Wilhelmsen Ship Management Acquires 50% Stake in Ahrenkiel Steamship

July 21, 2020

Pictured are Christian Rychly (on screen; left), Managing Director of MPC Capital – in Hamburg, and Carl Schou, CEO & President of Wilhelmsen Ship Management – in Singapore, taken during an online signing ceremony to formalize the partnership. (Photo: Wilhelmsen Ship Management)

Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a provider of third-party ship management services headquartered in Singapore, and the Hamburg-based asset and investment manager MPC Capital AG have agreed to combine their activities in the technical management of containerships. To this end, Wilhelmsen Ship Management acquires a 50% stake in Ahrenkiel Steamship GmbH & Co KG, the technical containership manager within the MPC Capital Group.

The joint venture will operate under the brand Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management. The company will continue to operate in Hamburg and Rhoon, while supported by Wilhelmsen’s global network. With around 100 employees, the new company will manage a fleet of currently 72 containerships with a focus on feeder containerships with a capacity of 1,000 to 3,000 standard containers (TEU).

The managing director of the joint venture will be Dr. Michael Silies who has been heading up Ahrenkiel Steamship since 2015. He is supported by Jan-Eric Panitzki, who will continue to oversee the operational part of the business.

The closing of the transaction is still subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.