Bulker operator Ultrabulk has opened a new office in Dubai, adding to the city's fast-growing community of dry-cargo players.
The new office will be headed up by Philip Wiencken, who was previously based in Singapore and has been responsible for Ultrabulk’s activities in the Middle East region for the past three years.
Wiencken said that opening the new Dubai office was “incredibly exciting” and would enable Ultrabulk to better serve its customers by having a more local presence.
“We hope to continue to build on our existing platform and derive more synergies with our teams in Cape Town and Singapore,” he said in a release.
Chief executive Per von Appen said Ultrabulk was “very pleased” with the support it has received from Middle Eastern customers in recent years.
“Our foothold in the Middle East market combined with our focus on Africa, for both the larger and smaller vessels, have provided significant synergies between our teams,” he said.
Including its new base in the Middle East, Ultrabulk has eight offices around the world.
The company, which is part of the Ultranav group, operates more than 160 ships that carry over 52m tonnes of dry cargo each year. Its fleet ranges in tonnage from handysize up to kamsarmax.
Dubai is becoming an increasingly important hub for the dry-cargo sector, with shipowners, operators and trading houses increasing their presence in the United Arab Emirates city.
Norwegian operator Western Bulk set up shop in the city late last year.
Owner-operator Norden moved its India office to Dubai last year, and Lauritzen Bulkers opened an office there in 2019.
Oldendorff Carriers, the world's biggest operator of bulk carriers, was quicker off the mark and opened its Dubai branch in 2015.
