German 3PL takes 40% stake in ARKON Group

The Rhenus Group has acquired a 40 percent shareholding in ocean vessel owner and manager ARKON Shipping GmbH & Co., according to a joint statement from the companies.    The Rhenus Group, a German third-party logistics provider, has acquired a 40 percent shareholding in ocean vessel owner and manager ARKON Shipping GmbH & Co. KG, according to a joint statement from the companies.
   Under the share purchase agreement, the firms will establish a joint investment company called Rhenus-ARKON-Shipinvest GmbH & Co. KG to finance further expansion of ARKON’s commercial managed vessel fleet.
   Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
   Established in 1995, ARKON manages a fleet of more than 120 ships, specializing in European coastal and container feeder services and global heavy lift and project shipping.
   In addition to commercial fleet management, ARKON offers chartering, pool and IT solutions, project development work, financial and dockyard contacts in Europe and Asia, as well as traditional ship brokering services.
   “European short-sea shipping is part of the range of services provided by Rhenus,” Thomas Maassen, a member of the Rhenus Port Logistics management team, said of the deal. “We’ve been able to gain a partner in the shape of ARKON to significantly expand this service and make it more flexible.
   “ARKON’s experience in forming shipping pools has made the company one of the market leaders in European short-sea shipping,” he added. “We want to jointly consolidate this position.”
   “During times of general consolidation in the shipping world, Industry 4.0, increasing digitalization and the endemic paradigm shift, where shipping is once again becoming part of an industrial supply chain, the formation of industrial partnerships makes sense and is a beneficial step,” said ARKON Shipping Managing Partner Torsten Westphal.