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Alpha Shipmanagement GmbH & Co KG - Alpha Ship - Bremen (Germany) (ID: 63)
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For the shipping industry, the advent of the 20th century marked the end of general cargo freight ships as they were conventionally known the days of seafaring lore lie even further in the past, and the classical notion of a ship owning firm s services has undergone major transformations. Nowadays, world trade requires high technology in ships and precision work by crews, as well as high standards and speed in equal measure from both. Seamen today must be able to perform demanding tasks of greater than av- erage difficulty, be flexible, motivated and have an absolute command of innovative transport systems. The growth of world trade generates unsurmised challenges. For international shipping, challenges that can only be mastered with intelligent solutions. Ex- perts expect that the total global transport volume will double over the next ten years which means enormous growth rates for container shipping as well. We identified this trend at an early stage and have successfully established our competence on the world market in a consistent and systematic manner. This has been effected at all corporate levels within ALPHA SHIP, a company foun- ded as recently as 1994. We are completely networked in all that we do, using state-of-the-art techno- logy, award-winning ships and superbly trained crews with self-defined ob- jectives that go beyond the highest internationally established safety standards. Another essential element is the permanent, online availability of data on the current location, conditions and cargo of our ships. We have fed all data and itineraries of our ships into the network for companies that charter our ships. That for us is an integral part of our customer-centred service provision. That, after all. Is what has led to our success. One thing is sure: the fact that ALPHA SHIP has an exceptionally large number of satisfied customers today is a suc- cess story we owe to the trust that customers place in us, trust that is ulti- mately based on the quality of our service. We operate a fleet of modern deep sea container vessels which meet the highest technical, environmental and safety standards and which dispose of a gross tonnage varying from GT 14000 till 23500 GT with a container capacity varying from 1150 to 1850 TEU. To lead those ships on their worldwide tours we are looking for German and Ukrainian Deep Sea Masters 1st Class Chief Engineers Chief Officers Second Officers Applicants for the Chief Engineer Position to be experienced in modern unifuel engineroom management under ISO/ISM rules, heavy fuel oil management for two stroke propulsion plants of up to 17200 KW PWR and four stroke gensets of up to 5400 KW generating power. Knowledge of the English language as well as of Win- word and Excel is required. Applicants for the training as future Officers and Engineers (Cadets) are required to have all the basic trainings and health checks, but also a good knowledge of the English language as well as basic computer knowledge. Alpha Ship offers a competitive salary and package of benefits, in conformity with the market. Future maritime officers are highly welcome to apply, as a number of trainee positions are offered. Our team of highly motivated and experienced crew onboard and onshore will support you in every possible way. German owners and managers have been a major source of business for Polish shipyards - none more so than Alpha Ship of Bremen. Boss Jan Freese set up the company with partners back in 1994 and proceeded to order a total of 20 containerships at Gdynia Shipyard costing around $540m. The last of those ships, which range between 1,129 teu and 1,835 teu, was delivered two years ago. Cellular, geared and fast, they have found employment with some top-notch charterers. Maersk has 12 and Hamburg Sud three. Others are with P&O Nedlloyd and HMM/MCL. Priority is long-term employment with mainline operators (MLOS), says Freese. Alpha invested in the necessary trimmings, such as a lot of reefer slots, to attract them. Having a homogeneous fleet also helps. One broker says that whenever there is an open position, AP Moller and Hamburg Sud compete for Alpha's vessels. "They've obviously found this is very reliable tonnage, very modern and successful in their trades," he said. But Alpha has not escaped the vagaries of the charter market. Freese started taking delivery in 1995 when rates were high - around $16,500 a day for a geared, 1,1700-teu ship. Since then, earnings have been on a roller coaster, plunging twice in the last three years to levels between $5,000 and $6.000 a day. It could be some time before Alpha's initial lucrative charters are repeated. Freese is reckoned to have his 1,835-teu ships chartered now at an average of $8,500 to $9,000 a day, well below break-even, a level that some put at $12,000 a day, others less. Rates for everyone have been "rotten", concedes Freese. On the upside, however, freights have been rising again this year and Alpha's bottom line is benefiting from continual fleet employment. Cutting out repositioning costs and waiting time is reckoned to be worth between $500 and $800 extra a day, as compared with an owner/manager jumping charters. As an example, in September Alpha renewed charters with AP Moller for three 1,648-teu ships - the Nadir (built 1997), Orion and Sirius (both built 1998) - at around $9,200 a day. Market sources estimate that rolling over the charters was worth another $550 a day. At the time, the market rate was said to be about $8,800 a day, indicating that Alpha is achieving a premium that reflects the high technical specification of its hardware, as well as good management. "There is hardly any off-hire," commented one broker. But Alpha's ships were expensive. Freese reckons newbuilding prices have fallen on average 15% since the company ordered in Poland. Market consensus, however, seems to be that in the long term, it will be a profitable punt for the KG (limited partnership) and other investors that backed Alpha. "Yes, definitely," insisted one leading Hamburg broker. "There are the ups and downs of the market but Alpha has this big advantage of being first-choice (with charterers) while others may have to wait and ballast." During recent anniversary celebrations involving the Hamburg Sud group, Alpha was highlighted as a reliable tonnage provider. Hamburg Sud has Alpha's 1,835-teu Uranus, Taurus and Neptune (all built 1998) on charter for up to two years. Maersk and