The Asian Spirit Steamship Company

What The Asian Spirit Steamship Company does

The Asian Spirit Steamship Company GmbH & Cie. KG is a Hamburg-based, family-owned shipowner and maritime asset manager that traces its origins to the Rickmers family's shipping activities beginning in 1834. Operating as a German limited partnership (GmbH & Cie. KG) under the BRICK HOLDING umbrella, the company acquires, organizes, and charters out a diversified fleet of commercial vessels on its own account, serving shipping companies, charterers, offshore wind operators, and maritime investors across global trade routes. Its stated focus is on cutting-edge tonnage in the container feeder growth segment, complemented by exposure to dry-bulk, offshore wind, and offshore oil & gas segments, with 51–100 employees and headquarters at Alsterufer 26, Hamburg. Leadership is held by Managing Partner Rickmer Clasen Rickmers (fifth-generation family member) and Managing Director Frank Bünte.

The fleet spans four vessel classes: two container feeders — Spirit of Bertram (1,756 TEU, built 2014, Zhejiang Ouhua) and Spirit of Dubai (1,131 TEU, built 2009, Sedef Turkey); two Supramax bulkers — Spirit of Tokyo and Spirit of Kobe (≈39,400 dwt each, built 2016, Jiangmen Nanyang); four CSOVs for the offshore wind sector built by Norwegian shipbuilder VARD to the Vard 4 19 design (Windward Athens delivered 2025; Windward Paris, Munich, and Hamburg under construction for 2026), equipped with 3D Seaonics 7-tonne cranes and Ampleman gangways; and one PSV — Spirit of Emden (DP2/Firefighter, built 2005 by Aker Norway). The company holds no proprietary software or technology platform; the only disclosed integration is a Google Maps iframe on assc-ship.com.

Revenue is generated through two streams: chartering revenue from time or voyage charter arrangements intermediated exclusively by MCC Marine Consulting & Contracting GmbH (the in-house service provider and technical manager for the fleet), and customer-driven asset management services that pair the company's own capital with third-party investment opportunities in vessel projects. The CSOV series is operated through a joint venture with Diana Shipping Inc. and managed by Windward, while the Spirit of Emden is operated by Aurora Offshore. The company markets exclusively through direct B2B relationships, a professional website, and a LinkedIn corporate page — there are no intermediaries, resellers, or marketplace channels.

Name

The Asian Spirit Steamship Company

Legal name

The Asian Spirit Steamship Company GmbH & Cie. KG

Website

https://assc-ship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1834

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Family-owned Hamburg-based shipowner and asset manager operating a diversified fleet of container feeders, bulkers, CSOVs for offshore wind, and one PSV, chartering vessels globally via exclusive broker MCC Marine and offering third-party maritime investment opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Vessel Chartering and Maritime Asset Management

NAICS

Water Transportation (483)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLADABAL

Offshore Support & Marine Logistics Vessel Operators (PSV/AHTS)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Transportation (Air, Maritime, Rail, Trucking)/Ocean Freight Carriers (Container, Bulk, Tanker)

Keywords

• Container feeder shipping
• Vessel chartering services
• Offshore wind vessels
• Maritime asset management
• Bulk cargo shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chartering revenue: The company acquires and organizes vessel projects, then charters out vessels on its own account. Revenue is generated through time or voyage charter arrangements with shipping companies and end-users. MCC Marine Consulting & Contracting GmbH acts as the exclusive chartering broker for the fleet.
2. Asset management services: Customer-driven asset management for vessel investments, offering investment opportunities to third-party investors alongside the company's own financial strength. Projects are developed whenever market opportunities arise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Asian Spirit Steamship Company acquires, organizes, and charters out a diversified fleet of commercial vessels on its own account, with a focus on cutting-edge tonnage in the container feeder ship segment. The fleet includes container feeders, bulkers, Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs), and a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV). The company also offers customer-driven asset management and co-investment opportunities alongside its own financial strength, leveraging the Rickmers family's 185-year maritime heritage.

Product overview

The Asian Spirit Steamship Company operates a diversified fleet of commercial vessels organized around maritime shipping and vessel management services. The fleet spans four vessel types: container feeder ships (Spirit of Bertram, Spirit of Dubai), bulkers (Spirit of Tokyo, Spirit of Kobe), CSOVs (Commissioning Service Operation Vessels — Windward Athens, Windward Paris, Windward Munich, Windward Hamburg), and PSVs (Platform Supply Vessels — Spirit of Emden). Projects are organized, acquired, and chartered out on the company's own account, leveraging its own financial strength while offering investment opportunities and customer-driven asset management. MCC Marine Consulting & Contracting GmbH serves as the exclusive chartering broker and provides technical management control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spirit of Bertram: Container vessel built in 2014, CV Neptun 1700 (Topaz) design, 1,756 TEU nominal capacity, flagged under Portugal.
• Spirit of Dubai
• Spirit of Tokyo
• Spirit of Kobe
• Spirit of Emden
• Windward Athens
• Windward Paris
• Windward Munich
• Windward Hamburg

