What Briese Schiffahrts does

Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German maritime logistics company headquartered in Leer and founded in 1984 by Captain Roelf Briese, a naval architect. Under current CEO Dipl.-Ing. Wilke Briese it manages more than 130 multipurpose heavylift vessels and operates across five core divisions: Briese Schiffahrts (fleet management), Briese Chartering (project and bulk cargo chartering in Europe and globally), Briese Offshore Terminal Cuxhaven (offshore wind marshalling hub for the North Sea), Briese Research (management of research vessels and special-purpose newbuildings), and Briese Crew Management (employment of more than 2,000 seafarers). Stevedoring subsidiaries EPAS in Emden and BERA in Papenburg extend operations into port-side handling, forwarding and storage, including logistics for wind-turbine manufacturers.

The company's core physical asset is its modern fleet, with an average vessel age below five years, heavy-lift derrick capacities up to 700 tonnes, and ice-class (1A, E3) certification enabling operations in challenging waters. Vessels are certified by IACS classification societies, and operations are audited under ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2014 and comply with SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC 2006 and STCW. The fleet mix spans general cargo, project carrier, premium project carrier, multi-purpose, bulk carrier and container vessels (approximately 1,781-1,930 TEU). Proprietary stevedoring infrastructure in Bremen, Emden, and Papenburg provides integrated logistics control alongside chartering and terminal marshalling.

Revenue is generated primarily through vessel chartering on voyage and time-charter bases, plus managed services from terminal operations, crew management for external shipowners, and research-vessel management. Charter pricing is quote-based and tied to vessel type, lifting capacity, route, and cargo specifications. Target customers include industrial project-cargo shippers, bulk-commodity clients, and container shippers globally, as well as named renewable-energy customers such as Enercon and GE-Wind; the company also serves research institutions and handles military, dangerous, and yacht cargoes requiring specialized capability.

Name

Briese Schiffahrts

Legal name

Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://briese.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Briese Schiffahrts is a privately held German maritime logistics company managing more than 130 multipurpose heavylift vessels, serving project cargo, bulk, container, and offshore wind customers globally through chartering, terminal, stevedoring, and crew-management subsidiaries headquartered in Leer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping & Logistics Services

NAICS

Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF)

Keywords

• Maritime logistics
• Heavy-lift shipping
• Project cargo transport
• Vessel chartering services
• Offshore wind logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Leer

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vessel Chartering: Chartering of multipurpose heavylift vessels for project cargo, bulk cargo, and container transport. Custom-fit transport solutions for logistical challenges across Europe and globally.
2. Crew Management Services: Employment and management of over 2,000 seafarers for the company's diversified fleet and external shipping companies.
3. Offshore Terminal Operations: Offshore wind marshalling hub operations at Briese Offshore Terminal Cuxhaven supporting the offshore wind industry in the North Sea.
4. Research Vessel Management: Management services for research vessels including chartering, brokerage, newbuilding supervision, and crew recruitment.
5. Technical Management: Technical management services for domestic and international shipping companies, vessel certification, and repair supervision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Briese Schiffahrts is an integrated maritime logistics company that manages a fleet of more than 130 multipurpose heavylift vessels and provides end-to-end shipping services. Its offerings span vessel chartering for project and bulk cargo, offshore wind marshalling at the Cuxhaven terminal, research vessel management, and crewing services for over 2,000 seafarers. The company also operates stevedoring and storage facilities (EPAS in Emden and BERA in Papenburg) to support wind energy exports and other cargo flows.

