Schulte Group
Schulte Group is a family-owned maritime conglomerate founded in 1883 and headquartered in Hamburg, operating ship owning (80+ vessels) and ship management (670 ships) across 30+ global offices. It serves ship owners, cruise operators, offshore energy firms, and yacht owners worldwide, with subsidiaries spanning software, LNG management, catering, chartering, and emissions compliance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1883
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Schulte Group does
Schulte Group is a privately-held, family-owned maritime conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, tracing its origins to 1883. The Group operates two principal business lines: ship owning (under Bernhard Schulte) and maritime services. The ship-owning business controls a diversified fleet of more than 80 fully or partly owned vessels spanning container, bulk carrier, tanker, gas carrier, and offshore segments, with charter revenue sourced through time charters, voyage charters, and contracts of affreightment. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) extends into third-party ship management for 670 vessels globally, supported by more than 30 offices across all major shipping hubs. Group workforce exceeds 45,000 personnel, including approximately 40,000 seafarers and 5,000 shore-based staff. Customer concentration is in B2B enterprise segments — commercial ship owners, cruise operators, offshore energy companies, and yacht owners.
Schulte Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schulte Group
- Legal name
- Bernhard Schulte GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://schultegroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1883
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Schulte Group is a family-owned maritime conglomerate founded in 1883 and headquartered in Hamburg, operating ship owning (80+ vessels) and ship management (670 ships) across 30+ global offices. It serves ship owners, cruise operators, offshore energy firms, and yacht owners worldwide, with subsidiaries spanning software, LNG management, catering, chartering, and emissions compliance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schulte Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Ship Management and Ship Owning
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (3366), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bulk Dry Cargo Carriers (Capesize/Panamax/Supramax/Handysize) (TLADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ro-Ro & PCTC (Car Carrier) Shipbuilding (IMAJAAAG), Chemical Tanker Shipbuilding (IMAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where Schulte Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices8 records
Markets served
Schulte Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Ship Management Services: Third-party ship management services including technical management, crew management, and operational support for vessel owners. Revenue generated through management fees based on vessel type and service scope.
- Ship Owning and Chartering: Ownership and operation of owned and co-owned vessels including container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, gas carriers, and offshore vessels. Revenue generated through time charters, voyage charters, and contracts of affreightment.
- Maritime Software Solutions: Digital solutions and software services provided through MariApps Marine Solutions to maritime enterprises for fleet management, hospitality, and operational systems.
- Specialized Maritime Services: Comprehensive maritime services including newbuilding supervision, catering services, port agency, procurement, travel services, hull cleaning, and emissions management.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Schulte Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schulte Group is an integrated maritime company that owns and operates a diversified fleet of over 80 vessels (container, bulk, tanker, gas, and offshore) and delivers third-party ship management, technical consultancy, digital software (smartPAL platform), catering, chartering, port agency, procurement, emissions management, hull cleaning, telemedicine, recruitment, and asset management services through a network of more than 30 global offices.
Product overview
Schulte Group is a leading, family-owned maritime solutions provider with over 140 years of experience. The company operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture with two core business lines: Ship Owning (Bernhard Schulte) and Maritime Services. The Ship Owning business controls over 80 vessels across container, bulk, tanker, gas, and offshore segments. Maritime Services is delivered through a portfolio of specialized subsidiaries including Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) for ship management, MariApps Marine Solutions for digital solutions (offering the smartPAL platform suite), BSM Cruise Services, BSM Yachting, PRONAV for LNG, Schulte Marine Concept for newbuilding supervision, BSM Catering Services, Hanseatic Chartering, Hanseatic Maritime Health, Hanseatic Connect, BS Offshore, Waypoint Port Services, GenPro, Eurasia Travel Network, Ocean Opt (emissions management), and TecHullClean. Additional ventures include Hanseatic Capital Management (asset management), Innoport (venture capital), and Navigo Shipholding (investment platform). The Group manages 670 ships globally with over 30 offices worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- smartPAL: Maritime digital platform suite offered by MariApps Marine Solutions
- BSM Cruise
- BSM Yachting
- Hanseatic Connect
- Innoport
- Ocean Opt
- Navigo Shipholding
Products and services
- Bernhard Schulte Ship Owning Controls a modern and diversified fleet of over 80 fully or partly owned vessels including container vessels, bulk carriers, tankers, gas carriers, and offshore vessels. Generates revenue through time charters, voyage charters, and contracts of affreightment.
- Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) Comprehensive third-party ship management services including technical management, crew management, and operational support, delivered through more than 30 offices across the globe managing 670 ships.
- BSM Cruise Services Dedicated cruise services arm of BSM providing comprehensive cruise ship management, including hospitality software integration and passenger-facing digital solutions for cruise operators.
- BSM Yachting Specialized yachting management services including crewing, maintenance, and operational support for private yacht owners.
- PRONAV LNG Ship Management Well-established ship manager exclusively specializing in LNG segment ship management services.
- MariApps Marine Solutions Digital Platform Digital technology company providing maritime enterprises with customized applications and software solutions for fleet management, hospitality, and operational systems.
- smartPAL Platform Suite Comprehensive maritime software platform providing next-generation maritime tools and supply chain capabilities for maritime enterprises, with enterprise software development capacity from EffiaSoft.
- Schulte Marine Concept Provides tailored technical consultancy and project management services for newbuilding, conversion and retrofit projects as well as for fleets in service.
- BSM Catering Services Pioneer of integrated hospitality management for the maritime industry providing procurement, provision budget management, catering, and housekeeping services for crews and guests.
- Hanseatic Chartering Provides tailored commercial chartering and sale & purchase services for vessels.
- BS Offshore Ship Owning Dedicated ship owning unit of Bernhard Schulte providing bespoke vessels to the international offshore wind industry based on long-term charters.
- Waypoint Port Services Port agency and bunkering company providing information and solutions covering all logistics before a vessel reaches its destination and during its stay in port.
- GenPro Procurement Services Provides procurement services via negotiating framework supply agreements with reputable international suppliers for and on behalf of its members' clients.
- Eurasia Travel Network Dedicated marine and corporate travel agency offering services to ship managers, ship owners, offshore service organisations and other non-marine corporations.
- Hanseatic Maritime Health Provides hospital management, telemedicine, medical consultancy services, and health care support to seafarers, passengers, shipowners, and managers.
- Hanseatic Connect Recruitment Specializes in global recruitment solutions including sourcing, selection, and integration of qualified staff and specialized personnel for the healthcare and hospitality sectors.
- Hanseatic Capital Management Asset manager focusing on investment in tangible assets for private and institutional investors within the maritime industry.
- Ocean Opt Emissions Management Specialized emissions management company dedicated to empowering ship owners, managers, and charterers to navigate emissions tracking, reduction, and compliance with ease.
- TecHullClean Hull Cleaning and Inspection Provides highly-specialized and eco-friendly underwater hull cleaning, propeller polishing, and inspection services to ship owners and charterers.
- Navigo Shipholding Investment Platform Maritime asset investment platform for institutional investors with a long-term investment horizon and a conservative approach to risk-yield ratio.
Quantifiable outcome
- Managing 670 ships globally
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Schulte Group
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Schulte Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Schulte Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Hanseatic ConnectcoreHanseatic Connect, a Hamburg-based recruitment firm and subsidiary of Schulte Group, signed a strategic partnership with UZ Trade House Germany to establish systematic employment pathways for qualified Uzbek specialists in the European labor market, focusing on medical care and hospitality sectors.
- EffiaSoft Private LimitedcoreMariApps Marine Solutions, the maritime software subsidiary of Schulte Group, completed the acquisition of 100% of Hyderabad-based enterprise software company EffiaSoft to accelerate development of next-generation maritime tools and expand supply chain capabilities within its smartPAL platform suite.
- HurtigrutencoreBSM Cruise Services and Hurtigruten completed a joint venture establishing Hurtigruten Technical Services to manage Hurtigruten's fleet of expedition cruise ships.
- BCD TravelcoreBCD Travel, a leading travel management company, joined forces with BSM to create a specialized global marine travel service provider, expanding BCD's Energy, Resources & Marine practice.
- Babcock InternationalcoreDelivery of 7,500 cbm LNG bunker tanker 'Kairos' jointly owned with Babcock International for LNG bunkering operations.
