Hugo Stinnes Shipping

What Hugo Stinnes Shipping does

Hugo Stinnes Shipping operates as MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co., a privately-held, family-owned multipurpose ocean liner shipping company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Following the August 2025 merger of MACS (founded 1979) and Hugo Stinnes Schiffahrt GmbH (with brand heritage to 1808), the combined entity operates a fleet of more than 15 multipurpose vessels serving 20+ ports across 16 countries under three core trade routes: MACS Service (Europe-Southern Africa), GAL Service (US Gulf-Southern Africa), and STINNES Service (Europe-Mexico/US Gulf), supplemented by SAF, East Africa, St. Helena, and Cross Trading services.

The company's core technology centers on open hatch box-type bulkcarriers with movable horizontal and vertical hold separations and onboard cranes capable of lifting up to 240 tonnes (300 tonnes on STINNES Service), enabling a single vessel to carry containers, bulk, breakbulk, project cargo, and passengers simultaneously without transshipment. It also operates an owned container fleet spanning dry vans, high cubes, open tops, flat racks, and refrigerated units, alongside an e-business portal providing rate requests, SOLAS VGM submission, track-and-trace, and cargo claims.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based ocean freight services across four published service tiers (MACS, GAL, STINNES, SAF), supplemented by surcharges including Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF), EU Emission Trading System (ETS) compliance pass-throughs, and terminal handling fees. The customer base is horizontally segmented across commodity importers/exporters (primary), agricultural and food product exporters, cross-trade shippers, and passenger travelers, with enterprise customers including mining majors such as South32 under a sustainability-linked contract of affreightment. Direct branch offices in 14 cities plus an approved shipping agent network across roughly 25 countries handle customer acquisition and bookings, supported by terminal operator partnerships with C. Steinweg, BLG, Eurogate, Transnet, DP World, and others.

Name

Hugo Stinnes Shipping

Legal name

MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co.

Website

https://stinnes-linien.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hugo Stinnes Shipping operates as MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping, a privately-held, family-owned multipurpose ocean liner shipping company headquartered in Hamburg, operating 15+ vessels across 20+ ports in 16 countries, serving commodity shippers, mining and metals firms, agricultural exporters, and passenger travelers on Atlantic trade routes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rostock

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ocean Freight Services: Core revenue from shipping containers, bulk, breakbulk, and project cargo across Atlantic routes between Europe, Southern Africa, and the US Gulf. Freight charges are calculated based on cargo type, weight/volume, and route with various surcharges applied.
2. Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF): Surcharge applied to offset fluctuating fuel costs. Rates vary by service (MACS, GAL, STINNES, SAF) and cargo type (containers, breakbulk, vehicles).
3. Emission Trading System (ETS) Surcharge: EU ETS compliance surcharge passed through to customers based on emissions from voyages, varying by container type and direction.
4. Terminal Handling and Local Charges: Fees collected for port terminal operations, handling services, and local agency charges across various countries where they operate.
5. Shipping Agency Services: MACS Linienagentur GmbH provides shipping agency services in Germany, handling vessel operations, documentation, and logistics coordination.
6. Cross Trade Shipping: MACS Cross Trading provides worldwide breakbulk shipping services including steel products, bulk commodities, and project cargo transport.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hugo Stinnes Shipping (operating as MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping) is a privately-owned, family-run multipurpose ocean liner shipping company. It offers scheduled liner services — MACS Service (Europe-Southern Africa), GAL Service (US Gulf-Southern Africa), STINNES Service (Europe-Mexico/US Gulf), plus SAF, East Africa, St. Helena, and Cross Trade services — carrying containers, bulk, breakbulk, project cargo, and passengers on owned multipurpose vessels with onboard heavy-lift cranes. The company also runs an owned container fleet, terminal operations across 16+ countries, and an e-business portal for rate requests, VGM submission, and cargo tracking.

Product overview

Hugo Stinnes Shipping operates as MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co., a privately-owned, family-run multipurpose liner shipping company formed through the 2025 merger of MACS and Hugo Stinnes Schiffahrt. The company operates a fleet of over 15 multipurpose vessels serving three dedicated trade routes: MACS Service (Europe-Southern Africa), GAL Service (US Gulf-Southern Africa), and STINNES Service (Europe-Mexico/US Gulf). Additional services include SAF Service (Europe-South Africa slot charter), East Africa Service, and St. Helena Service. The portfolio includes subsidiary operations MACS Cross Trading (worldwide breakbulk) and MACS Linienagentur (German agency), alongside owned container fleet (dry vans, reefers, open tops, flat racks), terminal services across 16+ countries, and an e-business portal. The company provides comprehensive shipping solutions handling containers, bulk, breakbulk, project cargo, and passengers with lifting capacities up to 300 tonnes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MACS Cross Trading: An affiliated company of MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping, established in 1996, acting as a carrier in the worldwide cross trade. Specializes in transport of steel products, bulk commodities, homogeneous parcels, and project cargo.
• MACS Linienagentur

