another four of their contracts were transferred to Bergesen. Bergesen would also acquire the other vessel from Gotaas-Larsen A/S. These six LPG tankers were the first of Bergesen's gas tanker fleet. By the late 1980s, Bergesen was a prominent owner and operator of large LPG tankers. In 1999, it was decided that Bergesen would specialise in large and very large gas carriers while A.P. Møller managed small gas carriers and Exmar focused on medium gas carriers. Going public and expansion On 1 January 1986, the various companies under Bergesen d.y. Group were merged and renamed Bergesen d.y. A/S. The company was listed on Oslo Børs a few months later on the 9th of September. The company also began acquiring other companies. It acquired Den Norske Amerikalinje in 1995 but soon sold it to Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding ASA. Its acquisition of Havtor AS, a gas carrier company, in 1996 increased its fleet size to over 90 vessels and cemented its position as a leading shipping company. Bergesen also diversified with its purchase of large ore carriers and FPSOs. Between 1986 and 2000, Bergesen acquired many large ore carriers including Berge Stahl (the biggest ore carrier in the world at 364767 DWT until Vale Brasil broke the record in 2011), Bergeland, Berge Nord, Berge Atlantic, Berge Pacific, and Berge Arctic. The company also had experience in the offshore sector with pipe-laying ship Berge Worker and FPSOs Berge Sisar and Berge Troll. As such, after negotiating with Statoil, it succeeded in attaining shared ownership of Berge Hugin which was converted into an FPSO in 1998. Acquisition and delisting World-Wide Shipping acquired the cousins' shares in April 2003. World-Wide then mounted a public offer and accumulated over 90% of the shares and Bergesen was privatised. Leadership of BW Group In 1990 third-generation leadership joined the company with Dr. Helmut Sohmen's eldest son, Andreas Sohmen-Pao. Sohmen-Pao has an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School and a double first class Honours Degree (B.A. Hons) from Oxford University in Oriental Studies in 1993. He worked at Goldman Sachs International in London before joining World-Wide Shipping in London, serving positions in various divisions of World-Wide Shipping before assuming the role of BW Group CEO in 2009. Sohmen-Pao stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of BW Group on April 1, 2015. After 44 years with the company, Dr. Sohmen retired in 2014 as Chairman of BW Group and