Heidmar chief executive Ben Ognibene has departed his post only weeks after a planned sale of the company took a dramatic shift.
Market sources said they believe Ognibene has landed another position, but attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.
After TradeWinds was first to report the departure today, Heidmar confirmed that the executive has resigned.
Ognibene had led the Connecticut tanker pool operator since 2013, when he took over, at first on an interim basis, following the death of Marc La Monte.
"The company thanks Mr Ognibene for his 13 years of service with the company and we wish him well in his future endeavours," Heidmar said today. "Mr Ognibene continued the company’s deep commitment to commercial performance, transparency and relationships with its pool partners."
His exit comes only weeks after a planned sale of 100% of Heidmar to US financial player Fortress failed. Sources say 49% owner George Economou, the Greek shipowner, withdrew his support at the last minute.
Economou instead sold his stake to DryShips, his New York-listed company.
Another 49% of the company's equity is owned by US bank Morgan Stanley, with employees holding the remainder.
Earlier this year, Economou had been expected to pick up full control of Heidmar in partnership with Fortress, a US financial firm. TradeWinds reported in June that Fortress was going it alone.
But that was before Economou, a Greek shipowner, is said to have plug on the sale and put his stake in the hands of DryShips in an all-share deal involving no cash.
Heidmar said its board has launched a search for a new chief executive and expects to have a replacement "in the near future".
"The operations of the company will continue as usual with 24/7 commercial coverage from our global offices," the pool manager said. "In the interim, the Company will be led by the executive management team, which collectively has close to 120-years of shipping experience, with support from the board."
