Fusion of the three German societies of shipmanagement MPC Steamship, Thien & Heyenga and Ahrenkiel



The German societies of shipmanagement and investments in marine field MPC Group and the compatriot Thien & Heyenga, than work also it activity of shipmanagement let alone of chartering of ships, have constituted joint venture through which they have bought C.F. Ahrenkiel Group di Amburgo, that it is active in the business management and technical of ships with specialization in the fields of the portacontainer and rinfusiere.

The activities of the Ahrenkiel will come combined with those of the MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Steamship GmbH & Co., branch of shipmanagement of group MPC, and with those of the Thien & Heyenga under the new denomination Ahrenkiel Steamship, society that with a fleet of 62 ships in management will be one of the first ten societies of shipmanagement in the segment of the container.

The initiative represents an ulterior development of the cooperation in the field of the portacontenitori in existence gives beyond two years between the MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Steamship and the Thien & Heyenga ( on 25 October 2012).

Group MPC has explained that the acquisition of the Ahrenkiel, that happens in a scene of continuous weakness of the markets of the shipping, represents a step towards the consolidation of the market and that a key element of the operation is constituted by the restructure of the Ahrenkiel group guided from HSH Nordbank and supported from the other banks creditors.

MPC has specified that the new entity will commercially manage a fleet of 139 ships with the Buss German and that the ships will continue to being commercialized with the Contchart brand, while in future the technical management of the fleet will be realized with the brand Ahrenkiel Steamship.

"MPC Steamship and Thien & Heyenga - Peter Ballreich has declared, managing owner of Thien & Heyenga - are closely working together on how with which tackling to the calamitous crisis of the shipping until from the beginning of 2012. This includes also the planning of the fusion of ours two marine companies with Ahrenkiel in order to create a new competitive shipowning group, that it will begin today from the activities under the name of Ahrenkiel Steamship. Our field has urgent need of a resumption of the markets. We consider of being very positioned for the future".

"The fusion - Constantin Baack has confirmed, managing director of Ahrenkiel Steamship - gives a dimension to us that will afford us to realize in meaningful way a greater cost effectiveness with an elevated level of service. This guarantees our competitive ability in what currently it is a context of extremely difficult market and, at the same time, supplies us a good base for the increase when there is a resumption of the markets. Nowadays - he has found Baack - the partner financial and the charters prefer to work with companies integrated with a solid professional base and financial institution and we consider that Ahrenkiel Steamship is very very structured in so far as".