ZECH MARITIME HOLDING has agreed to sell 100% of its interests in Zeaborn Ship Management GmbH & Cie. KG (“Zeaborn”) to Wilhelmsen Ship Management and MPC Capital, thereby divesting itself of its entire Maritime Services division. ZECH MARITIME HOLDING already sold its commercial management operations for container vessels in July 2023. With the ac-quisition of Zeaborn, the purchasers Wilhelmsen Ship Management and MPC Capital are expanding their joint technical ship management activities in Hamburg to include over 150 vessels in total. What’s more, with a portfolio in excess of 350 vessels, Wilhelmsen Ship Management is set to achieve a significant fleet size in the third-party ship management market.

Commenting on the transaction, Holger Strack, Managing Director of ZECH MARITIME HOLDING, said: “While it’s never easy to divest a well-performing company, this transaction makes sense for all parties involved: for us, the purchasers and our staff. With the combined fleet, Wilhelmsen Ship Management and MPC Capital will be able to jointly achieve significant economies of scale in the area of third-party technical ship management. At the same time, we are delighted to have found buyers with a long-term vision in both Wilhelmsen Ship Management and MPC Capital.”

Going forward, ZECH MARITIME HOLDING will focus on the expansion of its divisions Maritime As-sets (shipping investments), Maritime Investments (such as Tufton Investment Management) and Mar-itime Operations (United Heavy Lift, for example). In March 2023, a significant investment was made as part of the IPO of Stainless Chemical Tankers ASA initiated by Tufton Investment Management, and United Heavy Lift expects an additional two F900 multi-purpose newbuildings in early 2024, ex-panding its fleet size to a total of 19 modern eco-heavy lift vessels.