Shipping services Uniatlantico is taking over the majority stake in the shipping companies EMS Chartering, Fehn Ship Management, and Northwest Competence of the German Ems-Fehn-Group (Leer).
Under this deal the Hamburg-based Uniatlantico, which operates a diversified fleet of currently 19 own, managed and chartered coaster, multipurpose and dry-bulk vessels, becomes the new majority shareholder in maritime division of EMS-Fehn-Group.
The three companies specialise in shipping and chartering, ship management, and crewing.
The combined shortsea shipping and chartering operations will be based in Leer, and operate under the branding of EMS Chartering.
The EMS Chartering team will merge with the Uniatlantico into one unit and jointly market the combined coaster fleets of both partners. The joint unit will also have offices and teams in Hamburg and Bremen.
“We are very pleased to have this expanded team of seasoned and acclaimed shipping professionals on board, who have enjoyed a high reputation in the market for decades,” said Andreas Bergmann, chief executive and founding partner of Uniatlantico.
Heiko Luikenga, main shareholder of EMS-Fehn-Group, noted: “Our shipping experts are known for their customer-oriented solutions. Together, they will be able to achieve even more for our clients.”
EMS-Fehn-Group consists of two divisions, maritime and logistics. The structure of the logistics division remains unchanged.
The EMS Chartering team will be led by managing director Agnieszka Acar, who has been at the helm since July 2023. “Combining the coaster fleets further enhances our flexibility and helps us leverage our collective expertise and resources,” Acar said.
EMS Chartering’s fleet will now consist of nine general cargo coaster vessels, ranging in size from 2,600- 5,000 dwat, which are suited for transporting bulk, breakbulk, and project cargo. A number of these ships can reach river ports and seaports with limited access due to tides.
Fehn Ship Management, responsible for the technical management of owned and third-party vessels, and the manning agency Northwest Competence, including its Riga-based offshoot Baltic Transocean Shipping & Crewing, are also part of the deal.
“We became ship owners in 2016 when we acquired our first fully-owned vessel, but so far we have mainly been focusing on a strong commercial operation,” said Bergmann. “Since 2016, the Uniatlantico fleet has grown steadily. However, the idea of building up in-house competence in all aspects of commercial, technical, and crew management is only now becoming reality with the acquisition of shares in EMS-Fehn-Group’s Maritime division.”
