He will take over as chief executive of BW Group from Andreas Sohmen-Pao, who will join the board, a spokesperson for the Singaporean outfit says.

Sohmen-Pao said in a statement: "Carsten is an outstanding leader in the maritime sector and is an ideal candidate to lead BW into the next phase of growth. We warmly welcome Carsten to the team."

Mortensen’s decision to decamp to one of the world’s largest shipowners brings down the curtain on his 10 years at the head of the Danish company.

“It