Summary by General Manager Zaidi Mohd:
Typically around this time of year, Odfjell Singapore will host some tables for our shipping partners at the annual Norwegian Seafood Dinner organized by the Norwegian Business Association Singapore (NBAS). However, with NBAS not hosting the event this year, we rather seized the opportunity to hold a cocktail party for our customers and partners and, at the same time, celebrate Odfjell’s 110th anniversary.
The event took place interestingly on Friday the 13th, and coincided with the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) week, packed with conferences, meetings and various parties. Despite ours being held on the last day of the week, we were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming turnout. Almost all our invitees attended, with many staying until the very end and making the event a resounding success.
Held as a cocktail-style gathering in an excellent yet simple and relaxing format, the event proved to be a hit among the 130 attendees, which included customers and traders from around 40 different companies and brokers from 20 brokerage firms.
We were honored to have our executive management represented by CCO Bjørn Hammer and CTO Torger Trige, showing their support for our niche Singapore chemical shipping community. Addressing the guests, Bjørn highlighted Odfjell’s long-standing success, shared vision and core values, setting the tone for a meaningful celebration of Odfjell’s journey and future aspirations:
"It is both an honor and a pleasure to welcome all of you to our 110th anniversary celebration here in Singapore. We operate in a world with significant geopolitical instability: war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, and growing tensions between superpowers. All of which has a significant impact on our business. In times like these, partnerships become even more important, and it is therefore particularly nice to celebrate with all of you—our close partners."
A three-piece band humorously referred to as “imported from Norway” entertained the crowd. A special highlight of the night was when our Singapore colleagues, Charterer Kjell Christensen and Ship Operator Farhana Samat, took the stage impromptu, delighting everyone with their hidden singing talents. Guests were cheering, and some ended up on the dance floor!
We received much appreciation for the opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces in the shipping community and also meet new ones. Several guests remarked that it was one of the best events during APPEC and a perfect way to close the week.
It was a wonderful networking event that also celebrated Odfjell’s legacy, cementing our reputation as a good, well-respected company. It was an Odfjell events to remember, reflecting the spirit, our commitments and camaraderie that define our company culture. And perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.. we should host our own Odfjell Idol Competition next?
