Hartmann Pelagic was established to redefine maritime investments. Today, the company manages ship-owning funds, with investments across a wide range of shipping and offshore sectors. Founded by experienced independent managers and shipowners, the company draws on its in-depth understanding of the global markets, as well as its access to unique investment opportunities and deal flows.
Backed by its founders’ extensive experience of running their own family-owned shipping groups, Pelagic Investment Fund is run in a similar fashion to a traditional ship-owning company. Audited by Deloitte and administered by PwC, the fund is based in Cyprus. Over the years, it has grown to become one of Europe’s most important ship management hubs and a jurisdiction of choice for alternative investment funds and fund managers.
Hartmann Pelagic’s investment strategy is built on three pillars:
- Market sentiment.
- Cashflow generation and operational flexibility within the group
- Vessel values and the respective downside risk
Pelagic Investment Fund invests in a diversified set of maritime assets that includes oil tankers, product and chemical tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo vessels, containerships, gas carriers, offshore support vessels and ro-ro vessels. Recognizing the cyclical nature of shipping markets, Hartmann Pelagic aims to ensure steady dividend distributions to its investors through prudent vessel management.
Focusing on an industry that supports 90% of global trade, Pelagic Investment Fund has various different compartments, each maintaining their own unique approach to investor relations, investment strategy, returns, and risk appetite.
Pelagic Fund I was launched in the third quarter of 2020. Closed in the fourth quarter of 2021 with a current AUM of $60 million, this compartment is now closed for subscriptions. Capitalizing on 65 years of combined expertise amassed by its two founding families, Pelagic Fund I limited investments to shipping sectors in which the fund manager benefits from decades of technical and commercial management experience. Pelagic Fund I closed for subscriptions following its successful acquisition of 10 vessels across the tanker, car carrier, dry bulk, and gas carrier categories.
Launched in the first quarter of 2022, the Pelagic Yield Fund has a target AUM of $300 million and is currently open for subscription. This compartment focuses on investing in shipping assets such as bulk carriers, gas carriers, tankers, offshore support vessels, and pure car and truck carriers. The fund manager’s goal is to generate returns for investors through securing bareboat and time charters of mixed duration while additionally adding exposure to the spot market via pool employments. The fund manager also evaluates opportunities to realize returns through the disposal of assets that have appreciated in value.
Pelagic Wind Fund is also currently open for subscription. This arm was launched in the second quarter of 2022, with a target AUM of $400 million. The goal for this compartment is to establish it as a leading supplier of vessels to the offshore wind industry, a sector that has seen significant growth in recent years. To this end, Hartmann Pelagic has committed €12 million to finance the first yard instalments for two high-end CSOVs. Currently live for subscriptions, the compartment seeks to materialize six CSOVs in total.
A CSOV, or commissioning service operation vessel, is designed for operations pertaining to the commissioning and operation of offshore wind parks. These vessels are often required to operate in challenging weather conditions, requiring advanced dynamic positioning as well as a high operational window in order to maximize uptime of offshore operations. CSOVs typically need to incorporate significant accommodation space, providing the teams of technicians who service wind farms with accommodation comparable to a high-class hotel, including recreation facilities and a motion-compensated walk-to-work gangway that enables technicians to embark and disembark windmills. Automation and digitalization are key factors that need to be incorporated to maximize the operability of these vessels. In addition, with an increasing emphasis on decarbonization in the offshore wind sector, efficiency optimization and lowered carbon emissions are also key factors prioritized by customers in the industry.
The workhorses of the merchant fleet, bulk carriers transport raw materials such as coal, iron ore, and grain from country to country. Meanwhile, gas carriers move liquified natural gas from countries such as Qatar, Nigeria, Algeria, and the United States. Gas carriers in particular have seen a significant increase in demand in recent years as global demand for liquefied natural gas intensifies.
Thanks to its prominent position throughout the whole supply chain, Hartmann Pelagic is uniquely placed to close market-level acquisitions. With decades of experience, Hartmann Pelagic’s managers know all too well the complexities involved in running ships and how to operate and manage a fleet profitably.
Experienced shipowners in their own right, Hartmann Pelagic’s founders benefit from an intimate knowledge of global shipping and continue to serve as anchor investors in the fund. Investments are primarily driven by the founders’ extensive experience, outreach, and networks, which have been developed over the course of three decades.
0