Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management GmbH & Co. KG - Experts & Thought Leaders

London-headquartered global energy supplier for small-scale LNG and gas carrier owner Avenir LNG Limited (Avenir) has awarded the management of three LNG bunker vessels to Wilhelmsen Ship Management (Wilhelmsen). The vessels awarded are Avenir Achievement, Avenir Ascension, and Avenir Aspiration. State-of-the-art LNG bunker tankers “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with our new client, Avenir and we look forward to managing these state-of-the-art LNG bunker tankers, which hold a pivotal role in the industry's ongoing energy transition,” said Carl Schou, CEO and President of Wilhelmsen Ship Management. "We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will bring and the value it will deliver to both parties." Vessel management Hoegh LNG has contributed enormously to the success of Avenir LNG since the company was established" Avenir is a new customer to Wilhelmsen. The three vessels were previously managed by Hoegh LNG, one of three blue-chip shareholders in Avenir LNG alongside Stolt Nielsen Ltd and Golar LNG.  “Hoegh LNG has contributed enormously to the success of Avenir LNG since the company was established in 2018, paving a solid foundation for the future,” said Avenir LNG CEO Peter Mackey. New milestone "We applaud all their hard work and Hoegh LNG will continue to be a key part of our growth trajectory as a key shareholder. The award to Wilhelmsen, one of the world’s top ship managers with global reach, represents a new milestone on our journey and we have full confidence in the added value they can deliver." With a new strategic vision and robust asset base, he adds that Avenir is well-placed to weather what can often be a volatile market. Avenir Achievement The Oslo-stock listed company currently has a total fleet of 5 tankers in the water. The latest vessel to join the fleet was the 20,000-cbm Avenir Achievement in May 2022. It also owns a small-scale LNG terminal in Sardinia, with assets/partnerships operating in China, Malaysia, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, and the Caribbean.

Together with partners - MPC Container Ships ASA and MPC Capital AG, Topeka has contracted two 1300 TEU carbon neutral container vessels. Both vessels will be delivered in 2024 and immediately move into long-term contracts with North Sea Container Line. Carbon neutral container vessels Benefitting from dramatically reduced emissions, the two new-build ships will replace three of North Sea Container Line’s (NCL) current diesel-powered vessels, which will be phased out of operations.  Technical management will be done by Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management, making them one of the first ship managers to gain experience and competence in the use of methanol as fuel on container ships.  Decarbonisation of shipping By using the available technology, Topeka’s ambition is to decarbonise shipping By using the available technology, Topeka’s ambition is to decarbonise shipping. The two new vessels will run on methanol, which is regarded as a good solution in this case, carrying heavy loads along the Norwegian coast and onward to the European continent, covering 3000 nautical miles with 18,000 deadweight tons. With green methanol, the two vessels offer a carbon-neutral logistic solution from Norway to the European market.  Zero-emission solutions While methanol was selected as the zero-emission solution for this project, Topeka is also developing projects for cargo owners with other energy carriers such as ammonia, pure hydrogen or batteries. As an example, the Topeka project named 'base-to-base' will use hydrogen and fuel cells. Shaping the maritime industry Topeka is Wilhelmsen’s route to zero emission transport and supports the maritime group’s ongoing commitment to shaping the maritime industry. This methanol project is an important stepping stone towards that aim, dramatically increasing green sailing distances. For reference, 3,000 nautical miles is a standard Atlantic crossing from England to New York. 

Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a provider of third-party ship management services headquartered in Singapore and the Hamburg-based asset and investment manager MPC Capital AG have agreed to combine their activities in the technical management of container ships. To this end, Wilhelmsen Ship Management acquires a 50 % stake in Ahrenkiel Steamship GmbH & Co KG, the technical container ship manager within the MPC Capital Group. Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management In the future, the joint venture will operate under the brand “Wilhelmsen Ahrenkiel Ship Management”. The company will continue to operate in Hamburg and Rhoon, while supported by Wilhelmsen’s global network. The new company will manage a fleet of 72 container ships, feeder container ships with a capacity of 1000 to 3000 TEU With around 100 employees, the new company will manage a fleet of currently 72 container ships with a focus on feeder container ships with a capacity of 1000 to 3000 standard containers (TEU). The managing director of the joint venture will be Dr. Michael Silies who has been heading up Ahrenkiel Steamship since 2015. He is supported by Jan-Eric Panitzki, who will continue to oversee the operational part of the business. Partnership “We are very happy to strengthen our presence in Germany together with a strong partner like MPC Capital. We believe Ahrenkiel Steamship is a good fit as we share many common values; focusing on quality, heritage and at the same time have ambitious goals to utilize digital technology to enhance and improve the operations. We are looking forward to develop a strong track record together in the container segment through this partnership,” says Carl Schou, CEO and President of Wilhelmsen Ship Management. Christian Rychly, Managing Director of MPC Capital, says: “We are very pleased to have Wilhelmsen at our side as a strong partner with whom we can consistently expand our shipping activities. We want to offer the best services to our clients and Wilhelmsen’s network and expertise in other shipping segments will improve our position in the container segment.” The closing of the transaction is still subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.