Tougher times

The beginning of the 1980s is just as the 1970s ended - turbulent. Already at the end of the 1970s Sven Hampus and Christer take a more conservative position and sell off all the tanker ships from their own Salénia, but Sture Ödner decides to retain the largest tankers that the Salén Shipping Company ordered during the 1970s.

Even so, Saléns accumulates its efforts in order to adapt to the tougher times. The three divisions, dry cargo, refrigerated cargo and tankers are each placed in their own independent companies with the parent company at the head, together with Salén Energy and Salén & Wicander. Refrigerated cargo and dry cargo pull the heaviest loads. Refrigerated transport or Salén Reefer Services as the company is called, is the largest shipping company in the world for the transportation of bananas with close to one third of the world’s bananas. One prerequisite to win the struggle for customers is that the ships are sufficiently modern and therefore Refrigerated Cargos Managing Director, Mats Ruhne wants to invest in at least 10 new ships within a few years. Salén Dry Cargo has, under the leadership of Gunnar Rosengren, sold off its own ships and puts a great deal into hired tonnage for the transport of coal, wheat, ore and timber. At the turn of the decade, the company increases turnover by 400 per cent with good profitability and in 1981it is the world’s largest grain transporter to the Russians. But tankers make enormous losses after the oil crisis.