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USTC to appoint new Head of Corporate Governance; effective 1 September 2021

‘There is no doubt that Mia’s accession completes the circle, and I look forward to working with both of my daughters to further develop USTC,’ says USTC CEO & owner.

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Mia Ostergaard Nielsen presse

United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC), the parent of Bunker Holding Group, is appointing Mia Østergaard Nielsen, daughter of USTC Founder Torben Østergaard-Nielsen, as Head of Corporate Governance.

She will assume the position on 1 September 2021 and will report directly to CEO and owner Torben Østergaard-Nielsen.

Mia has been a member of the board of USTC’s largest unit, Bunker Holding, since 2018 and in 2020 further joined the boards of USTC and Uni-Tankers.

Her sister, Nina Østergaard Borris, 37, was employed in the group’s largest unit, Bunker Holding from 2014-2020, before she was appointed Chief Operating Officer of USTC in 2020 with overall responsibility for business optimization and business development.

Mia’s entry into the company underlines the strong family ownership in the global group, where all three owners are now actively involved.

“There is no doubt that Mia’s accession completes the circle, and I look forward to working with both of my daughters to further develop USTC,” says Torben Østergaard-Nielsen.

“They both have some very forward-looking ideas and thoughts, and I know that together we will form a strong alliance,” Torben added.

The head of corporate governance role is part of the growth journey that USTC has been on recently, such as through acquisitions of companies CM Biomass and FREJA Transport & Logistics. 

Mia has worked and studied in both London and Singapore and has a Masters in Human Resources from the Copenhagen Business School. 

At USTC, she will ensure that the profile requirements for c-suite positions in the group are in line with the strategic objective and the DNA of the owner family, and that the various boards continue to have the optimal composition.

As part of the updated governance structure, USTC will also put more focus on sustainability. 

She will create a basis for increased efforts and future work with both USTC and the group’s subsidiaries on environmental, social and corporate (ESG) initiatives.

“Becoming a full member of the active ownership of USTC has long been on the cards, and it is a great privilege to help lead USTC into an exciting future,” says Mia Østergaard.

“At the same time, I am humbled by the task and am fully aware that I am still a young leader who has a lot to learn. But with the family values running in my veins and my many years of close work with the USTC boards, I am ready to work with the many talented colleagues in the group.”

USTC, which has been headquartered in Middelfart, Denmark since 1981, has an equity of more than DKK 3 billion (USD 493 million) with sales of DKK 76 billion in the most recent financial year.

United Shipping & Trading Company (USTC) is present in more than 30 countries through its

worldwide portfolio of activities that include oil & energy, shipping & logistics, ship owning, risk

management, and IT.

USTC was founded in Fredericia, Denmark, in 1876. Today, the family-owned group consists of well-

known companies like Bunker Holding, SDK FREJA, Uni-Tankers, Selected Car Group and Unit IT covering approximately 130 offices and occupying around 3,500 employees combined worldwide.

The owner family

 

Photo credit: USTC
Published: 2 June, 2021

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Technology

Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform, with Ocean Network Express as its first buyer-side integration partner.

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Singapore: Ofiniti, ONE trial direct platform integration to streamline bunker workflows

Ofiniti, the digital platform for maritime fuel operations, on Tuesday (21 July) said it has started a trial in Singapore, integrating FuelBoss directly with a bunker buyer’s own platform.

The company announced Singapore-headquartered container shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE) as its first buyer-side integration partner. 

“It is no coincidence we start in Singapore, as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) remains at the forefront of digitalisation of all things bunkering,” the company said in a social media post.

In November 2023, MPA launched its digital bunkering platform, becoming the world’s first port to implement e-BDN. 

Ofiniti said every bunker delivery still runs on retyped data. 

“The buyer’s system says one thing, the supplier says another, and someone reconciles the gap by email, phone, or PDF. On every stem,” the company said. 

“We built FuelBoss to change this reality.”

With the integration, operational data now flows without manual re-entry, fewer reconciliation errors and faster processing and data, instead of documents, are readily available for procurement and claims workflows. 

“One connection will not transform the industry on its own, but digitalisation gets built one integration at a time. We are grateful to ONE for being willing to go first,” Ofiniti added.

Manifold Times previously reported ONE completing its successful trial of the electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN) with Shell. 

The e-BDN trial, using the digital bunkering solution developed by Angsana Technology, was conducted on 9 September 2023 at the Port of Singapore, with support from the MPA.

In March 2025, Ofiniti acquired Singapore-based Angsana Technology, with the entire Angsana team joining Ofiniti as part of the acquisition.

Related: MPA Chief Executive: Port of Singapore begins digital bunkering initiative today
Related: Singapore set to become first port in the world to debut electronic bunker delivery notes
Related: ONE completes e-BDN adoption trial with Shell in Port of Singapore
Related: Ofiniti acquires Singapore-based Angsana Technology to advance digital bunkering solutions

 

Photo credit: Ofiniti
Published: 22 July, 2026

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Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

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RESIZED Sora Shimazaki on Pexels

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July). 

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions. 

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Related: Singapore: Hin Leong Founder OK Lim gets jail term slashed to 13.5 years

 

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

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Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

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RESIZED Drew Beamer

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

  • That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

  • that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
  • that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
  • that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd. 

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Related: Singapore: Director declares Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping’s inability to continue business
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping in court over DBS Bank bunker tanker loan
Related: Singapore: Bunker tanker “Coastal Neptune” arrested
Related: Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping, Coastal Logistics tankers enter S&P market

 

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

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