2020 Bulkers names Tom Babinski CEO as anchor-handler fleet grows to 12 with Skandi Peregrino
The former newcastlemax owner closed the AHTS AS deal on 1 October and has three more anchor handlers lined up for the fourth quarter
Oslo-listed 2020 Bulkers has appointed offshore industry veteran Tom Babinski as group chief executive, replacing Lars-Christian Svensen, who has resigned with immediate effect. The change follows the company's transformation from a dry bulk owner into a major owner of large anchor-handling tug supply vessels.
Babinski had been lined up to run AHTS AS, the anchor-handling business 2020 Bulkers agreed to buy in September. He has previously worked at Aurora Offshore Management, Viking Supply Ships, Westshore Shipbrokers, Framar and Sevnor. Svensen, a former Golden Ocean executive, became chief executive in April 2025 and has also led Himalaya Shipping and the tanker company Bruton.
How big is the anchor-handling fleet now?
The September deal covered companies controlling up to 15 large AHTS vessels. On 1 October 2020 Bulkers closed the purchase of AHTS AS and stakes in four associated ship-owning companies, which gave it control of 11 large anchor handlers. This month it bought Anchor Australia, which had taken over Skandi Peregrino from Akastor's DDW Offshore for $21.6m, taking the fleet to 12. Three more vessels are lined up for purchase in the fourth quarter, which would bring it to 15.
The expansion is funded by a $175m private placement completed in September, and the underlying fleet transactions carried an aggregate agreed vessel value of about $407m on a debt-free, cash-free basis. Backers include Harald Moræus-Hanssen's Uthalden, Arne Blystad's Songa Capital, chairman Magnus Halvorsen's MH Capital and Tor Olav Trøim's Drew Holding.
The company was built around eight scrubber-fitted newcastlemaxes ordered from 2017 at an average cost of $47.6m each. It sold the whole fleet earlier this year, and the sale of the last six ships returned about $316m to shareholders through a special distribution in April. It has said it plans to change its name to AHTS, pursue further consolidation among large anchor handlers and pay out most of its free cash flow after debt service.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 25 October 2026.
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