A major Switzerland based shipowner

Part Three

• Note 1: transferred to Arminter in 1988.
• Note 2: from 1974 managed by Transtrade Shipping, London on behalf of General Navigation Limited, Monrovia

ARMINTER S.A.M., MONACO

Armements Internationales, Société Anonyme Monégasque (Arminter S.A.M.), a Monaco company established in 1974 by a Genoese brokerage group, was acquired by Eugénio Tuillier in 1987. As noted above, three tankers were then transferred from Medsea to the new company. Further acquisitions were made in almost every year up to 1999 when ten tankers were in operation. The Group was then ranked third in the world as operator of 25-30,000 dwt tankers in Northern Europe.

The 1975 Norway built DONIZETTI (above), purchased by Eugénio Tuillier in 1989, is seen in the Houston Ship Channel shortly before her sale in 1991. Photo by Harry Stott.

The 1973 Onomichi built ROSSINI (above) in the St.Lawrence River on 8 August 1990, shortly after her purchase by Eugénio Tuillier. She was sold for breaking at Alang in July 1995. Photo by René Beauchamp.

RESPIGHI (above), an asphalt tanker built at Santander in 1974 and purchased by Eugénio Tuillier in 1990, seen passing Terneuzen on 2 May 1991. She was sold to Thailand in 1995 and broken up locally in 2004. Photo by Dave Salisbury.

The 1975 Belgian built VERDI (above) passing Walsoorden on 10 September 1998 in Arminter colours, i.e. with the letter A replacing the letter T on the funnel. Purchased by Tuillier in 1991, she was sold for further trading in 2001 and broken up at Alang in 2004. Photo by Wim van Noort.

LAMPEDUSA (above), built at Chiba in 1980 as EBALINA for Shell Tankers and purchased in 1998, seen at anchor off Lavera, near Marseille, on 17 February 2002. Soon sold to Norwegian operators and renamed AEGEAN TRADER, she finally arrived at Chittagong in August 2007 for breaking. Author’s photo.

ELBA (above), built at Split in 1984 as KAPITAN NAGONYUK for the USSR and purchased in 1998, seen arriving at Liverpool on 19 March 1999. Soon sold to Augusta based operators and renamed STROMBOLI, she finally arrived at Alang in June 2014 for breaking as the Indian owned ROSE. Author’s photo.

GIANNUTRI (above), built at Horten, Norway, in 1977 as TEXACO BERGEN and purchased by Arminter in 1999, is seen passing Walsoorden on 21 July 2001. She was sold for further trading in 2002 and was beached at Alang in December 2011 for breaking as MINOTAUR. Photo by Dave Salisbury.

In 1996, in order to separate the responsibility for technical and financial management from Arminter’s commercial operation, Navigestion S.A.M., formerly Martinoli S.A.M., a ship management company founded in 1946 by Federico Martinoli, was awarded the technical management of the fleet. Already managing the cruise ships ADRIANA and SWITZERLAND, in May 2001 Navigestion was awarded by Renaissance Cruises the technical management of three of its eight new liners but, as described below, Renaissance entered bankruptcy in September 2001. Arminter’s tanker fleet also soon started to reduce in size with the last ships sold in 2004.

Arminter had become actively involved in the construction of five tankers by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea, delivered from 2001 as FLORES, SICILIA, KEREL, GIANNUTRI and finally, in January 2005, BALTIC SUN. These tankers were also managed by Navigestion until mid 2004 when they were sold en-bloc to Interorient, a German K.G. company, who had already taken delivery of several identical ships. In 2006, after the expiry of time charters to B.P., the FLORES was renamed BALTIC SKY 1 and the SICILIA was renamed BALTIC SOUL while BALTIC SUN was delivered as BALTIC SUN 1. The KEREL and GIANNUTRI have, up to the date of writing, retained their original names, possibly with continuing time charters to CSSA (Chartering and Shipping Services S.A.) of Switzerland on behalf of Total SA.

Eugénio’s son, Gianluca Tuillier, joined Arminter as a director in 2004 after attending the London School of Economics and obtaining a master’s degree in Shipping, Trade and Finance at City University of London. In 2003 Arminter purchased two bulk carriers, the 1998 built BARA (renamed BARRA doubtless as ‘bara’ means ‘coffin’ in Italian) and the newbuilt RED IRIS followed in 2013 by the 2007 built bulk carrier GL PRIMERA, renamed VERDI.

