HGK Shipping GmbH

What HGK Shipping GmbH does

HGK Shipping GmbH is Europe's largest inland waterway shipping company, operating a fleet of more than 300 own and chartered vessels that transport approximately 35 million tonnes of freight annually across the Rhine basin, North-West German canal network, Benelux waterways, Northern France, and Poland. Headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG, itself owned by Stadtwerke Köln, giving it state-utility backing. Operations are organised across four shipping divisions plus ship management: HGK Dry Shipping (bulk and break bulk cargo on approximately 250 vessels), HGK Gas Shipping (19 specialised liquefied gas tankers serving the chemical industry), HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping (approximately 60 double-hull tankers managed via Wijgula in the Netherlands since 1922), and Amadeus short-sea/coastal shipping (13 river-sea vessels).

The company runs an in-house Shipping Design Centre that develops proprietary vessel architectures, including shallow-water-optimised gas tankers such as the GAS 96 (300-tonne payload from a 1.20 m draught), the Pioneer cold liquefied ammonia and LCO2 carrier, the HELIOS solar-panel installation holding a Guinness World Record, and VentoFoils wind-assisted propulsion on the Amadeus Titanium. HGK also operates a Training Centre providing licence, ADN, and simulator courses, and conducts test operations for partially autonomous navigation on the Niedersachsen 22 and remote-controlled vessel operations on hazardous-goods routes in Germany and Belgium.

HGK Shipping serves enterprise customers in the chemical, steel, metals, construction, and agricultural industries, including named accounts such as Covestro, LyondellBasell, BASF, Salzgitter Flachstahl, and Ineos. Revenue is generated primarily through long-term charter agreements and freight contracts on a transaction-fee basis, supplemented by ship management professional services, tank container logistics (HGK Chemical Logistics, which absorbed the Köppen GmbH business in October 2023), and a chemistry-logistics brokerage. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales, with each division led by a named managing director (Dry Shipping: Andreas Lemme and Florian Bleikamp; Gas Shipping: Anke Bestmann; Liquid Chemicals: Simon Lucas; Amadeus: Wolfgang Nowak; Chemical Logistics: Dirk Czerlinski; Ship Management: Tim Gödde). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated on a contract-by-contract basis reflecting cargo type, volume, route, vessel specification, and charter duration. Recent strategic positioning emphasises decarbonisation technologies (hybrid drives, hydrogen fuel cells, solar, wind assistance), alternative cargo expansion into ammonia and LCO2 for the energy transition, and a digital transformation programme announced with neuland.ai in October 2025.

Name

HGK Shipping GmbH

Legal name

HGK Shipping GmbH

Website

https://hgkshipping.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HGK Shipping GmbH operates Europe's largest inland waterway fleet of 300+ vessels, transporting approximately 35 million tonnes of dry bulk, liquefied gas, and liquid chemicals annually for enterprise customers in the chemical, steel, and construction industries across the Rhine, Benelux, and Northwest European waterways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inland Waterway Shipping and Logistics

NAICS

Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211), Water Transportation (483), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Hazmat / Chemical Tank Transport (DOT/ADR tankers) (TLADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), LNG & LPG Marine Shipping (Carriers) (EUALADAF)

