Heinrich Schulte, the long-standing chairman and shareholder of the Schulte Group, died on December 16 in Hamburg, aged 90.
Heinrich Schulte was born in Hamburg, but with family roots in Papenburg and Emden. In 1963, he joined his father’s shipping company, Bernhard Schulte, whose origins date back to 1883.
With 14 owned ships at the time, he expanded the company into a diversified global maritime group.
In addition to the shipowning business, which today comprises around 80 owned vessels, the Schulte Group also includes maritime service entities such as Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), with a fleet of 670 managed ships and 30 locations worldwide.
At the end of the 1960s, he was one of the pioneers in gas tanker ship management for the transport of LPG and LNG. He also recognised the potential of offshore wind vessels at an early stage and supported the development of a specialised offshore wind fleet.
After handing over active management responsibilities to Ian Beveridge in 2001, he continued to serve the company as a managing director and the chairman of the advisory board, providing strategic guidance.
“On behalf of all employees, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Schulte family,” said Ian Beveridge, CEO of the Schulte Group. “For over six decades, Dr Schulte shaped the Group and played a key role in the entire shipping industry. We feel immense gratitude for Dr. Schulte’s visionary leadership, and we mourn the loss of a wise and deeply impressive person.”
Heinrich Schulte leaves behind his wife, five daughters, two sons, and 14 grandchildren.
The Schulte Group is a family-owned maritime solutions provider with over 140 years of experience in the industry. The Schulte Group has two business lines: ship owning and maritime services. Ship owning has the longest tradition in the Schulte family and is the core business of Bernhard Schulte.
Maritime services include ship management operated through Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), MariApps Marine Solutions, a maritime digital solutions company, Schulte Marine Concept, the newbuilding supervision arm of the Group as well as crew and guest catering, port agency services and many more.
