SAL is shrugging off the global economic crisis by expanding its Australasian operations. On 3 August 2009 SAL opened an office in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Managing director Berndt R Olesen said the Australian expansion would be of great benefit to the region’s oil, gas and mining industry and is part of a wider strategic plan to accommodate the growing shipping demand from the resources sectors in Australasia. He said: “Many of our large clients, including BHP and Woodside, are based in Western Australia and with around $200 billion worth of oil and gas projects in the pipeline, the future of the Australian industry looks certain despite the downturn in international oil and gas production.”

SAL’s agent for Australia, Coli Shipping of Singapore, will continue working alongside the new SAL office to ensure close co-operation is maintained with existing clients.