Keywords

• Inland waterway shipping
• Dry bulk transport
• Liquid chemical logistics
• Gas tanker services
• Ship management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Duisburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dry Shipping Transportation Services: Transport of bulk and break bulk cargo (solid fuels, building materials, cereals, animal feed, fertilisers, heavy cargo, waste products) via approximately 250 company and chartered vessels. Annual volume approximately 29 million tonnes. Revenue generated through freight contracts and time charters.
2. Gas Shipping Transportation Services: Specialised transport of compressed liquefied gases (LPG, propylene, ammonia, butadiene, VCM, propylene oxide) via a fleet of 19+ inland gas tankers including the largest on the Rhine. Long-term contracts with chemical industry customers. Over 50 years of experience underpins high-reliability service.
3. Liquid Chemicals Shipping Services: Transport of liquid chemical products (acids, alkalis, petrochemicals, industrial alcohols) and non-hazardous liquids via approximately 60 double-hull tankers. Annual volume approximately 6 million tonnes. Operated from Druten, Netherlands, since 1922.
4. Ship Management Services: Full-service ship management including crewing, technical support, fleet management, new construction project management, strategic purchasing, QEHS management, and training centre services. Provided to own fleet and external owner-operators.
5. HGK Chemical Logistics – Tank Container Logistics: Transport, storage and handling of liquid products in tank containers for chemical industry and other sectors across Europe and globally via sea ports. Includes multimodal concepts combining road, rail and inland shipping. Revenue from logistics service fees.
6. Amadeus Short-Sea and Coastal Shipping: Coastal and maritime shipping via Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH subsidiary. Fleet of 13 river-sea vessels (1,700–3,100 tdw) operating on European short-sea tramp routes. Also offers brokerage for part and full charters up to Supramax loadings (65,000 mt).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HGK Shipping GmbH is Europe's largest inland waterway shipping company, transporting dry bulk, compressed liquefied gases, and liquid chemicals across European waterways with a fleet of approximately 300 own and chartered vessels moving around 35 million tonnes of freight per annum. The company operates through four core divisions — HGK Dry Shipping, HGK Gas Shipping, HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping, and HGK Ship Management — plus the Amadeus short-sea/coastal subsidiary and the HGK Chemical Logistics tank container business, serving industrial customers in the chemical, steel, metals, construction, and agricultural sectors.

Product overview

HGK Shipping GmbH is Europe's leading inland waterway shipping company offering a multi-divisional, platform-style portfolio of logistics services. The core offering comprises four interconnected divisions: HGK Dry Shipping (dry bulk and break bulk transport on approximately 250 vessels, ~38 million tonnes/year), HGK Gas Shipping (compressed liquefied gas transport on 19 vessels, including the GAS 96/95 and future GAS 97-100 fleet), HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping (liquid chemical transport on ~60 double-hull tankers, ~6 million tonnes/year since 1922), and HGK Ship Management (full crewing, technical, QEHS, and project management services including the in-house Design Centre and Training Centre). The subsidiary Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH extends coastal/short-sea river-sea shipping (13 vessels). HGK Chemical Logistics provides tank container logistics across Europe and globally. Key named vessels include GAS 96 (shallow-water hybrid gas tanker), Helios (solar-panel Guinness record dry goods vessel), Pioneer (first ammonia/LCO2 gas tanker), Blue Marlin (sustainable drive dry goods vessel), Amadeus Titanium (wind-assisted coastal tanker), Elektra (hydrogen fuel cell emission-free push boat), and the Vanguard and Amadeus Saffier designs. Autonomous navigation and AI-driven digital transformation via neuland.ai represent emerging technology capabilities across the fleet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amadeus: Subsidiary operating short-sea and maritime shipping with a fleet of river-sea vessels, part of HGK Shipping's coastal shipping operations.

