October 11 - October 1972 witnessed the founding of the first Clipper company by Torben G. Jensen and the company is now celebrating its 40th anniversary in shipping.
Clipper started primarily as an operator in the dry cargo segment. In the 1990's, the company grew to be a shipowner as well, and has since then taken delivery of no less than 179 vessels. Today, Clipper is one of the world's leading shipping groups with a strong fleet and offices in 11 countries.
Frank G. Jensen, chairman of the Board and CEO of Clipper, joined the company in 1992.
"In the 20 years I've been with the company, we've grown from being a small ship owner/operator to become a substantial ship owner and a large operator," he explains. "An important milestone was when we in 1996 took delivery of our first series of ships built in China. That was the Fantasy series, from which we still operate a few vessels. And since then we've had very close relationships with Chinese and later also Japanese shipyards."
When Jensen took over as CEO in 2010, the global crisis was a reality. "This gave us an opportunity to reflect on what we've done right, what we've done less right, and where we need to focus going forward," he explains.
And to Clipper, that focus is clear: with a back to basics approach, concentrating on bulk and projects.
Jensen sees the tough markets as an opportunity: "Our industry is changing and growth is extremely difficult. But to Clipper this is actually an advantage. We're good at judging the markets and we seem to thrive and expand in a difficult environment. We have an ability to make quick and sound decisions that set us apart" he claims, adding "and we're a personal, family run business, always aiming at building long-term relationships."
He continues: "The foundation of this was made during the first 20 years of Clipper's history, giving us the experience, the knowledge and the means to move onto where we are today. The founder of Clipper, my father Torben G. Jensen, has had a huge impact on this development - with his strong values, great entrepreneurship and unique ability to stay grounded and build relationships."
Torben G. Jensen adds: "Looking back at Clipper's 40 years old history, I see an impressive development, which I'm confident will continue for the next 40 years or more. And I see a unique group of people with strong global relationships to vouch for this development."
