Our mission is the “why” and our values are the “how”. They constitute the direction and the heartbeat of our organization. They guide our decisions, shape our culture, and define our relationships. They are simultaneously daily ambition and lived reality – let us tell you how.
Managing Partner
Managing Partner
20 years of industry experience with a focus on shipowning, finance and asset markets. Before joining Auerbach, he was a partner at Leonhardt & Blumberg, concentrating mainly on container and tanker markets. He holds a Master of Science with distinction from Cass Business School.
General Counsel
General Counsel
Partner at the boutique law firm Cyrus Makowski, she concurrently worked as Corporate Lawyer with Hamburg Süd (8 years) and now continues at Auerbach. She holds a degree in law from University of Heidelberg and a Ph.D. from University of Hamburg.
Partner - Business Development
Partner - Business Development
Worked at the Boston Consulting Group starting in 2016 with Private Equity and Industrial Goods clients before joining Auerbach. He holds degrees in Business, Political Science, Spanish Literature and History from Harvard University and University of Muenster.
Managing Partner
Managing Partner
Started his shipping career with Ernst Russ working first from Hamburg then Shanghai. Founded Auerbach in 2010 and has since been at the helm of the dynamic group. Fluent in Mandarin he holds a degree in Philosophy and Economics from University of Edinburgh.
Accountant
Accountant
Joined Auerbach from Ernst Russ Shipbroker where she worked as an accountant for over 15 years. There she signed responsible for pool management, payouts, evaluations, as well as support for shipowners - exclusive and pool tonnage.
Technical Director
Technical Director
Before joining Auerbach, he worked for 10 years as project leader at Meyer Werft, and as Technical Superintendent for Reederei Johann M. K. Blumenthal. He holds a degree from Hamburg University of Technology and a Master in Business Administration.
Trainee
Trainee
Joined Auerbach in 2023 after completing his Abitur at Kolleg St. Blasien. He is now pursuing a shipping apprenticeship in Hamburg.
Management Assistant
Management Assistant
Joined Auerbach as early as 2012 as the first employee. She filled various roles over the years, including Marketing, HR and Crewing, thereby building valuable cross-departmental knowledge. She holds a Bachelor in International Business.
Digital Director
Digital Director
Several years of experience building large-scale software systems for logistics enterprises at Zalando SE and the MIT startup Mobi.AI. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical optimization and operations research from the University of Göttingen.
Founded with nothing but an idea in 2010, Auerbach built a fully-integrated industrial shipping company focused on global transport of project cargo. Over the course of a decade it grew the fleet to 20 ships, established its own technical management and co-initiated a venture studio. In 2021/2022 Auerbach took advantage of a positive market environment to sell most of the aging assets and launched a fleet renewal program.
The market for industrial shipping is in for a fundamental shake-up. A rapidly ageing fleet meets growing demand for top quality project transport and the need to operate in line with sustainability regulations. Auerbach aims to lead the transition to a modern fleet by building, owning and operating state-of-the-art Eco multipurpose vessels.
Auerbach launched Flagship Founders in May 2020 with the mission to build digital businesses for the shipping industry – the first maritime venture studio. Since then, the Berlin based Company Builder has successfully developed and spun off several companies catering to different verticals in the industry. For further details: www.flagshipfounders.com
In 2018 Auerbach embarked on a significant fleet expansion program, acquiring 5 new vessels at attractive prices. All of these were so-called F-types with 12,750t Deadweight and up to 300t combined lifting capacity. In addition, Auerbach was entrusted with the third-party technical management of 4 multipurpose vessels by close partners.
Auerbach launched a technical management subsidiary in 2015 which provided full operational service not only for vessels owned but also for selected investors and partners in the industry. At the peak the fleet counted 20 multipurpose vessels sailing the seven seas. The operations were successfully sold in 2021.
Wind energy pioneers Enercon decided to entrust Auerbach with the management of their E-Ship 1 – the first vessel to readopt an invention by Anton Flettner dating back to the 1920s which harnesses the power of wind using cylindrical rotors, reducing fuel consumption by up to 25%. The technology has since experienced a renaissance.
Only 18 months after inception Maple Lea was the first heavy-lift multipurpose ship acquired. With a deadweight of 12.500t and a combined lifting capacity of between 240t and 360t – the so-called F-Type design – was considered the ultimate working-horse of industrial shipping at the time. Auerbach went on to purchase 7 sister vessels.
Auerbach was started with little more than the idea to launch and build a fully-integrated shipping company. Partners were invited to co-invest on holding level and thereby co-own not only vessels but the entire maritime value chain. Over the course of a decade the company grew to 18 ships, 25 employees ashore and 350 at sea.
We have four effective orders of top-notch ECO newbuilds with Taizhou Sanfu Shipyard. The designs set new standards combining optimized cargo handling with fuel efficiency. The vessels will be delivered from Q3 next year.
Our cargo comprises everything that doesn’t fit into a container. We specialize on transport of so-called project cargo – sizeable pieces of equipment for large-scale industrial projects. Our customers are industrial companies in the wind, infrastructure, mining and oil and gas industries. Furthermore, we transport selected bulk cargoes.
Wind cargo is typically the most important of the project cargo that we transport. Volumes are likely to increase further with growing installation numbers, ever larger size windmills and the need to replace older systems.
Our wind cargo includes the most important pieces of wind equipment - Towers, Rotor Blades, Nacelles & Hubs.
Infrastructure is a broad segment that includes everything from harbor cranes to rail tracks. Such cargo is required in large-scale urban and industrial developments. Mining, railway, energy and road are the most important sub-segments.
Our infrastructure cargo includes large components (e.g. rails), sizeable machines (e.g. cranes, mining equipment, steamrollers) and prefabricated modules.
Oil & Gas is an important cargo pillar where demand fluctuates with energy prices. Prices determine the economic viability to develop new fields. Due to underinvestment over the last decades, project volumes and cargo have started to pick up.
Our cargo includes production & processing equipment (e.g. pumps, generators, compressors, tanks), prefabricated components (e.g. pipes) and construction materials (e.g. cement, steel).
Our vessels carry minor bulk – break bulk (e.g. steel, scrap) and commodity bulk (e.g. fertilizers, petcoke, minerals).
For us transport of bulk cargo often constitutes either the base load or the return leg after delivering project cargo on the fronthaul. The large volumes & specific geographic patterns of bulk trades, enable us to maximize ship utilization.
Join one of the most dynamic and innovative industrial shipping companies in Europe. We are a team of highly skilled entrepreneurs that is looking to change the shipping industry for the better – more service oriented, more interconnected and more sustainable.
