Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a provider of third-party ship management services headquartered in Singapore, and Hamburg-based asset manager MPC Capital have agreed to acquire 100% of Zeaborn Ship Management, which manages a fleet of around 100 vessels, comprising container ships, bulkers, tankers and multi-purpose vessels.
The acquisition is the “next milestone” in the partnership between Wilhelmsen and MPC Capital and their ship management joint venture Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management (Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel) and tanker specialist Barber Ship Management (Barber), according to the statement.
With the full integration of Zeaborn into the joint technical management activities of Wilhelmsen and MPC Capital, the partners create a competence center for third-party ship management in Hamburg, Germany. After the integration of Zeaborn, the combined activities will continue to operate under the brand names of Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel and Barber, respectively.
The joint activities will be co-headed by managing directors Dr. Michael Silies and Michael Brandhoff. Michael Silies has been with MPC Capital since 2003 and has headed Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel since 2020. Michael Brandhoff has been managing director of Zeaborn since 2021.
The expanded joint ship management activities of Wilhelmsen and MPC Capital will continue to be managed from Hamburg with a total fleet of more than 150 vessels in technical management.
Carl Schou, CEO and president of Wilhelmsen Ship Management, commented, “The acquisition of Zeaborn is our strategic move to expand and strengthen our market presence in the ship management arena. The transaction will increase our vessels in management to a size that we are confident that we can continue to deliver the best ship management services to our existing and future customers.“
Ulf Holländer, CEO of MPC Capital, said, “With the integration of Zeaborn’s complementary client base and services we further strengthen our market position in the ship management business. Combining our expertise with that of Zeaborn will allow us to deliver an outstanding service offering.”
The closing of the transaction is expected for the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to approval by the competent antitrust authorities.
