The fleet controlled by Thomas Schulte Ship Management now stands at 70 ships. Triple figures could be hit as early as this year for the 15-year-old company as it eyes acquisitions.
Alexander Schulte, the CEO of the shipmanager, tells Maritime CEO, “Apart from organic growth we are also looking to grow through the means of acquisition of other managers in core locations.”
Thomas Schulte Ship Management’s principle offices today are in Hamburg, Limassol, Singapore and Manila with representative offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Late last year the company founded GTSM, a joint venture with German Tankers Shipping.
“We believe that with the name Thomas Schulte Ship Management, our product portfolio and international network, we are getting closer to our goal to become the quality leader in maritime asset management,” Schulte says, while admitting that competition in this very commoditised market is huge.
Schulte is adamant that demand for decent shipmanagers is growing and will continue to do so, thanks to the increasingly complex trading environment for shipowners.
“Quality shipmanagement becomes more and more important in all places of the world, as the regulatory framework is tightening up, and the cost factor on the other hand is increasing,” Schulte maintains.