Products and services

• HGK Dry Shipping Bulk and break bulk cargo transport via push boats and dry cargo vessels for industrial customers in steel, metals, construction, agriculture, chemicals, and paper industries; approximately 250 company and chartered vessels moving ~29 million tonnes per year.
• HGK Gas Shipping Specialist inland waterway transport of compressed liquefied gases (LPG, propylene, ammonia, butadiene, VCM, propylene oxide) for the chemical industry via 19+ inland gas tankers, with over 50 years of experience and future-fuel-ready fleet including the new GAS 96 (October 2025).
• HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping Transport of liquid chemical products (acids, alkalis, petrochemicals, industrial alcohols, calcium carbonate slurry) and non-hazardous liquids via approximately 60 double-hull tankers; ~6 million tonnes per year; ISO, EBIS, TMSA, TFS, Green Award certified.
• HGK Ship Management Full-service ship management for own fleet and external owner-operators, including crewing, technical vessel support, new-build/conversion project management, strategic purchasing, QEHS management, and an in-house Training Centre for licence courses, ADN courses, radar tests, simulator training, first aid, and safety seminars.
• HGK Chemical Logistics Tank container transport, storage, and handling of liquid products for the chemical industry and other sectors across Europe and globally via sea ports, including multimodal concepts combining road, rail, and inland shipping with hazardous-goods handling.
• Amadeus Short-Sea and Coastal Shipping Coastal and maritime shipping via Amadeus Schiffahrts- und Speditions GmbH using a fleet of 13 river-sea vessels (1,700-3,100 tdw) on European short-sea tramp routes; also provides logistics brokerage for part and full charters up to Supramax loadings (65,000 mt).
• HGK Shipping Training Centre Training services offered to external participants covering licence courses, radar tests, ADN courses, simulator training, first aid, safety seminars, and individually developed training courses for nautical personnel.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~35 million tonnes of freight transported per annum
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• neuland.aicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025HGK Shipping launched a digital offensive in partnership with neuland.ai to accelerate digital transformation in inland waterway shipping. The cooperation focuses on applying AI technologies to improve planning predictability for customers and employees, and to advance partially autonomous shipping operations.
• Partners for Sustainable Waterway Infrastructure (multiple: industry, ports, shipping companies, logistics providers)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2025Multi-stakeholder partnership joining industry, ports, shipping companies, and logistics providers to strengthen the economic factor of waterways in Germany. HGK Shipping participates as the leading inland waterway shipping company.
• SEAFARcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2022SEAFAR cooperates with HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann as part of a German initiative for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping. The initiative aims to advance (partially) autonomous inland waterway vessel operations. HGK Shipping subsequently received the first permits for remote-controlled hazardous goods vessel operations in Belgium (Flandern) and on the German canal network.
• Reederei DeymanncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2022Part of the German initiative for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping alongside SEAFAR and HGK Shipping. Reederei Deymann is an inland waterway shipping company contributing vessel operations to the autonomous shipping pilot.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stolt-Nielsen: Global leader in transporting bulk liquid chemicals, edible oils, and specialty products via parcel tankers, with related inland/short-sea operations. Broader incumbent serving the same chemical customer base as HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping, with larger deep-sea capability but smaller inland footprint.
• Rhenus Logistics: European logistics group offering inland waterway shipping alongside contract logistics, port operations, and freight forwarding. Overlaps with HGK Shipping in dry bulk and container shipping on Rhine/Western European waterways, but operates at much larger scale across multiple transport modes.

Direct peers

• Imperial Shipping Group: Inland waterway chemical tanker operator active on Rhine and Benelux with comparable hazardous-liquids fleet to HGK's gas and liquid chemicals divisions. Comparable customer base in European petrochemicals and special chemicals.
• Hoyer Group: German family-owned logistics company specialising in bulk liquid chemical transport by inland waterway, road, and rail. Closest direct peer to HGK Liquid Chemicals Shipping with similar ISO-tank and tanker fleet serving the same chemical customers.
• MSG eG (Main-Schifffahrts-Genossenschaft): Germany's largest inland waterway shipping cooperative, operating a comparable diversified fleet across dry bulk and liquid cargo on the Rhine, Main, and Danube. Direct competitor to HGK Dry Shipping with similar route coverage and customer base in industrial and chemical sectors.
• Danser Group: Dutch inland shipping group providing dry bulk, container, and liquid cargo transport across Benelux and Rhine. Direct competitor in dry shipping and container logistics, with overlapping customer base in chemical, agri, and construction materials.
• Compagnie Fluviale de Transport (CFT): Major French inland waterway shipping company operating tankers and dry cargo vessels on the Seine, Rhine, and Northern France. Closest geographic and operational peer to HGK's liquid chemicals and gas shipping, serving many of the same chemical and industrial customers.
• SMT Shipping: Dutch-German inland shipping group operating dry bulk and tanker vessels across Rhine, Benelux, and Northern France. Comparable scale to HGK in dry bulk segment with similar industrial customer base.
• NPRC (Niederrheinische Binnenreederei): German inland waterway shipping company operating on the Lower Rhine with dry cargo and container vessels. Direct peer to HGK Dry Shipping on Rhine routes serving similar industrial customers.

Regional players

• De Grave-Antverpia: Belgian inland waterway shipping and terminal operator focused on Rhine-Scheldt corridor. Direct regional peer to HGK Logistics Antwerp (HGK's Belgian entity) with overlapping dry bulk and container operations in Antwerp.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hgkshipping

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 HGK Shipping GmbH