About Ultranav
Ultranav is a privately owned group of shipping companies with offices in 19 countries. Through twelve businesses, we operate in five market segments: Tankers, gas, dry bulk, coastal trades, and towage & offshore. We operate a fleet of gas and chemical carriers, tankers for crude oil and clean petroleum products, bulk carriers, feeder container ships, multipurpose vessels, harbour tugs, PSVs, AHTS vessels, pusher tugs, barges and pilot boats.
Ultranav mission
We aspire to be a partner you can trust to provide efficient and safe maritime transportation services to the mutual benefit of our customers, employees, communities and the environment.
Ultranav key figures
1960
Founding year
12
Businesses
19
Countries
3,700+
Staff & crew
310+
Deep sea vessels
110+
Tugs & offshore vessels
Core values
Excellence
We seek to contribute to our customers’ competitiveness by anticipating and meeting their needs.
We encourage creativity and innovation, introducing solutions that are beyond the ordinary.
We strive to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of our services.
Passion
We are passionate about our work and our company.
We believe that personal commitment and work well done make a difference.
We challenge ourselves to create value and exceed our customers’ expectations.
Integrity
We act in an ethical manner, focusing on sustainability and safeguarding our reputation.
We encourage personal and professional development and a fair balance between work and private life.
We promote team spirit in a multicultural environment, without discrimination of any kind.
Safety
We believe that safety is an integral part of our mindset and key to our business success.
We place safety first, keeping health, life, environment, cargoes and assets free of risks.
We are committed to developing and stimulating a safe working culture onboard ships and ashore.
Group history
Ultranav was founded as Sociedad Naviera Ultragas Ltda. in 1960 by Captain Albert von Appen (1901-1971), who arrived to Chile from Hamburg in 1937 as a representative for the Hapag and Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping companies. The company was amongst the first to be engaged in the transport of gas in liquid form having constructed as its first vessel, the “Ultragas“, a 90 cubic meter capacity gas carrier newbuilding. With an overall length of 23 meters, it was probably the smallest vessel of its kind ever built. Placed into service in the southern-most Patagonia region of South America, it vastly improved the logistics for local gas producers and consumers, replacing the traditional transport of gas in steel bottles.
Captain von Appen was subsequently joined by his two sons, Sven von Appen and Wolf von Appen, who successfully developed and diversified the company. Ultranav initiated the expansion of its businesses and continued strengthening its position initially in Chile, later in Latin America and finally reaching a global level through different trades and segments. This growth has come in the form of different companies where Ultranav has developed its roles as owner, charterer and operator of merchant vessels spanning a broad spectrum of fleets specialised in international and cabotage maritime transport.
In deep sea shipping activities Ultranav today operates and owns tankers for the transport of crude oil, refined products, and chemicals; dry cargo bulk carriers, multi-purpose dry cargo and container vessels, as well as specialised vessels for the transport of liquefied gases. Because of this broad diversification in different segments the company changed its name to Naviera Ultranav to better integrate its different businesses and subsidiaries. Since 2012 Ultranav provides its services through its twelve divisions Ultrabulk, Navigator Gas, Ultratank, Cape Tankers, Austral Product Tankers, Horizon Shipping, Ultranav Chile, Antares Naviera, Naviera Transoceánica, International Shipowning, Ultratug and Wilson Sons UltraTug offshore.
The company is today led by Per von Appen, the third generation of the von Appen family, as Chairman of the Ultranav Advisory Board. Per Succeeded his brother, Dag von Appen, who had served as Chairman for about 20 years.
Founded
Ultranav was founded as Sociedad Naviera Ultragas Ltda. by Captain Albert von Appen (1901 – 1971).
1960
Started shipowning activities. Building our first ship, the very small “Ultragas”.
1965
Built first tugboat “Ultramar”, the most modern tug at the time, fitted with steerable nozzle around the propeller, providing an improved maneuverability.
1966
Regional Trade in clean petroleum products in Chile.
1969
Transmares established a new liner service between Chile and Brazil.
1970s
Sven von Appen took over management of Naviera Ultragas Ltda.
1982
Founded Ultrabulk and started dry bulk activities in Chile, initially focusing on the coastal trades.
1985
Entered the offshore support business in a JV with Smit Lloyd from Holland, operating on the Strait of Magellan.
1990
Founded Humboldt as a continuation of more than 35 years of ship management activitites.
1993
International diversification through partnerships in Peru (Naviera Transoceánica) and Argentina (Antares Naviera).
Joined the Unigas pool offering safe maritime carriage of gas cargoes.
1995
Regional expansion of panamax tanker operations which later became Cape Tankers.
Joined the Unigas pool offering safe maritime carriage of gas cargoes.
1999
Product tanker operations became regional and would later become Austral Product
Tankers.
2002
Dag von Appen became Chairman of the Board of Naviera Ultragas Ltda.
Became partners in Horizon Shipping, a parcel dry bulk operator with focus on West Coast South America.
2004
Acquisition of international LPG fleet (Othello Shipping that later became Ultragas).
2005/2006
Founded Panamax International as a JV with International Seaways and EP Flopec, providing reliable services to the oil industry.
2009
Entered into a JV with Wilson Sons creating WSUT (Wilson Sons UltraTug Offshore) offering offshore maritime support.
2010
Acquired Eitzen Bulk and went global in the dry bulk segment.
2012
Added Aframax tanker operations.
The shipping group Naviera Ultragas Ltda. was rebranded as Ultranav.
2014
Created CPTA (Clean Products Tankers Alliance) and expanded product tanker operations.
2017
Antares Naviera celebrated their 100th anniversary.
2020
Ultratank reached 20 vessels in operation.
2021
Ultragas and Navigator Gas merged their fleets and businesses, creating a world leader in the handysize gas carrier segment.
2023
Per von Appen became Chairman of the Board of Ultranav.