Fairfield-Maxwell Ltd. (FML) is returning to the shipping industry in Japan and opening a new office in Tokyo aimed at participating in ship construction, ownership, investment, and leasing.
The new company will focus on being the tonnage provider of choice and offering a diverse range of vessel types, including chemical tankers, medium range (MR) tankers, gas carriers, and newbuilds.
The new company – to be named Fairfield Maritime Japan Ltd. – will be a part of a newly formed Fairfield Maritime Group. The business will build on the significant 65-plus year legacy in the shipping industry, which began in 1957 when Keiichi “Kay” Sugahara founded Fairfield-Maxwell and began brokering maritime crude oil shipments to Japan.
Fairfield-Maxwell expanded into other maritime-related activities, including building, selling, and leasing tankers and cargo ships in 1960. Since the 1960s, the Sugaharas have maintained ship and crew management services for shipowners globally.
This new business launch comes approximately two years after FML’s divestiture of subsidiary Fairfield Chemical Carriers to MOL Chemical Tankers. Fairfield Chemical Carriers was a leading operator of stainless steel chemical tankers worldwide, owning and operating a fleet of approximately 40 tankers at its peak.
Fairfield Maritime Japan will leverage a new, yet highly experienced, leadership team, including Ryuichi Osonoe as president and Mitsuhiro Okamoto as vice president and chief financial officer.