Rickmers Holding AG and E.R. Capital Holding GmbH & Cie. KG review shipmanagement merger
Rickmers Holding AG and E.R. Capital Holding GmbH & Cie. KG are reviewing a potential merger of their shipmanagement units – Rickmers Maritime Services and E.R. Schiffahrt – into a global joint venture. Both companies have signed a declaration of intent, Rickmers Group said Thursday.
The new company will manage around 220 vessels. The aim is to pool strengths in a highly competitive market to further promote expansion of the shipmanagement business and increase the new company’s capabilities.
The review process will take several weeks. As soon as a decision has been reached, the groups will provide further information.
The potential merger of the two shipmanagement units will not have any impact on the terms of the corporate bond issued by Rickmers Holding AG and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Furthermore, the current assessment is that a merger will not require modifications to be made to the forecast for financial year 2016, which was recently published by the Rickmers Group on 30 March 2016.
E.R. Capital Holding GmbH & Cie. KG and Rickmers Holding AG will continue to communicate transparently during the next stage of the review process.
About the Rickmers Group
The Rickmers Group is an international service provider in the maritime transport sector and a containership owner with a global blue chip customer base. It is represented in its main offices in Hamburg and Singapore, in eleven countries and more than 50 sales agencies worldwide. The Group’s business activities are divided into three segments: Maritime Assets, Maritime Services and Rickmers-Linie. In the Maritime Assets segment the Rickmers Group is active as Asset Manager for its own vessels and also for those of third parties. The Group initiates and coordinates shipping projects, organises financing and acquires, charters and sells ships. In the Maritime Services business segment the Rickmers Group provides shipmanagement services for its own vessels as well as for those owned by third parties; these services comprise technical and operational management, crewing, newbuild supervision, consultancy and insurance-related services. In the Rickmers-Linie business segment the Rickmers Group operates as a shipping line for breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo, and additionally offers individual voyages.
About E.R. Capital Holding
E.R. Capital Holding GmbH & Cie KG is the financial holding of different maritime service providers and investment companies. The included companies are the ship managers E.R. Schiffahrt and E.R. Offshore as well as the investment house Nordcapital. The group of companies was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 1992 and employs more than 3,500 people on land and at sea. E.R. Schiffahrt is a maritime services provider and one of the largest charter companies for container ships and bulk carriers in Germany. Currently it controls over 90 vessels in service. The vessels are chartered by leading liner and bulk shipping companies. The company was established in 1998 by Erck Rickmers and employs around 3,500 people on land and at sea. DNV GL awarded E.R. Schiffahrt with its ‘DNV GL Excellence – 5 Stars’ certificate for its exceptional safety, environmental and quality standards. In 2012, E.R. Schiffahrt was the first German shipping company to become a member of the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative to promote sustainable development.