About us
Saga Welco is an international shipping company offering high quality solutions for transportation of forest products, breakbulk, project cargo and bulk cargoes. Our modern fleet of open-hatch gantry crane vessels ensure the highest standards in quality, cargo care and service.
Saga Welco AS is headquartered in Tønsberg, the oldest city in Norway and the birthplace of the first open-hatch gantry vessel. In addition to certain head quarter functions in Bergen, we have branch offices located in all operational and strategic regions, locally staffed with dedicated, experienced commercial and operational personnel. This ensures “around the clock” superior customer service and smooth operation. Saga Welco’s branch offices are located in Antwerp, Livorno, Savannah, Vancouver BC, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Montevideo, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.
The human factor
Any organisation is only as good as its people and Saga Welco takes great pride in our skilled and experienced staff, both ashore and afloat.
Afloat, our capable and experienced masters, officers and crew have extensive knowledge of transportation of Saga Welco’s specialised and regular bulk commodities. This ensures the utmost care in handling of high value cargoes during sea passage, loading and discharging operations. Our seafaring officers are trained to the highest standards to adhere to industry maritime rules and regulations and to build up to date industry competence for the latest applicable technological developments and requirements.
Our cargo superintendents and operational representatives are in attendance in all strategic regions to ensure smooth, efficient operations in conjunction with the requirements of the customer.
Ashore, the personnel in all Saga Welco offices provide market-leading service, combining many years of shipping experience and knowledge with cutting edge planning and communication technology. We take pride in providing a high level of service by operating in a friendly, informative and professional manner.
Ownership
Saga Welco AS was established on 1 October 2014 through a joint ownership by NYK Holding (Europe) B.V. and Armadora AS. The fleets and business activities of Saga Forest Carriers International and Westfal-Larsen Shipping were combined, creating a unique blend of expertise, experience and industry knowledge.
Following the completion of the ownership transition on July 20th 2026, Saga Welco became a wholly owned subsidiary of NYK Group, one of the world's leading shipping and logistics companies.
Today, with our 48 “state-of-the-art” Open Hatch Gantry Cranes (OHG) vessels, procedures, and technology, we are committed as one of the major players in the global shipping market.
ISO certification
Saga Welco AS is certified to the Quality Management System standard ISO 9001:2015, which means we continuously strive to improve our performance and meet our customers’ expectations.
