About us

O. F. Ahlmark & Co was established in 1847 when the founder, Oscar Ferdinand Ahlmark, received permission to operate business in commerce, commission, forwarding and insurance in Karlstad. While Värmland and Karlstad are still the base of the company, O. F. Ahlmark & Co has since developed into a business with operations throughout Europe and more than a thousand employees.

When Oscar Ferdinand Ahlmark started his business in 1847, he could hardly have imagined that he was laying the foundation for the oldest still-operating shipping company in Sweden – and one of the oldest in all the world. Ahlmark Lines celebrates its 170^th birthday this year and now transports more than 0.6 million tonnes of goods annually throughout Europe.

Over the years, the transport of forest products to the UK has become our core business. As much as a third of the Swedish timber exported to the UK is carried on our ships. Our customers also include players in the steel, engineering and other core Swedish industries.

Together with our subsidiaries Jönsson Nova Logistics, Ahlmark Shipping UK and Becoship, we are a fully developed logistics company with services covering the entire transport chain.

We know that our customer-oriented approach is an important explanation for the often long-standing relationships that have developed between us and our customers.

Ahlmark Lines is a financially strong and reliable business partner in any economic climate. We take a long-term approach in our business decisions and honour our agreements.

At Ahlmark Lines, we take an active role in efforts to improve conditions for maritime transport, both nationally and locally. We see shipping as an important component of the solution to Sweden’s infrastructural challenges both now and in the future. Shipping has an almost unlimited capacity and the cost of its infrastructure is financed almost entirely by commerce and industry through port dues throughout the country, no matter what flag is flying from the stern.