Schulte Group News

Merchant ships remained backed up in lanes around the Black Sea on Monday as ports struggled to clear backlogs amid growing unease among insurers and shipping companies a day after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo vessel.Russia said its Vasily Bykov patrol ship on Sunday fired on the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. After an inspection, the vessel continued its journey towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail along the Danube river…

Schulte Group unveiled its next generation design for an liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel (LBV), which it said is engineered to be easy-to-use and reduce last-mile costs.The unique vessel design, presented at Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Milan, does away with the need for fenders and spacer pontoons, replacing them with an integrated outrigging system that’s compatible with any vessel type and can be operational in five minutes with the push of a button. Same applies to the telescopic crane, which extends over 40 meters over the water and can be adjusted to any required reach.

Most cruise lines’ operations are now suspended but at the beginning of the year, BSM Cruise Services’ managed ships were deployed all around the world.Martin Springer, Managing Director BSM Cruise Services explains that, while all BSM’s managed vessels have advanced procedures and contingency plans in place for any crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an extreme situation.But he continues; “BSM Cruise Services’ commitment to building long-lasting customer relationships and…

Wilhelmsen’s Marine Products division signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore-based drone delivery startup F-drones, for last mile delivery of its 3D printed spare parts.As the only drone delivery provider currently authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to execute drone deliveries beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) to vessels at anchorage, the agreement with F-drones enables Wilhelmsen to broaden the scope of its exclusive on-demand additive manufacturing service…

Bernhard Schulte Offshore GmbH (BSO) and MidOcean Wind (MOW) have entered into a joint venture to build and operate support vessels for the US offshore wind industry as well as explore opportunities in other sectors of U.S. merchant shipping.Signed during the AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER 2019 Conference in Boston, the Connecticut-based joint venture signals a new chapter of cooperation between BSO and MOW, which began in late 2018 when the parties partnered in WINDEA Offshore US to provide a single point of contact for offshore wind customers in the US.Volckert van Reesema…

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) announced the launch of its LiveFleet mobile app, available on iOS and Android.Developed in partnership with software experts at MariApps Marine Solutions, also member of the Schulte Group, LiveFleet is a vital component of BSM’s PAL 4 ship management enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. With the release of the new LiveFleet app, ship owners will benefit from access to near real-time operational, technical and financial information anytime, anywhere.

Germany’s Schulte Group has launched a venture capital unit - INNOPORT - to identify investment opportunities in the global maritime start-up eco-system.The INNOPORT team, based in Hamburg, Limassol and Singapore, is headed by Yiannis Sykas, Director of Strategy and Product Development at Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM).INNOPORT will support high-potential early-stage maritime and logistics startups predominantly in Europe and Asia, with the flexibility to collaborate with startups from all geographic areas.“At INNOPORT, we want to build bridges and open doors wherever possible. In essence, INNOPORT provides startups with the right network and the right capital…

Schulte Group acquires TecHullClean to expand its range of IMO-compliant underwater inspection, repair and maintenance solutionsSchulte Group, Hamburg, Germany, acquired a majority stake in TecHullClean Limited (THC), a Singapore registered underwater inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) technology company headquartered in Singapore and Algeciras, Spain and with further subsidiaries in Spain, Gibraltar and Ghana.THC specializes in underwater hull cleaning, inspection and propeller…

The Cyprus shipping sector continues to make news, as Dr. Heinrich Schulte, the chairman of the Schulte Group, underlined his long-term commitment to the Cypriot shipping industry when he met with H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, on June 11, 2018. Earlier this month MarineLink.com interviewed Natasa Pilides, Cyprus Deputy Minister of Shipping, on the sidelines of the Posidonia exhibition in Athens, Greece…

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) demonstrated its commitment to the Greek shipping industry on May 24th, 2018, during a hospitality event titled ‘The future of shipmanagement’ in Athens, co-organized with MariApps Marine Solutions.More than 120 figures from the maritime sector, including representatives from ship owners, customers, business partners, government, industry associations and members of BSM’s key management, were present.The event was hosted by Theophanis Theophanous…

The Hamburg-based Schulte Group said it has received clearance by the German Federal Cartel Office for the acquisition of the LNG specialist PRONAV. With this strategic move, the family-owned ship owner and manager continues to increase its capabilities and capacity in the growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. Through the acquisition of PRONAV, the Schulte Group has increased the number of vessels under full management in its third-party management fleet by six additional LNG carriers (LNGC). At present, the Schulte Group provides full management for three LNGC and crew management for 21 LNGC. Five LNGCs with a capacity of 173…

Hamburg shipowning and management group Bernhard Schulte has signed a contract for the acquisition of 100% of the shares in the prestigious LNG ship manager PRONAV - subject to merger approval of the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt). The worldwide operating Schulte Group owns about 100 vessels (mainly container, tanker, bulker) and manages 600 vessels in all segments. PRONAV, based in Hamburg, is an internationally renowned ship manager specialized in large LNG tonnage. Schulte Group is currently providing management services for 23 LNG carriers and has one LNG bunkering vessel and one 174,000cbm LNG carrier on order which will join the Schulte fleet in 2018.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), a leading global maritime services company, and Babcock International Group, the UK’s leading engineering support services company, are collaborating to develop a ground-breaking Gas Supply Vessel (GSV). The 7,500m³ vessel, which will be used for the LNG fuelling of ships, including ferries, containers, cruise vessels and other shore-based gas consumers in the Baltic Sea, is the first vessel of its kind to utilise Babcock’s market leading FGSV0 technology. BSM and Babcock have developed the patent pending FGSV0 technology to deliver LNG from the GSV into the receiving vessel with zero emissions to the environment during normal operations, greatly minimising environmental impact.

