Limassol, Cyprus. Maritime professional and investor Jesper Weller has acquired Berg & Larsen, a Danish maritime supplier founded more than 230 years ago, linking Cyprus’ shipping centre with one of Denmark’s oldest maritime businesses.
Ownership transition
Weller has taken over the company from Søren Kristiansen, who owned and led Berg & Larsen for the past 20 years. Kristiansen will remain chief executive, providing continuity as the company enters its next phase.
Company background
Founded in Copenhagen’s Nyhavn district in 1794, Berg & Larsen has operated through more than two centuries of change in shipping.
The company supplies technical spare parts for essential equipment aboard commercial vessels and serves shipowners, managers and operators internationally.
Under Kristiansen’s ownership, Berg & Larsen expanded beyond its traditional Danish market and developed a wider international customer base.
Expansion plans
The company said its strategy under Weller would focus on further international expansion, attracting new customers and developing its product range in line with changing requirements in global shipping.
Weller said he was taking over the business with “great respect” for Kristiansen’s achievements and the work of the company’s employees.
“The strength of Berg & Larsen has always been its people, its competence and the trust it has earned from customers throughout the maritime world,” he said.
Weller added that his ambition was to build on those strengths while ensuring the company continued to develop alongside its customers.
Weller’s maritime background
A qualified marine engineer and former seafarer, Weller has worked in onboard and shore-based maritime operations.
He is also the founder and chief executive of AQUAREX International, a maritime water purification and beverage solutions business established in 2020 and rooted in Cyprus and Denmark.
Family connection
The acquisition has a personal connection for Weller, whose family has used Berg & Larsen’s services for generations.
He said the company had served at least three generations of his family, all of whom worked as seafarers for Danish shipping companies. Throughout their careers, he said, Berg & Larsen was a trusted supplier when their vessels required technical spare parts and, in earlier years, products including “sugar and rum”.
“It is with great humility and respect for the many generations before me that I assume the ownership of this remarkable company,” Weller said.
