Ship investments

There´s often not much to be gained where all the others are looking

Fund vehicles with substantial advantages are not usually to be found where everyone else is looking. Only if you really know the markets can you recognise the best opportunities. We have identified an attractive niche in container traffic: Feederships. In tanker shipping we put our money into innovative ships and schemes.

Container traffic

Our investors are profiting from the big container boom through investment in smaller vessels called feederships.These are a vital link in worldwide container logistics. Since the new generation of big container ships can only call at a few of the world´s ports, the smaller and more flexible container feeders undertake the shuttle between the large and small ports.

Container traffic alone is generating almost double-figure growth rates, and feeder traffic is being confirmed by recognised logistics experts as even faster-growing. Our ships therefore have above-average opportunities for trade.

Tanker shipping

Tanker shipping has also developed into a major area at König & Cie. Eighteen modern double-hull tankers have been launched to date: 16 Suezmax and Aframax class crude oil tankers and 6 product-/chemical tankers with deadweight of between 12,500 and 35,000 tonnes.The phasing-out of the old tonnage is pushing up demand for safe, modern double-hull tankers and making this an attractive area for investment.

In 2002 we placed our first Suezmax tanker with a long-term charter, the MT »Cape Bellavista«. This was followed by its sister vessel, the MT »Cape Baxley« in 2003, and our first fleet fund with a completely new concept: five Suezmax tankers operating under one fund; three with fixed charters to guarantee secure income, and two others, via a large tanker pool, participating in the big revenue opportunities of the spot market. By the first winter investors were already profiting from this idea: at the beginning of 2004, spot market rates climbed to a 20-year high.