Unicorn Shipping is a ship owning arm of Grindrod Limited and is South Africas oldest and largest national ship owner with roots dating back to the 1860s. By adapting and changing with the times Unicorn has grown its markets and maintained its prominent position. Today its recently built ships are among the highest quality of their type and size in the world, with Unicorn tankers and dry bulk carriers being fully double-skinned and embodying advanced features with positive implications for energy conservation, safety and environmental protection. Today Unicorn's ship owning and operating activities are in the chemical and product tanker markets with focus on the handysize and sub 20,000dwt segments.
International Trades & Southern Africa Trades
Unicorn Shipping charters into niche international trades to oil majors such as Shell and BP as well as major blue chip traders.
Stolt Tankers Joint Service Pool
The company's stainless steel chemical tankers participate in the Stolt Tankers Joint Service Pool - one of the worlds largest chemical tanker pools. Stolt is based in Rotterdam and has offices in Singapore, Greenwich, Cape Town, Sydney, Houston and Tokyo.
Dorado Pool
Unicorn is also a member of Dorado Tankers Inc., a clean product tanker pool managed by Heidenreich Marine Inc. operating from offices in Darien (USA), London and Singapore.
Other
Unicorns experience and modern fleet has enabled it to provide a high quality and reliable shipping service to the South African oil industry and its other customers. Unicorn Shippings strategy is to target niche markets where its experience and specialist knowledge can be utilised or where it can add to or gain value from an operation, utilizing tonnage either custom built, purchased or chartered-in for particular employment. From its Durban base, Unicorn Shipping performs its own Ship Management while its Crewing Department is responsible for the training of crews and manning of its fleet. The companys Cadet Officer training scheme has been a prominent developer of young South African talent since 1965 and provides South African Maritime Authority approved training courses to local and international customers.