Products and services

• Spirit of Bertram (Container Feeder Vessel) A 2014-built 1,756 TEU nominal container feeder ship with 350 reefer plugs, BWTS, 18.5 kn max speed, and 169.99 m LOA, available for charter to container shipping operators for regional and international trade routes.
• Spirit of Dubai (Container Feeder Vessel) A 2009-built 1,131 TEU nominal container feeder ship with 240 reefer plugs and 2 cranes of 40 tonnes SWL, available for charter to container shipping operators.
• Spirit of Tokyo (Bulker Vessel) A 2016-built bulker vessel of Emerald 39 design with 48,146 m³ grain capacity, 47,004 m³ bale capacity, and 4 × 30 tonnes SWL gear with grabs, available for charter to commodity shippers.
• Spirit of Kobe (Bulker Vessel) A bulker vessel with 4 × 30 tonnes SWL cargo handling equipment, 39,488 mt summer deadweight at 10.61 m draft, available for charter to commodity shippers.
• Windward Athens (CSOV) A 2025-built CSOV of Vard 4 19 design with 852 m² cargo space, accommodation for 99 technicians in 27 single and 36 double cabins, 3D Seaonics 7-tonne SWL crane, and Ampleman gangway, available for charter to offshore wind farm developers through a joint venture with Diana and managed by Windward.
• Windward Paris (CSOV) A CSOV scheduled for 2026 delivery, Vard 4 19 design, with 852 m² cargo space, 99-technician capacity, operated under Windward management and flagged under Germany, for charter to offshore wind operators.
• Windward Munich (CSOV) A CSOV under construction with delivery scheduled in 2026, Vard 4 19 design, 99-technician capacity, operated under Windward management, for charter to offshore wind operators.
• Windward Hamburg (CSOV) A CSOV under construction with delivery scheduled in 2026, Vard 4 19 design, 99-technician capacity, operated under Windward management, for charter to offshore wind operators.
• Spirit of Emden (Platform Supply Vessel) A 2005-built PSV of UT755 design with DP2 dynamic positioning and Firefighter capabilities, 4,063 m³ liquid cargo capacity (brine water, drill water, liquid mud, base oil), operated by Aurora Offshore, for charter to offshore oil and gas operators.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MCC Marine Consulting & Contracting GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMCC Marine is the main in-house service provider for The Asian Spirit Steamship Company, handling technical management control and serving as the exclusive chartering broker for the entire ASSC fleet. Vessel particulars are requested via [email protected]. This is the primary channel through which the company conducts its chartering operations.
• VARD (Vard Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationVARD, a Norwegian shipbuilding company, is the designer and builder of the Windward-series CSOVs (Windward Athens, Windward Paris, Windward Munich, Windward Hamburg). VARD designed the Vard 4 19 vessel design specifically for these CSOV projects.
• Diana (Diana Shipping Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Windward-series CSOV vessels (Windward Athens, Windward Paris, Windward Munich, Windward Hamburg) are operated in a joint venture between Diana (Diana Shipping Inc.) and The Asian Spirit Steamship Company. Diana is a global provider of shipping services specializing in dry bulk and offshore support vessels.
• Windward (Maritime Intelligence)coreTechnology or IntegrationWindward is the vessel operator/manager for the Windward-series CSOVs. Windward provides maritime intelligence and operational management for the offshore wind service vessels in the joint venture.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• X-Press Feeders: Singapore-headquartered independent container feeder operator running one of the largest regional feeder networks in the world. Directly comparable to ASSC's feeder business (Spirit of Bertram, Spirit of Dubai) on vessel type, regional feeder trading, and shipowner/charterer model.
• MPC Container Ships ASA: Norway-listed pure-play feeder container vessel owner that acquires and charters out small-to-mid size container tonnage globally. Directly comparable to ASSC's container feeder franchise on fleet size, segment focus, and the time-charter distribution model.
• Edda Wind ASA: Norway-listed pure-play CSOV owner-operator with a fleet of purpose-built commissioning and service operation vessels serving European offshore wind developers. Direct competitor to ASSC's Windward CSOV series in the same niche and with overlapping vessel designs (Vard 4 19).
• North Star Renewables: UK-based operator of service operation vessels purpose-built for the offshore wind industry, including hybrid SOVs. Direct peer to ASSC's CSOV chartering operations, addressing the same European wind developer customer base.
• Esvagt A/S: Denmark-based owner and operator of service operation vessels (SOVs) and emergency response vessels serving the European offshore wind sector. Closely comparable to ASSC's CSOV chartering activity, with both companies providing purpose-built tonnage to wind farm operators on long-term contracts.
• Vroon Group: Netherlands-headquartered shipowner and operator with offshore, subsea and dry cargo divisions, including a sizeable PSV and offshore support fleet. Comparable to ASSC across both its offshore (PSV, CSOV) and bulk/feeder-related activities, with similar shipowner and family-business roots.
• Diana Shipping Inc. Public dry bulk and offshore vessel owner and operator that is ASSC's joint venture partner on the Windward CSOV series. Operates a globally diversified fleet of bulkers and offshore vessels and pursues time-charter strategies with major energy and industrial clients, mirroring ASSC's charter-on-own-account model.

Others

• MPC Capital AG: Hamburg-listed independent asset and investment manager focused on maritime and infrastructure investments. Adjacent to ASSC's customer-driven asset management and investment opportunity offering, addressing similar shipping investor capital pools rather than operating tonnage directly.

Broad incumbents

• Solstad Offshore ASA: Norway-listed global owner and operator of offshore service and subsea construction vessels (AHTS, PSVs, construction support vessels). Comparable to ASSC's Spirit of Emden PSV and broader offshore support interest, although a much larger incumbent with broader subsea exposure.
• DOF Subsea AS: Norway-based offshore services company with a global fleet of subsea construction, dive support, anchor handling and platform supply vessels. Comparable to ASSC's offshore service activities, although a larger incumbent with integrated subsea engineering and survey capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-asian-spirit-steamship-company-gmbh-cie-kg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Asian Spirit Steamship Company