982
Founded Ultrabulk and started dry bulk activities in Chile, initially focusing on the coastal trades.
1985
Entered the offshore support business in a JV with Smit Lloyd from Holland, operating on the Strait of Magellan.
1990
Founded Humboldt as a continuation of more than 35 years of ship management activitites.
1993
International diversification through partnerships in Peru (Naviera Transoceánica) and Argentina (Antares Naviera).
Joined the Unigas pool offering safe maritime carriage of gas cargoes.
1995
Regional expansion of panamax tanker operations which later became Cape Tankers.
Joined the Unigas pool offering safe maritime carriage of gas cargoes.
1999
Product tanker operations became regional and would later become Austral Product
Tankers.
2002
Dag von Appen became Chairman of the Board of Naviera Ultragas Ltda.
Became partners in Horizon Shipping, a parcel dry bulk operator with focus on West Coast South America.
2004
Acquisition of international LPG fleet (Othello Shipping that later became Ultragas).
2005/2006
Founded Panamax International as a JV with International Seaways and EP Flopec, providing reliable services to the oil industry.
2009
Entered into a JV with Wilson Sons creating WSUT (Wilson Sons UltraTug Offshore) offering offshore maritime support.
2010
Acquired Eitzen Bulk and went global in the dry bulk segment.
2012
Added Aframax tanker operations.
The shipping group Naviera Ultragas Ltda. was rebranded as Ultranav.
2014
Created CPTA (Clean Products Tankers Alliance) and expanded product tanker operations.
2017
Antares Naviera celebrated their 100th anniversary.
2020
Ultratank reached 20 vessels in operation.
2021
Ultragas and Navigator Gas merged their fleets and businesses, creating a world leader in the handysize gas carrier segment.
2023
Per von Appen became Chairman of the Board of Ultranav.