German shipping asset manager MPC Capital has continued to expand in tankers after buying into compatriot broker Albis Shipping & Transport.
MPC said it has acquired 50% of the Hamburg-based company for an undisclosed price.
Albis, led by Kim Moller, operates a market-leading commercial platform for tankers of various sizes, offering tailor-made solutions for chartering and operations, it added.
MPC's newly established unit Ahrenkiel Tankers is already technically managing a fleet of vessels for "selected customers", MPC has previously said.
The company is focusing on product tankers, especially in the segments of handysize, MR, LR1 and LR2.
MPC views this deal as complementing its range of services in the tanker segment.
Albis is also active in sale and purchase, as well as bulker chartering through its joint venture with Maersk Broker, MBA.
"In view of the new IMO 2020 regulations and the relatively high average age of the global tanker fleet, we expect a number of changes to the tanker industry going forward," said Christian Rychly, managing director of MPC Maritime Holding.
"This will include discussions on the alternative propulsion technologies as well as appropriate ship designs for the changing trade flows."
He added: "We are also seeing growing interest from institutional investors who want to develop these new concepts jointly with us."
Albis currently employs around 20 people.
High interest in tankers
Last month, Robert Frese, MPC's managing director of maritime investments, said: "In the last 12 months MPC has structured a handful of tankers in for different investment groups which from today’s perspective have already generated interesting returns for the investors.
"Investors show a high interest in the tanker space at the moment. Investors that are interested in asset upside are tempted by the good entry point in the current market.
"Yield-driven investors like the possibility to buy young quality assets with long high-yield cash flows and strong counter parties where the residual value risk is limited at the end of the employment."
In September, MPC Capital and Zeaborn created a 160-ship container vessel fleet through a merger of two group companies.
Zeaborn's shipbroking outfit Harper Petersen joined with MPC's Contchart to carry out chartering and commercial management, the first formal collaboration between the groups.
Technical management is remaining separate however.
The platform will be among the largest boxship managers globally, with more than 160 vessels and a total capacity of almost 500,000 teu.
In 2011, Germany’s Stella Marine teamed up with Albis Shipping to form a commercial management operation.
The start-up, branded Blue Sea Tankers, was to have an initial fleet of seven ships from Stella Marine and was aimed at attracting third party clients.