- Chinese Partner (Joint Venture)coreBernhard Schulte entered the offshore wind farm maintenance vessel market by ordering two service operation vessels with a Chinese partner in a Joint Venture. BS Offshore was formed to develop Bernhard Schulte's offshore ship owning capabilities.
- Mitsui & CocoreBernhard Schulte entered the market for large scale LNG carrier ownership through a Joint Venture with Mitsui & Co, ordering a 174,000 cbm LNG vessel.
- Unigas ConsortiumcoreBernhard Schulte is co-owner of the Unigas Consortium, founded in 1969, which commercially operates eleven of Bernhard Schulte's technologically advanced ethylene and semi-ref vessels, specializing in the safe carriage of petrochemical and petroleum gases worldwide.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Schulte Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- V.Group: V.Group is one of the world's largest independent third-party ship managers, providing crew, technical, and commercial management to a global fleet. It is the most direct comparable to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement in scale, service offering, and customer base.
- Anglo-Eastern: Anglo-Eastern is a leading independent ship manager with hundreds of vessels under management across tankers, bulkers, and container ships. It directly competes with BSM in third-party technical and crew management services worldwide.
- Döhle (Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG): Peter Döhle is a Hamburg-based family-owned ship owning and management group operating containers, bulkers, and tankers. As a German peer with similar family-owned ship owning plus ship management model, it is highly comparable to Schulte Group.
- Hafnia: Hafnia is one of the world's largest product tanker operators, part of the BW Group. It is directly comparable to Bernhard Schulte's product tanker and chemical tanker operations through Hanseatic Chartering and Unigas.
- Teekay Corporation: Teekay is a leading marine energy transportation, storage, and production services company with major exposure to tankers, gas, and offshore. Comparable to Schulte's gas carrier (LNG via PRONAV) and offshore vessel (BS Offshore) operations.
- Pacific Basin Shipping: Pacific Basin Shipping is a Hong Kong-listed dry bulk ship owner and operator with a fleet of Handysize and Supramax bulkers. Comparable to Schulte's bulk carrier operations within the Bernhard Schulte fleet.
- Columbia Shipmanagement: Columbia Shipmanagement is a Cyprus-based independent third-party ship manager offering technical and crew management services globally. A direct competitor to BSM with similar service scope and customer mix.
Broad incumbents
- Wilhelmsen: Wilhelmsen is a Norway-based global maritime industry group with ship management, maritime services, and a Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA ship-owning heritage. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in ship management and services.
- Stena Bulk: Stena Bulk is a Swedish family-owned tanker and ship management group operating product and chemical tankers globally. Comparable in family ownership structure and diversified tanker/bulk operations.
- MISC Berhad: MISC is a Malaysian energy-related shipping and maritime services group with significant LNG, tanker, and offshore operations. Comparable to Schulte's diversified ship owning and LNG (PRONAV) exposure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Schulte Group social profiles
Digital presenceSchulte Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schulte Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Schulte Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries20 records
Schulte Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schulte Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Schulte Group
What does Schulte Group do?
Schulte Group is an integrated maritime company that owns and operates a diversified fleet of over 80 vessels (container, bulk, tanker, gas, and offshore) and delivers third-party ship management, technical consultancy, digital software (smartPAL platform), catering, chartering, port agency, procurement, emissions management, hull cleaning, telemedicine, recruitment, and asset management services through a network of more than 30 global offices.
Is Schulte Group a public or private company?
Schulte Group is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Schulte Group founded?
Schulte Group was founded in 1883. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Schulte Group based?
Schulte Group is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Schulte Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ship Management Services are the primary driver. The others are ship Owning and Chartering, maritime Software Solutions and specialized Maritime Services.
Who are Schulte Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are V.Group, Anglo-Eastern, Döhle (Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG), Hafnia, Teekay Corporation, Pacific Basin Shipping and Columbia Shipmanagement. Broad incumbents are Wilhelmsen, Stena Bulk and MISC Berhad.
Does Schulte Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schulte Group.
What industry is Schulte Group in?
Schulte Group's product category is Maritime Ship Management and Ship Owning. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADABAC, Bulk Dry Cargo Carriers (Capesize/Panamax/Supramax/Handysize), with a secondary code of IMAJAAAG, Ro-Ro & PCTC (Car Carrier) Shipbuilding. Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 4731.