Following a two-year period of plan approval and newbuild supervision services provided by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement’s project focused business, Schulte Marine Concept, BSM's Mexico based Ship Management Centre has commenced management of Reforma Pemex, the first of two offshore ‘flotel’ accommodation vessels owned by Petroleos Mexicanos International (PMI) and chartered to the Mexican National Oil Company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). Commencing operations from the beginning of January 2017, Reforma Pemex set sail in late November from the Barrera Shipyard in Vigo, Spain en route to the Gulf of Mexico where she will host up to 700 PEMEX personnel working on offshore platform fields in the Campeche area.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is not a panacea to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and its increasing use as a marine fuel could be worse for the environment than burning heavy fuel oil, said Ian Adams, the former CEO of the International Bunker Industry Association. “Whilst it is well documented that LNG is an excellent solution for reducing SOx and NOx emissions, I am dismayed to see it being promoted as a solution for reducing GHGs,” Adams said, in stark contrast to claims that the use of LNG as a marine fuel can reduce the industry’s CO2 emissions by as much as 75 percent. Adams, a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology who now heads the Association of Bulk Terminal Operators…

A state-of-the-art containership designed by the Schulte Group to meet the most stringent international environmental standards is already outperforming in terms of design and performance and attracting positive attention in the industry. The 5,400 TEU Carl Schulte, along with its two sister vessels, Christa Schulte and Clemens Schulte, has many environmental features as standard. Her owner Bernhard Schulte, together with her manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), succeeded…

The CMA CGM Group announced that the European Commission has approved its acquisition of OPDR. In order to finalize the acquisition, which was announced on November 25, 2014 by Jacques R. Saadé, founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, the approval of Moroccan and European Union competition authorities was necessary. On June 29, the European Commission finalized the process by giving its approval without any conditions. OPDR is a sea carrier that was part of the Bernhard Schulte Group. It is specialized in short sea maritime services and door to door logistics solutions between North Europe, the Canary Islands, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. The company employs 200 persons in different agencies. North Europe and Morocco.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and World-Link Communications, Inc. have reached a definitive agreement under which World-Link will acquire BSM’s telecommunication services business, Telaccount Overseas, with immediate effect. “This agreement will benefit our customers and crew by unifying communication systems’ capabilities across our fleet and we are pleased to be selling Telaccount Overseas to our longtime partner and service provider, World-Link” said Norbert Aschmann, BSM Chief Executive Officer.

Another relatively quiet week with no reports of new shipbuilding orders in either the dry bulk and tankship markets, remarks Clarkson Hellas in its latest S&P Weekly Bulletiln. Odfjell Gas Carriers declared their options for four 22,000 CBM LPG/Ethylene Carriers at Sinopacific Offshore for deliveries in 2016 and 2017. Clarkson Hellas explain that these are the options from four 17,000 CBM LPG/Ethylene Carriers which were contracted last year for deliveries throughout 2015 and 2016. Clients of Schulte Group are understood to have increased their series of 2,350 TEU Containers at Zhejiang Yangfan to sixteen vessels by declaring four options. Delivery of the optional vessels is planned within 2016.

MC Shipping Inc., said it plans to buy a pair of semi-refridgerated liquefied petroleum gas tankers from Germany's Bernhard Schulte Group. The company did not disclose the cost of the ships, but together with its recent purchase of the 20,700 CBM-capacity Hans Maersk, MC Shipping spent a combined $71.5m on the three vessels. The company said it expects to take delivery of the Tyco Brahe and the Immanuel Kant sometime before July 31. Then the company intends to time-charter the vessels back to the Schulte Group for use in the Scandigas Pool, a pool of vessels operated by A.P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark, for a minimum of 2 years. The rate was not disclosed.

MC Shipping Inc. said on July 5 that it plans to buy a pair of 15,360 cu.m., semi-refrigerated liquefied petroleum gas tankers from Germany's Bernhard Schulte Group. The company did not disclose the cost of the ships, but together with its recent purchase of the 20,700 CBM-capacity Hans Maersk, MC Shipping spent a combined $71.5m on the three vessels. The company said it expects to take delivery of the Tyco Brahe and the Immanuel Kant sometime before July 31. Then the company intends to time-charter the vessels back to the Schulte Group for use in the Scandigas Pool, a pool of vessels operated by A.P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark, for a minimum of two years. The rate was not disclosed.

The CMA CGM Group has acquired the German shipping company Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffs-Rhederei GmbH & Co. KG (OPDR), CMA CGM founder, chairman and CEO Jacques R. Saadé announced during his visit in Hamburg, Germany on November 25. The closing of the transaction remains subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities. OPDR, a shipping company owned by the Bernhard Schulte Group, specializes in short sea shipping and door-to-door logistics for North Europe, Canary Islands, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.

Rajaish Bajpaee will hand over CEO responsibility of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) to his current deputy, Capt. Norbert Aschmann, through planned succession at the end of December 2014 after more than 27 at the Schulte Group. Bajpaee will then take up the position of Chairman in a nonexecutive capacity, with effect from January 1, 2015, where he will support the continued success of BSM. Bajpaee joined the Eurasia Group of Companies in 1987, commencing as Deputy General Manager before being promoted to the position of President & CEO.