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 | Saga Forest Carriers Intl AS was established in 1991 as a Norwegian-based operation whereby two Norwegian shipowners, Aaby and Borgestad , and NYK , Japan started to operate their respective open-hatch gantry craned (OHG) vessels in the Saga pool.
The initial trading pattern was from West Coast North America to Northern Europe and then to East Coast North America to Japan and South Korea. In 1993 more vessels joined the fleet and Saga's presence in the important West Coast North America to Japan and South Korea was established. In 1995, Aaby and Borgestad chose to exit the Saga Pool. However, with continued support from NYK, more newbuildings allowed Saga to enter the increasingly vital South American market in 1997; primarily from Brazil to Japan and South Korea.
In April 2000, Saga moved its headquarters from Atlanta, USA to Tønsberg, Norway. In May 2002, the Norwegian owner Leif O Hoegh & Co joined the Saga pool with 8 OHG vessels and 2 more in 2003; further increasing Saga's presence in the forest product trades. Hoegh left the Saga Pool in 2009.
To date, Saga has continued to develop and expand it's trading areas and customer base and is currently operating a fleet of 24 sophisticated OHG vessels. Moreover, Saga has almost fulfilled one of the most extensive newbuilding program in the industry. Saga has taken delivery of 7 newbuildings of the "Adventure Class" in the period from 2005 to 2008 and has yet to take delivery of 2 additional vessels from Oshima Shipbuilding Ltd, Japan in 2011-2012. This is a solid proof of the company's long-term commitment to the forestry product segment, and Saga's ambition to be the preferred carrier in the forestry business in the years to come.
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