The renowned Hamburg-based shipping company UNIATLANTICO strengthens its position in the maritime sector by acquiring a majority stake in the shipping companies EMS Chartering, Fehn Ship Management, and Northwest Competence of the German Ems-Fehn-Group (Leer). The companies provide services in shipping & chartering, ship management, and crewing and will now pursue a common growth path with UNIATLANTICO.

The combined shortsea shipping & chartering operations will be based in Leer and operate under the well-established branding of EMS Chartering. For this, the EMS Chartering team will merge with the shortsea specialists of 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,” says Andreas Bergmann, CEO and founding partner of UNIATLANTICO. Heiko Luikenga, main shareholder of EMS-Fehn-Group, adds: “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. “I am very much looking forward to working with my old and new colleagues to further improve our services and to continue developing individual solutions that precisely meet our customers’ requirements,” says Acar. “Combining the coaster fleets further enhances our flexibility and helps us leverage our collective expertise and resources.”

EMS Chartering’s fleet will now consist of nine modern and economic general cargo coaster vessels, ranging in size from 2,600 to 5,000 DWAT and ideal for safely 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, will also be part of the strategic acquisition by UNIATLANTICO, expanding its footprint in all aspects of a diversified and fully integrated shipping enterprise.

„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,“ explains 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.“