Inchcape buys Australian ship agency
Inchcape Shipping Services has fully acquired Australian ship agency Oceania Maritime Services. OMS was formed two years ago by Adsteam Agency and Beaufort Shipping Agency. The move is understood to involve the purchase of Adsteam Agency from Svitzer – which only recently acquired Adsteam Marine – and it will probably give expansion-minded ISS more than half the contestable agency business in Australia. Of significant interest to ISS is OMS's agency operations in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, India and Fiji. Overall OMS has 60 offices in the Asia-Pacific region, including 25 in Australia. OMS, through its Adsteam connection, also has a global alliance with GAC. OMS will apparently continue to operate in its own right until the company is fully absorbed under the ISS banner, possibly in about six months' time. ISS in Australia declined to comment on the purchase price, but said a statement would be issued by its London office this morning. Adsteam Agency general manager Jan Schot has left his position.