New department will strengthen Idwal's transactional inspection services and customer focus.
CARDIFF, UK – Thursday 1 February: Idwal has announced the appointment of Frank Andersen, a shipping industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, to lead its new Transactional Services department. The creation of the department and Andersen's appointment are the latest steps as Idwal continues expanding its services and customer focus.
Andersen joins Idwal from a distinguished career holding senior commercial and operational roles across the maritime sector. Having spent many years with A.P. Moller-Maersk, he managed over 20 different business activities and served as Managing Director of 5 offices across Asia. Andersen established new operations, built sales pipelines, grew profits, and motivated teams around the world. Later, at Klaveness, Andersen headed the Singapore office during a challenging market, building the brand in the container sector and cementing close customer relationships. Most recently, he has worked with several SaaS companies, resulting in wider adoption of emerging and developing technologies across the industry.
In his new role at Idwal, Andersen will leverage his breadth of maritime experience to focus on high quality inspection services for sale and purchase transactions, as well as financial transactions for banking institutions and investors. In addition, he will also be working with a wide range of players in the insurance industry to offer them better overview of the condition of their portfolio.
Andersen said: "I'm excited to join Idwal, known for high quality and innovation. With Idwal’s recent growth and further plans for new products and services using the strong competencies and large data sets from the many inspections, combined with an AI and technology approach, I found that that was a journey I really wanted to be part of.”
Idwal CCO George Haysom said: "Bringing Frank on board with his vast maritime knowledge is key for us. His appointment is the latest in a series of growth strategies as the business capitalises on its recent market gains, strong technology foundations, and lengthy maritime experience. Frank has a vast knowledge of the maritime sector and possesses the skills, dynamism and customer experience to help us drive the business. I look forward to introducing Frank to our customers over the next few weeks and months, and myself and the entire team here at Idwal are excited to work with him as we develop our offering further.”
Idwal has inspected 15 per cent of shipping’s global fleet since 2019 and, in 2023, 45% of all ships sold globally were inspected by Idwal. The company has performed more than 12,500 inspections across 100 countries, which contributed to an average of 15 inspection reports delivered every working day last year. Over the past five years, they have used the 10 million data points gathered over the past five years to provide grade analytics; benchmarking assets, vessels and fleets against global averages.
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Interview with Frank
We caught up with Frank earlier this week to talk about Idwal's new Transactional Services Department.
You will be heading up a brand new department. What will this department focus on?
Transactional service will be focusing on servicing our customers with high quality inspection and Idwal grading for sale & purchase transactions as well as financial transaction for financial institutions and a wide range of investors. In addition, we will be working with a wide range of players in the insurance industry to offer them better overview of the condition of their portfolio.
What are your immediate objectives?
Our immediate objectives are to get even closer to our customers and understand how Idwal Marine with our strong competencies, knowledge, and large data sets (with over 10,000 inspections done in the past 3 years) can add value to our customers business.
An Idwal Surveyor onboard a vessel in South England conducting a condition inspection
What were your key roles before Idwal?
I come with many years of commercial and operational experience having worked many years in senior roles for both for A.P. Moller – Maersk and Klaveness. In the recent years, my jobs have been heading businesses in Asia and globally that are selling advanced AI and Machine Learning (SaaS) solution to the maritime industry to improve efficiency and create better results. I have lived and worked in Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore.
What are your key relevant career achievements to date?
During my many years with the world-renowned shipping conglomerate A.P. Moller – Maersk , I worked in 5 different countries heading in total more than 20 different business activities and was managing director for 5 different offices and deputy managing director for 7 offices in Asia.
My major achievement was for many of the roles growing and building sales pipelines, develop and grow the business and service offerings as well as ensuring profitable office/operations. I did also establish new offices and operations in Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Mumbai. When heading the support functions, I Commercialized and improved these to meet the growing requirements from the global organisation. In all my jobs and roles, I have been building teams by employing, coaching, developing and motivating employees.
For Klaveness I was managing the Singapore office in a very challenging market keeping up the spirit and ensuring a cost-efficient operation that was continuously customer driven and service oriented – living up to the Klaveness Values and long history of close customer relationships. Successfully establishing the Klaveness name in the container market and building up a portfolio of clients. Obtaining new dry cargo clients including (Japanese) clients in the Klaveness Dry cargo pools, cargo customers as well as long term period vessels.
My work for a number of technology SaaS companies have been resulted in a wider adoption of technologies for some of the many clients that I have engaged with and been my small contribution to make the maritime industry even smarter and more efficient.
Initial tour of the vessel, guided by the master
Why did you pick Idwal?
Idwal Marine have a great name in the maritime industry and always been standing for high quality and innovation, and with the recent years of growth and further plans for new products and services to the portfolio using the strong competencies and large data sets from the many inspections combined with a AI and technology approach, I found that that was a journey I really wanted to be part of. I like to use my operation and commercial maritime experience to improve the industry’s understanding and use of technology to improve efficiency, increase safety and reduce pollution.
Notes to editors
IDWAL is the ship inspection, technology and data business. The global leader in independent sale and purchase inspections and the industry’s trusted partner for fleet condition monitoring.
Idwal’s 500-point inspection reports provide transparent and actionable insights into a vessel’s maintenance, quality and ESG compliance, contextualised by the IDWAL Grade®, the industry standard for measuring asset integrity.
Idwal’s data-driven methodology ensures that reports are consistent, intuitive to read, accurate and free from bias. Trusted as the industry standard, they inspect almost half of all vessels sold each year.
Founded in 2010, Idwal is based in Cardiff, UK, with offices in Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and Athens, and with an extensive surveyor network around the globe.
IDWAL. Inspection insight. Data advantage.
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