Product overview

Briese Schiffahrts operates as an integrated maritime logistics company managing a fleet of more than 130 multipurpose heavylift vessels. The company provides a comprehensive suite of services organized into five core divisions: Briese Schiffahrts (fleet management with 150 shore-based staff), Briese Chartering (chartering and transport solutions), Briese Terminal (offshore wind marshalling hub in Cuxhaven), Briese Research (research vessel management), and Briese Crew Management (2,000+ seafarers). The fleet comprises various vessel types including General Cargo Vessels, Project Carrier Vessels, Premium Project Carrier Vessels, Multi Purpose Vessels, Bulk Carrier Vessels, and Container Vessels, with additional logistics operations through EPAS and BERA stevedoring businesses handling wind power generator exports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Briese Schiffahrts Fleet Management Manages a fleet of more than 130 multipurpose heavylift vessels with heavy-lift derricks (load capacity up to 700 tonnes), ice class (1A, E3), serving global project cargo, bulk cargo, and container transport missions for industrial shipping clients.
• Briese Chartering Delivers custom-fit transport solutions for project and bulk cargoes across Europe, offering economic and flexible chartering services for industrial and commercial shipping clients with complex logistics needs.
• Briese Offshore Terminal Cuxhaven Dedicated offshore wind marshalling hub in Germany facilitating North Sea offshore wind industry operations with state-of-the-art infrastructure and project execution support across all project phases.
• Briese Research Provides management services for research vessels including chartering and brokerage of special purpose vessels, supervision of newbuilding projects, crew selection and recruitment, and design of logistic models for scientific institutions.
• Briese Crew Management Employs and manages more than 2,000 qualified seafarers across the diversified fleet, providing certified crew members for onboard operations of Briese vessels and external shipping companies.
• EPAS Terminal (Emden) Stevedoring and storage facility in Emden handling storage of goods for maritime transport and forwarding services, specializing in wind power generator exports for manufacturers such as Enercon.
• BERA (Papenburg) Stevedoring and storage facility in Papenburg holding over 100 GE-Wind rotors in storage pending final assembly or ongoing transportation to installation sites.
• Stevedoring Bremen Stevedoring business in Bremen providing storage of goods for maritime transport and forwarding services for industrial clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fleet of over 130 multi-purpose heavylift vessels with capacity up to 700 tonnes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EnerconcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnercon, a leading wind turbine manufacturer, relies on Briese Schiffahrts for exporting wind power generators. Briese's EPAS Terminal in Emden handles most of Enercon's wind turbine exports for offshore wind projects in the North Sea.
• GE-WindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGE-Wind partners with Briese's BERA facility in Papenburg for storage of over 100 wind turbine rotors pending final assembly or ongoing transportation to installation sites.
• Hochschule Emden/LeerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual study program partnership with Hochschule Emden/Leer for Business Administration (Bachelor of Arts) combined with shipping commerce apprenticeship, providing students practical industry experience.
• BBS I in LeerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational school partnership with BBS I in Leer for dual system apprenticeship in shipping commerce (Schifffahrtskaufmann/frau), providing theoretical education alongside practical company training.
• IACS Classification SocietiescoreTechnology or IntegrationBriese Group manages over 100 vessels certified by classification societies that are members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), ensuring compliance with international maritime standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BBC Chartering: BBC Chartering is the closest direct peer: a German-headquartered heavy-lift shipping operator with a similarly sized multipurpose heavylift fleet, overlapping customer base in project cargo, and a comparable chartering-and-operating model that competes head-to-head with Briese in Europe and globally.
• SAL Heavy Lift (Harren & Partner Group): SAL Heavy Lift operates a fleet of multipurpose heavylift vessels serving project cargo clients worldwide, competing directly with Briese's premium project carrier segment for oversized and heavy-lift shipments.
• Hansa Heavy Lift: Hansa Heavy Lift is a Hamburg-based heavy-lift shipping operator specializing in project cargo, multipurpose, and breakbulk transport with crane capacities up to 750 tonnes, overlapping with Briese's premium project carrier offering.
• Jumbo Maritime: Jumbo Maritime operates a fleet of heavy-lift and offshore vessels with high-capacity cranes (up to 1,500 tonnes), competing with Briese for complex project cargo and offshore energy clients globally.
• BigLift Shipping: BigLift Shipping is a Dutch-headquartered heavy-lift and breakbulk carrier with a fleet of heavy-lift vessels serving project cargo clients, directly competing with Briese in the European and global heavylift market.
• Wagenborg Shipping: Wagenborg Shipping is a Dutch multipurpose and breakbulk operator with a fleet of general cargo and project vessels, closely comparable to Briese in regional European multipurpose operations and customer overlap in industrial project cargo.
• Spliethoff: Spliethoff is a Dutch multipurpose, breakbulk, and project cargo operator with a large fleet of geared vessels, directly competing with Briese in European multipurpose chartering and project cargo.
• AAL Shipping (Carl Büttner): AAL Shipping operates a global fleet of multipurpose and heavy-lift vessels across project, breakbulk, and heavy-lift segments, providing direct competition to Briese in the global project cargo chartering market.

Broad incumbents

• Maersk Line (A.P. Moller-Maersk): Maersk is the world's largest container shipping line; while not a pure heavylift specialist, it operates a broad portfolio that overlaps with Briese's container segment and increasingly targets integrated logistics where Briese competes.
• Wuchang Shipbuilding / Cosco Shipping: COSCO Shipping is a Chinese state-backed global shipping conglomerate with diversified container, bulk, and project cargo operations, representing a broad incumbent that competes with Briese across multiple cargo segments globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Briese Schiffahrts