Germany's NSB Group is continuing its transformation with the buyout of all the other shipowning shareholders by founder Helmut Ponath's Buxriver.
The new ownership structure gives Ponath 100% of the stock in the manager of more than 70 containerships, tankers and bulkers.
Ponath ran the company until a generational change saw his son Tim take over as chief executive in 2020.
Since 2000, there have been four shareholders: Buxriver, Conti NSB Holding, Gebab Holding and Norddeutsche Reederei Holding.
Towards the end of 2021, the others signed a contract to transfer their shares to Buxriver, NSB revealed.
"In doing so, they are handing over the company to the one that has always been most involved in the operation of the shipping company," Tim Ponath said.
"We will use the new shareholder constellation more intensively to continue the transformation of the company under the NSB Group brand."
The chief executive thanked the shareholders who have "reliably accompanied" NSB for more than 20 years.
New 'velocity' for decisions
The company told TradeWinds that Conti previously had a 45% stake, with Buxriver on 25% and Gebab and Norddeutsche having 15% each.
A spokeswoman told TradeWinds: "We are following different paths for a longer time already — towards more digitality, more agility, new products and services and innovation in different aspects of the corporation.
"We can say that NSB now can make a new kind of velocity in decisions and pushing projects."
New LNG boxship design
In 2021, NSB said it had come up with a new LNG-fuelled containership design that maximises box capacity.
It said its newbuilding department has developed the 3,500-teu Eco Reefer concept with the deckhouse at the front of the vessel to boost cargo space.
There is also increased reefer container capacity of about 940 40-foot equivalent units.
NSB, set up in 1982, is headquartered in Buxtehude, with offices in Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea and China.
Clarksons lists the company as controlling 18 of its own vessels, including panamax container ships and product tankers.
NSB also offers technical, crew and commercial management, as well as insurance, newbuilding and engineering services.
In 2020, the company recruited experienced boxship executive Panneer Selvam to run the new Singapore office.
The move was aimed at consolidating its position in the shipping hub and expanding its operations throughout South-East Asia.
TradeWinds has reported that NSB has been taking to the international stage more and more in recent years to reduce its dependence on a declining domestic market.
Helmut Ponath had built the company into one of the largest ship managers in Germany before stepping back.
In his years at the helm, the ship manager had a constant stream of vessels from KG (limited partnership) issuing houses Conti and Gebab.
But the demise of the KG model and the drift of liner operators to Chinese leasing companies presented a challenge to traditional tonnage providers in Germany.
That was the catalyst for NSB to change to its business model.
Its quest for an international client base reaped some reward in 2017, when it formed Asia Marine Temas, a joint venture with Temasline in Indonesia, which left NSB managing 31 vessels out of Jakarta.
Similar moves have been said to be on the cards in Shanghai and elsewhere in China.
The Conti stake was held by the former owners of the Conti Group of Munich. Conti was sold to Offen Group in 2017, but that stake was not included as part of the deal.
