John Fredriksen has made a return to the offshore support vessel sector by pledging to pump big money into the rebirth of Norway’s DOF Group.

The billionaire owner of shipping companies such as Frontline and Golden Ocean Group is taking nearly half the stock on offer in DOF’s Oslo IPO.

Austevoll-based DOF aims to list on the main board or Euronext Expand on 22 June after the bankruptcy of its parent in February.