Products and services

• MACS Service Core multipurpose liner service connecting European ports (Vigo, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp) with Southern African ports (Walvis Bay, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Richards Bay) using six owned modern multipurpose ships with onboard cranes up to 240 tonnes; approximately every 11-13 days; handles containers, bulk, breakbulk, and project cargo.
• GAL Service Multipurpose liner service between US Gulf/East Coast (Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville) and Southern Africa (Walvis Bay, Cape Town, Durban, Richards Bay, Maputo) using four owned modern multipurpose ships of approximately 35,000 mt deadweight with 40 mt cranes combinable to 80 mt; sailings roughly monthly at 27-28 day intervals.
• STINNES Service Three-weekly multipurpose liner service between North Europe (Bremen, Antwerp, Bilbao) and Mexico/US Gulf (Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans) with focus on port and cargo flexibility and heavy lift capacity up to 300 tonnes; formerly branded SANMEX.
• SAF Service Slot charter-based liner service between North Europe (London, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Le Havre) and South Africa (Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban) offering weekly sailings with 20'/40' dry, Open Top, and Reefer container services.
• East Africa Service Liner service from Europe and US Gulf to Northern Mozambique ports of Nacala, Pemba, and Afungi, with options for direct vessel calls or transshipment via Durban.
• St. Helena Service Ocean freight service between UK, South Africa, and St. Helena island, with cargo transhipped in Cape Town or Walvis Bay for discharge at Ruperts Bay; coordinated via logistics partner DGL connecting UK ports.
• MACS Cross Trading Worldwide cross-trade carrier specializing in transport of steel products, bulk commodities, homogeneous parcels (cotton, paper), and project cargo; offers factory-to-jobside delivery options including inland transport, warehousing, and logistics services.
• MACS Linienagentur German shipping agency representing MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping in Germany; provides shipping agency services, liner services, and marine operations for containers, break-bulk, bulk, and project cargo.
• Container Services Owned container fleet offering dry vans, high cubes, open tops, flat racks, and refrigerated (reefer) containers; all containers certified to latest ACEP requirements with reefer units featuring latest technology for perishable goods, available for lease/use on MACS services and partners.
• Passenger Services Passenger transport aboard multipurpose cargo vessels between Northern Europe (Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp) and South Africa (Cape Town, Durban); accommodation in two-bed Owner cabin suite with separate bedroom, living room, and shower/WC; available as round trip (approx. 85 days) or one-way.
• E-Business Portal Secure online customer portal hosting login, rate request, SOLAS VGM (Verified Gross Mass) submission, cargo claim submission, and track-and-trace functionality for cargo shipments at portal.macship.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fastest transit time between Walvis Bay and Europe in both directions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South32coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2025MACS and South32 signed a contract of affreightment (COA) for shipment of aluminium ingots from South32's Hillside aluminium smelter in Richard's Bay, South Africa. They jointly developed a carbon-linked freight mechanism where freight charges are adjusted based on CO2 emissions versus benchmark - lower emissions earn higher freight rates and vice versa. This supports both companies' commitments to reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain.
• DFDScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Danish shipping company DFDS for UK connectivity. DFDS RoRo vessels carry containers and conventional cargo on Mafi trailers between Rotterdam and Immingham, connecting UK shippers to MACS services. The partnership enables weekly vessel departures for UK exports every second Friday.
• Angola South LinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for connecting services to Angola. From Cape Town, ports of Malongo, Lobito, Luanda, and Sonils are serviced through this partnership, extending MACS coverage to Angolan destinations.
• Seaboard MarineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransshipment partner in Houston for West Coast South America services. Seaboard Marine vessels call at Jacintoport Terminal enabling quick and cost-effective transshipment between carriers for shipments to Jamaica, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.
• SupermaritimecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal agent representing MACS in Luanda, Angola. Supermaritime handles cargo operations and documentation for the new Luanda service extension, the first port of call after completion of loading in Europe.
• DGL (Denholm Good Logistics)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based logistics partner for St. Helena service. DGL coordinates with DFDS to connect UK ports (Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Vigo) to St. Helena via transshipment in Cape Town or Walvis Bay.
• C. Steinweg (Sued-West Terminal)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTerminal operator at Hamburg port for cargo handling operations.
• Transnet Port TerminalscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth African state-owned port terminal operator providing container and cargo handling services at Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Richards Bay ports.
• Fratelli Cosulich S.p.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian shipping agent handling MACS operations in Genoa with multiple contacts including Luca Rossi, Francesco Barberi, and Ivan Garbarini.
• King & Sons (Pty) Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth African shipping agent with offices in Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Richards Bay, providing comprehensive coverage of South African ports.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hugo-stinnes-schiffahrt-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/macs.shipping

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Hugo Stinnes Shipping