The BARRA was sold in 2010 to Stam Shipping of Piraeus without further change of name while RED IRIS was sold to other Greek owners in 2014 and renamed OMICRON NIKOS and VERDI was sold in February 2015 to Technomar of Athens to trade as QUEEN JHANSI, leaving the company currently owning no ships.

Eugénio Tuillier has meanwhile become Malta’s honorary consul in Monaco and had also acquired shares in three ship manning companies being Euros of Rijeka in Croatia, Elburg Ship Management Philippines and Tinecomar 98 of Constanta.

NATALE TUILLIER

In the name of Tecnomar, Natale Tuillier proceeded between 1982 and 1985 to acquire the following ships:

TECNOMAR S.A. LUGANO (via Breganzona 16)

Natale Tuillier had received from Borromini four tankers and three dry bulk carriers, maintaining their traditional colours. The tankers had included the ill fated ROBERTA I and the GIULIANA I which was laid up at Genoa on 14th February 1986 and to be auctioned in mid 1987. Emerging in September 1987 as LIANA, nominally owned by Dinocris S.A. of Panama, she may have continued to be owned by Natale Tuillier until sold in 1988. The other tankers were the EUGENIA 1, managed by Commercial Management & Consulting of Monte Carlo, continuing under her new name of TAXCO, and the SEBASTIANO, the former BRITISH UNITY described in part 2.

The newest of the bulk carriers was the 1977 built bulk carrier FAIRNESS, acquired by Sebastiano Tuillier on delivery in August 1977 and placed under the nominal ownership of Sea Merchant Shipping Company, Monrovia, which had previously owned the earlier ill fated tanker SAN ROCCO.

The other bulk carriers were the LOCARNO, scrapped in August 1982, and ROZEL BAY, renamed GIUCA under the nominal ownership of Truchamar S.A. This ship was sold in 1983 to Eugenio Tuillier’s Medsea S.A.M. to trade as JAMBI until scrapped in 1985.

In 1986, following the bankruptcy of Tecnomar S.A., a new company named Nicla Management Corporation was created, inheriting the vessels BERNARDO STROZZI, MASACCIO and SYRIA.

BERNARDO STROZZI was renamed BURNOISLAND (a name uncannily similar to Burntisland but thought to be the name of a street in Venice) but may not have traded as such. She was in port under repair at La Spezia from November 1986 until early 1987, sailing from Piraeus in April for Khor Fakkan as FAL XX.

The MASACCIO had commenced trading towards the end of 1983 between Piraeus and Sète but was laid up at Marseille in August 1986 and reportedly sold to Spanish breakers. However she was instead purchased by MSC in mid 1987 to trade for ten years along the East African coast as BARBARA D., from 1994, when stripped of cargo handling gear, with an MSC prefix to her name.

SYRIA, renamed ACRUX, which had been laid up at Genoa in February 1986, was to be sold at auction in 1987 but only emerged from lay up early in 1989 as the Syrian/Cyprus domiciled Fayza Shipping owned SHOUKRALLAH. Arriving at Limassol in tow of the tug FLYING ENTERPRISE on 25th February 1989, she was reportedly towed away in December 1989, resuming trading in mid 1990 and surviving until 2001.

In addition Nicla had in 1986 acquired the vessel OCEANIA, the former STAD ZWOLLE, which had been lying at Augusta since February 1984 after abandoning a voyage from Bedi to Belfast and Avonmouth with a cargo of oilseed. A sale and renaming as MONTE SPINETO having fallen through, she was purchased by Natale Tuillier who shortened her name to OCEAN. However she remained idle and was towed to Aliaga in April 1995 for breaking.

RENAISSANCE CRUISES – A POSTSCRIPT

Renaissance Cruises, founded in 1989, had built up a loyal following of passengers but unfortunately filed for bankruptcy in September 2001. Navigestion had meantime been awarded the management of R TWO, R FIVE and R SEVEN. From 2002 until 2005, the R FIVE was chartered by Spanish cruise line Pullmantur. Meanwhile Cruiseinvest purchased at auction six of the eight R-ships while the remaining two ships, R THREE and R FOUR, were repossessed by the French Polynesian government.

The R ONE and R TWO were then leased by the newly formed Oceania Cruises and renamed INSIGNIA and REGATTA. They were soon joined by the R FIVE, renamed NAUTICA, with all three ships technically managed by Navigestion until Oceania purchased them in 2006. The R SEVEN, chartered in 2003 by German cruise line Delphin Seereisen, was also purchased in 2006 by Pullmantur, so ending the Navigestion involvement with the former Renaissance cruise ships.