Gard Shipping was established in 1980, initially as a dry cargo operator. In 1981 the company moved into ship-owning and Gards Rederi was founded. The company owned a fleet of up to 8 vessels and became a leading owner and operator of small dry cargo/bulk vessels in Northwestern Europe. The company was sold in 1998. Gard Shipping started its tanker chartering activities in 2006. The company was the first to use the Northwest Passage for commercial tanker business with its T/C ice-class vessels.