Hafnia's plans to float its shares in Oslo has kicked off with a pre-listing private placement that could raise up to $345m for new vessels and loan repayments.

New Hafnia shares with gross proceeds of up to $125m will be listed in the Oslo Axess market in the placement, the company said in a filing on Thursday.

In addition, existing Hafnia shares with gross proceeds of up to $175m will be offered, which will be sold by its major shareholder BW Group and seven different private-equity funds.