THE UNIQUE SHIPPING GROUP
Established in 1966 as a private shipowning and management operation, Unique Shipping has now been successfully developed into a renowned medium-size shipping group in the Asia Pacific region, involving in both the conventional and specialized sectors of the maritime industry.
The founder, Mr. W. S. Cheng, had been living in Tokyo, Japan for over half of a century acting as a conduit between the Japanese period charterers and the Hong Kong shipowners, and was instrumental in the successful rise of the Hong Kong shipowners in mid 20th century. The group has acquired over a hundred vessels over the years including owning Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), bulk carriers, container ships, pipe carriers, woodchip carriers, pure car carriers, reefer carriers, product oil tankers and Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC) at different times.
The group is currently under the leadership of Mr. Edward Cheng, who is the eldest son of the founder. He is a marine engineer with over 40 years of shipping experience; he has been working for the group since late 1960’s and was appointed chairman of the group in 2006.
The Company
- Chairman: Mr. Edward S. C. Cheng
- Fleet in company history: 113 vessels (including the current fleet), total over 5.6 million deadweight tons
- Newbuilding in company history: 58 projects
- Policy: develop & secure long-term time charters with reliable charterers
- Charterers/partners involved: A.P. Moller – Maersk, Bergesen, Cargill, Daiichi Chuo Kisen, Exmar, Heidmar, ITOCHU Corporation, Lauritzen, Louis Dreyfus, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha Line, Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co., Norden, NS United Kaiun Kaisha (ex-Shinwa), Seatrade, Star Reefers, Transammonia, Zodiac (ex-P&O Bulk) and many other prominent companies
- Bankers: Bank of Communications, BNP Paribas, China Construction Bank, Credit Suisse, HSBC, HSH Nordbank, ING and Nordea
- Ship Manager: Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, Hong Kong & Univan Ship Management Limited, Hong Kong
The Current Fleet
- Totally 16 vessels, including 2 Capesize Bulk Carriers, 6 Product Oil Tankers, 3 Product Oil/Chemical Tankers and 5 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Carriers.
- Aggregated tonnage amounted to approximate 1.02 million deadweight tons.
- Average age per vessel 5.94 years.