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A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN WALLENIUS LINES & NYK “NYK
and Wallenius form a perfect match” The quest for consensus and a shared view of the sustainability challenges in shipping are key success factors behind UECC, Wallenius Lines´ and Japanese NYK´s shared shipping company. T oday, UECC is the leading provider of short-sea trans - portation services for cars and other rolling cargo in Europe. Some of the factors behind the success of the partnership are mutual respect and a common long-term view on how to conduct business. The Wallenius family has a long tradition of cooperating with Japanese companies. One reason is Japan’s great need of transport solutions, since the country has been a world-leading car producer since the end of the Second World War. “As far back as the 1960s, Wallenius started a collaboration with Toyota in order to ship cars to Europe. Since then, the fruitful cooperation with our Japanese counterparts has continued,” says Anders Thyberg, Senior Vice President of Wallenius Lines and board member of UECC since 2005. THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN Wallenius Lines and Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, NYK, is a good example of such a collaboration. Already in 1990, Wallenius Lines became a joint owner of United European Car Carriers, UECC, with NYK as the other owner. Both parties needed a short-sea shipping presence in Europe. As Wallenius Lines was already established in Japan, the prospects of a good cooperation were promising. “Our companies were familiar with each other and we both share the same view on how to run a business,” Anders Anders Thyberg Senior Vice President, Wallenius Lines Thyberg says. “No one has had a ‘my way or no way’ attitude. One of our goals is to reach consensus before decisions are made,” Anders Thyberg points out, while underlining that the dissimilarities between the parties have also served as a strength for UECC. “Wallenius Lines has contributed with our knowledge of how to run business in Europe, including Scandinavian leadership. Meanwhile, NYK has brought global influences and stability to the table. Being the largest shipping company in the world of course means there’s both stability and a long-term view,” he says. ANOTHER THING ANDERS Thyberg points out as crucial for a successful partnership is consensus on how to solve the sustainability challenges in the shipping industry. For example, UECC was the first shipping company in the world to build two LNGpowered car carriers – vessels that run on liquefied natural gas. The vessels were delivered as early as 2016. In 2019, the company ordered another three battery hybrid LNG vessels, a project managed by Wallenius Marine. This was yet another step towards the goal of increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions. “Wallenius Lines and NYK have a shared view on how we, through technical solutions, can solve the environmental and sustainability challenges that lie ahead. That’s an important and decisive aspect of our collaboration,” Anders Thyberg concludes. UECC is the leading provider of sea transportation services for cars and other rolling cargo in Europe – from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The shipping company operates a fleet of 17 vessels and has eight offices and seven terminals in Europe. DOES HAVING TWO EQUAL PARTNERS AS OWNERS INFLUENCE THE RUNNING OF THE BUSINESS? “In my opinion, it’s very positive! NYK is a big Japanese public company, while Wallenius Lines is small, Scandinavian and family-owned. Together, they form a perfect match, both with a long-term view on the business side of things. And even more importantly, Glenn Edvardsen CEO, UECC they have a lot in common; they share the same values in many aspects, such as sustainability and the way they want to conduct business. This shared vision is very obvious, and particularly in terms of sustainability it is really ingrained in the DNA of both of the companies.” ARE THERE ANY BUSINESS ADVANTAGES BECAUSE OF THE PARTNERSHIP, COMPARED TO HAVING JUST ONE OWNER? “Although it is two companies with very different cultures, they really complement each other. Both companies have a long tradition in shipping, the Japanese being a bit more conservative and the Scandinavians with a bit more aggressive approach; however, together they keep a good balance on the business. I would say NYK and Wallenius Lines are a perfect match, and together they create a really good solid ground for UECC. Also, joint ventures provide the benefit of shared risk.” OUR WAY PARTNERSHIPS 25