One of shipping’s most flamboyant figures, Joachim von der Heydt, is celebrating his 60th year in the industry.
Having begun as a lowly apprentice in a Hamburg liner agency, he has gone on to enjoy a globe-spanning career as shipowner, liner operator and shipmanager.
At the age of 78, this great-grandfather and car fanatic shows no sign of slowing down.
Today, as owner of boutique boxship manager Passat Schiffahrtsgesellschaft, his life is a world away from its beginnings in difficult circumstances during the dark days of World War II.
His earliest memories are of his father, a German soldier, not reappearing from the Eastern Front until a year after the war had ended, having travelled by foot each night to avoid capture.
After a long and varied career, von der Heydt is now exclusively focused on Passat, which has functioned as a containership-owning vehicle and a shipmanagement company.
The highs and lows
Its last owned ships, a trio of 2,700-teu boxships built in Poland in the early 2000s, were sold off between 2015 and 2017.
“I went through all the highs and lows of being a shipowner. The ships were sold because the banks wanted me to tighten the belt. So I focused on shipmanagement. It’s something I know, and it’s a business that is safe and allows you to cover the costs,” he explained.
“My passion has always been marketing and operations. I love the ships. I have always found everything to do with operating a ship to be the most interesting part of the industry.”
Passat, as a third-party shipmanager, launched with two of the vessels it had just sold.
“Borealis Maritime and Interasia Lines must have liked the pristine way we kept those ships, because they kept their management with Passat.”
Borealis subsequently awarded Passat the management contracts for three more of its ships.
Keeping it boutique
Today, Passat manages six feedersize containerships. Von der Heydt aims to expand the managed fleet, but has no plans to become a shipmanagement giant.
“The aim is for around 12 vessels. I think that number allows you still to be very hands on,” he said.
Von der Heydt visits every ship regularly. He admits to being a hard taskmaster: “I don’t like it when people don’t focus on the details. My crews know that if I see paint on rubber, somebody’s ears are going to be pulled.”
But, he added, he does not often have the chance to engage in ear-pulling. “The soul of a ship is the people working on it. You start by educating your crew and you make sure you keep the good people. Then you keep everyone motivated.”
Passat, like other shipmanagers, faces the crew change challenge caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is a serious problem. We have to find ways to pacify them and keep them happy.”
As Passat expands, it intends to add more staff in Hamburg and establish a small presence in Singapore.
Although von der Heydt claimed to have no plans to retire any time soon, he does hope that one of his four children will eventually take over at Passat.
“They’ve followed their own passions. My youngest son, who is 30, works in shipping, but is not yet willing to join the company. There is no rush. I am still very active.”
Indeed, von der Heydt appears to have the energy of someone half his age, and remains an avid wakeboarder.
He recently raised eyebrows in Singapore when he conducted a visual inspection of one of Passat’s ships by unconventional means — he arrived at the yard on his wakeboard. “The coastguard was watching very closely,” he said.
Skill and tenacity
Close business contacts described von der Heydt’s hippiesque appearance as deceptive, which has led to many of his adversaries underestimating his business prowess.
Long-time associate Bill Smart, chief executive of Bengal Tiger Line, founded by von der Heydt, said: “Don’t be fooled by the long hair and unshaven appearance, as there belies a character of skill, leadership and tenacity which provided the abilities to successfully self-create a name in several facets of shipping, let alone span most of the world’s geographies.”
Von der Heydt credits his successful career to his parents and family, especially his mother, who encouraged him to leave his province to start a shipping career in Hamburg.
“She always supported me with her love and unwavering devotion.”
