Ship management companies Anglo-Eastern and Univan have concluded a merger agreement to form the Anglo-Eastern Univan Group.

This will be the largest ever merger of independent, third-party vessel management companies.

According to Anglo-Eastern, the new group will fully manage 600 ships and manage the crew for another 100 ships. There will a team of more than 24,000 seafarers and more than 1,700 shore-based staff.

The Anglo-Eastern Group was started in 1974 by Peter Cremers, a Belgian national who had a degree in naval architecture. Cremers was joined on the management team by Marcel Liedts soon thereafter. The company merged with Denholm Ship Management in 2001, which provided access to the European market.

Univan Ship Management was founded by the late C.A.J. Vanderperre. In 2012, Bjorn Hojgaard, a former captain at Maersk, was appointed CEO of the company.

Cremers will serve as executive chairman of the newly formed merged company, while Hojgaard will be chief executive and Liedts will be chief operating officer.

The group will continue operations as two separate entities in the short term, according to a statement. The two tanker fleets will continue to be managed from offices in Singapore and Hong Kong and will remain under the current management terms.