German Duo Forms Short Sea Shipping JV

German shipping companies Hartmann Group and Schulte & Bruns have entered into a joint venture agreement related to their short sea activities. 

Effective January 1, 2017, each firm will have a 50% share in Schulte & Bruns Chartering, a subsidiary of the Schulte & Bruns Group.

In addition, Schulte & Bruns Chartering will manage a major part of the multipurpose (MPP) ships controlled by Hartmann Group, which have a range from 5,000 to 17,000 dwt.

Within the scope of the joint venture, the Hartmann Group will take over the nautical and technical management, including crewing, of the directly controlled S&B ships through its subsidiary in Leer, Hartmann Dry Cargo Germany.

“The goal of the cooperation is to combine the respective strengths in order to exploit the synergistic effects coming along with it,” the duo said.

The Hartmann Group’s fleet is currently comprised of 150 ships, including gas carriers, product tankers, bulk carriers, pneumatic cement carriers, container ships, multi purpose vessels and offshore support vessels.

Schulte & Bruns owns and manages a fleet of over 30 modern dry cargo and multi-purpose vessels, with offfices in Papenburg, Hamburg, Heerenveen and Newcastle.