Nixon steps down at ONE

(Photo: ONE)

Stuart Chirls

Fri, February 27, 2026 at 12:25 AM GMT+9 3 min read

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In a move that could signal further change in container shipping, Ocean Network Express announced founding Chief Executive Jeremy Nixon is stepping down in a planned leadership transition.

Till Ole Barrelet, CEO of Emirates Shipping Line, will join Singapore-based ONE on May 1 as Chief Executive Officer-Designate. He will succeed Nixon as CEO on July 1, at which time Nixon will assume the role of senior advisor.

Nixon led the historic consolidation of Japanese carriers K Line, MOL and NYK that established ONE in April 2018. Operating an iconic fleet of pink containers, the company is now the sixth-largest carrier, with 260 vessels and capacity of 2.1 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs), or 6% of the market.

The 49-year old Barrelet has more than 20 years of maritime and logistics experience, having served as CEO of ESL since 2022, with deep expertise in ship owning, financing, container shipping, and trade development across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

Emirates ranks 20th among global carriers, with capacity of 116,000 TEUs.

To better position ONE for its next phase of growth, the company will transition to a new executive management team structure comprising the CEO and seven representatives from across all divisions. The team and six regional leaders will report to Barrelet.

“This expanded leadership structure will facilitate closer collaboration across a global matrix structure at ONE,” the company said, part of a planned leadership transition that will not impact customers and stakeholders.

“Jeremy’s contribution to Ocean Network Express has been extraordinary,” said Jotaro Tamura, board chairman of Ocean Network Express Holdings Ltd. “As our founding CEO, Jeremy has helped build ONE from the ground up, establishing our corporate culture and market position. We are deeply grateful for his strong leadership and vision in creating a resilient, financially strong company.”

Nixon said, “Leading ONE from Day One has been the defining chapter of my career. Together with an exceptional team, we have built something truly special. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished – navigating unprecedented challenges, investing in sustainable technology, and building a culture of service excellence. Now is the right time for new leadership, and I am very confident in Till’s ability to lead ONE forward.”

The change comes at a pivotal time for container shipping. A trade reset targeting China by the Trump administration is redefining commercial connections among nations and the logistics networks serving those relationships. Carriers are settling into a new normal defined by jagged economic and geopolitical changes following the runout of the post-pandemic surge.

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Existential questions of whether the business can turn a regular profit have returned, which is already forcing structural change. Hapag-Lloyd earlier  this month acquired Zim of Israel in a merger of top 10 lines, a move that is expected to set off further consolidation. It’s an open question, observers say, which companies outside of the top five will have the cash to survive as independent entities.

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