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Fund of the Orient Steamship Company PLC (Denmark)

Aktieselskabet Dampskibsselskabet Orient´s Fond

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Nov 2025

Brief History
A/S Motortramp
Stensbygaard A/S

See also:

Brief History

On 15 September 1915 a new Danish shipping company came to being: Dampskibsselskabet Orient.

It ad been an offspring of Det Østasiatiske Kompagni A/S (ØK) The intention had been to place ØK fleet of steamships in a completely new shipping company, so that ØK´s own fleet would consist solely of motor ships. The kinship with the now defunct ØK is also reflected in Orient´s flag, which was identical to that one of the ØK. Only the colours were inverted from blue charges on white to white charges on blue and the inscription "ØK" in lower fly was removed.
Around the end of WW1 senior employees of D/S Orient established, with funds received as share in profits, a pension fund and a welfare fund to support the contributors and their widows.
These funds became the non-profit foundation Aktieselskabet Dampskibsselskabet Orient´s Fond by later merging. Significant donations to maritime development projects, continues to ensure Orient an important place in The Blue Denmark, an enviromental project. In the beginning ØK itself owned 50% of the shares in Orient, but in 1923 ØK sold all its Orient shares to Landmandsbanken (now Danske Bank). Landmandsbanken appointed landowner and later shipowner Arnold Eugen Reimann as a delegate to the board of directors. At the same time the bank decided to part with its Orient shares. The largest shareholders were then Clarksons London, Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S and TORM as well as the company´s director Henrik Gether and Arnold Eugen Reimann, who became vice-chairman since 1930. Since then Orient starts a cooperation with NORDEN and becomes major shareholder.
In the years after WW2 Orient recognised that it was difficult for the shipping company to assert itself in the market with its fleet, which had been reduced from six to twi ships due to the war.
The solution was an operational cooperation with NORDEN A/S, which Mads C. Holm had founded on 11 February 1871. Orient began to buy shares of NORDEN in 1946. The acquisitions continued until Orient gained status as a majority shareholder of NORDEN in 1955. At the same time Orient noticed that it now had the shipping company A/S Motortramp, founded on 15 July 1925 by Orient´s vice-chairman Arnold Eugen Reimann, as its main shareholder.
In 1962 Orient´s director Aage A. Tonboe became NORDEN´s 4th CEO. Immediately afterwards Orient moved into NORDEN´s then headquarters in Amaliegade.
The cooperation between Orient, Motortramp and NORDEN became closer and closer. In 1972, the three companies founded the partnership Nordtramp, where they jointly invested in new tonnage. This cooperation led to a merger of Orient and NORDEN in 1994. Legally and in accounting terms, Orient continued as a company, but under the name of NORDEN. With the merger, Motortramp´s ownership share in the company was reduced to less than 50%.
Today, part of the Foundation´s awards go to maritime projects, as the Foundation wishes to contribute significantly to the development of The Blue Denmark. The Foundation has also made it possible for several NORDEN employees and their children and relatives to improve their skills by going on study stays abroad, as the Foundation has supported the stays financially. Awards are also made to charitable purposes.
Sources: fund history page
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Nov 2025

A/S Motortramp

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 May 2025

The company was based in Stengved in 1961 but in Kalvehave in 1953. The flag was red with red initial "M" on centred white lozenge.
Sources: US Navy 1961, p.3-19/row 3/column 1 and Danmarks Skibsliste 1953, p.257, nr.25
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 May 2025

Stensbygaard A/S

Stensbygaard A/S, an agricultural and forestry estate, also belongs to the fund. The agricultural and forestry estate Stensbygaard was established in 1872, when the properties "Vrangsgaarde" and "Stensby Mølle" were merged. Their buildings demolished and new farm buildings and residences built, all in one place. P.N. Malling was responsible for the construction of Stensbygaard, whose land had been in the family´s ownership since 1774. It was bought by Arnold Eugen Reimann in 1923. The company is operating a hotel and a riding centre. It sells firewood, meat and apples. It has no known proper flag.
Source: company webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 Nov 2025

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