Hamburg Sud deploy Alpha's ships in a variety of trades including Europe - South America and South Africa - South America, as well as the Red Sea, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Singapore trades. Freese says that although Maersk and Hamburg Sud would be prepared to take more Alpha tonnage, he does not want to fuel overcapacity in the market by ordering more ships in the near future. He does not expect rates to justify Alpha's investment again until maybe 2004. Freese talks keenly about "freight cycles within cycles", as opposed to a smooth return to former levels. The vessels, however, are covered by charters typically of 12 months with options. Alpha's homogeneous fleet yields operating and cost efficiencies. the Cegielski-built B&W main engines, for example, all have a higher output - between 10,010 kW and 17,200 kW - than many standard vessels of their size, says Freese. "What also helps us is that we do in-house training of our officers and engineers," he added. Crewing has been outsourced since the beginning to a company called Arrownaut. "We put a lot of effort into safety, maintenance and, of course, training,"said Freese, who uses around 90% Ukrainians, including senior officers. The balance are western Europeans. "We are oriented towards running our business on the technical and manning side the way airlines do, rather than the way it has been done by shipping in the last 30 years," claimed Freese. "Maersk (AP Moller) is well known for its training system." he says he is baffled by shipping companies that take containerships that cost maybe $24m, carry cargo worth $50m and have the potential to inflict $20m of damage to the environment, and yet place them in the hands of poorly trained general managers and chief executives. Freese says that Alpha was among those owners who believed from the beginning that the International Safety Management Code (ISM) could take companies forward. Both ISM and ISO 9002 played key roles in the crewing and operation of Alpha ships, both at sea and shoreside. Some of Alpha's Ukrainian masters have been with the company for 10 years. Others have been promoted within 6 years from third officer to master. Several vessels carry fourth engineers, as is the practice at AP Moller, to facilitate their training. Alpha currently has around 40 cadets. "Without a professional crew, a ship is just a steel bucket," said Freese. The training payback comes partly in the form of a good insurance record and lower premiums, he adds. There is also less downtime and fewer missed slots in port. Five years ago Alpha implemented a tanker-Style, no-alcohol policy on its ships. Freese reckons drink is a major problem in the containership and multipurpose markets. Technical management of the vessels, many owned through single-ship KG companies, is outsourced to H Wille, in another long-term tie-up typical of Freese. Bremen-based Wille oversaw construction of the boxships at Gdynia and its daughter yard Gdansk. But why risk placing construction of a whole fleet with one shipbuilder? "Very high building and outfitting standards," replied Freese. "And a proven design." Between cutting the steel for Alpha's first containerships and delivering the last vessel, Gdynia slashed construction time from 13 to five-and-a-half months, despite steady increases in teu capacity. HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM Jan Freese enjoys his cigars. He smokes Sumatras from Denmark. Why not, when so much of Alpha Ship's income is Danish? Time charters to Copenhagen - based AP Moller covers 12 of his Gdynia vessels. Another habit is Bremen, the city where he was born and went to school and still earns his living. His apprenticeship as a young seafarer was with Bremen-based North German Lloyd, which became Hapag-Lloyd after a 1970 merger. A year before that happened Freese got his first licence, moved to another German owner and in 1971 got his master's ticket. He worked for the next 10 years in the reefer business as chief officer and master, as well as in bulkers for Fisser & Van Doornum. Between 1981 and 1994, Freese became a pilot on the upper reaches of the River Weser, which feeds through Bremen into the North Sea. He acquired his first ship in 1990, a 4,400-dwt, geared multi-purpose vessel from China. 2 years later he added a gearless 6,000-tonner. In 1994, as chief executive, Freese teamed up with a German mission house and another partner to form Alpha Ship, each taking a one-third stake. In his spare time Freese turns to tall-ship sailing on the Baltic, where he serves as duty officer or master alongside young people. He is also keen on golf but work stops him from improving. He is only willing to reveal that his handicap is "above 20". Last month he celebrated his 60th birthday. Freese lives in Bremen with his wife, Christa, who is responsible for human resources at Alpha Ship. "She is the driving force behind the different style of Alpha," said Freese, who refers to her as his "co-chief". A former air stewardess, Christa used to work for Lufthansa and later oversaw the training of cabin staff for LTU, previously part of Swiss-air. She also trained pilots in crisis management. Useful skills for a shipping company that claims to have among the highest technical and crewing standards in the industry. NO "STANDARD" SHIP BUT ALL EQUIPPED WITH EXTRAS None of Alpha's containerships is totally standard. Managing director Jan Freese says they each cost $3m to $4m extra to include, for example, higher engine output and stack weights. The largest, such as the two-year-old, 1,835-teu Aries and Vega, each have 440 reefer plugs and three 45-tonne cranes. The smaller, 1,648-teu Saturn and Nadir have featured among the UK-based Royal Institution of Naval Architects' "Significant Ships". Although Freese claims Alpha is not about to dive back into the newbuilding market, it does have an ongoing dialogue with yards. Future orders would again be in the 1,00-teu to 2,000-teu range and with similar design features to those of the mainline operators, says Freese. "We don't built standard tramp ships," he added. He speculates that the next tranche may be ordered for delivery in 2005 or 2006. But that depends on the market. Although he remains tight-lipped on figures, Freese said: "We are a profitable company. We survive. We will have a good return on investment in the long run." Author: Geoff Garfield Nowadays, world trade requires high technology in ships and precision work by crews, as well as high standards and speed in equal measure from both. Alpha Shipmanagement GmbH & Co KG - Alpha Ship - Bremen (Germany)