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Koenig & Cie Stays Afloat in German Shipping Market

Brian D. Ladin

After having spent time as a partner at investment firms Bonanza Capital and Talisman Capital, CFA Brian D. Ladin went on to co-found Delos Shipping, a shipping investment company. Under Brian D. Ladin’s leadership, international firm Delos Shipping took over 80 percent of the German shipping company Koenig & Cie in 2013.

Based in Hamburg, the private ship company Koenig & Cie sold the majority of its interests to Delos and Tennenbaum Capital Partners. This occurred during the German shipping downturn that came to a head in 2012 with a string of bankruptcies and liquidations along with even lower trading levels than in the crisis of 2008 and 2009.
This difficult situation in Germany provided an opportunity for American investment, however, and Delos and Tannenbaum offered a chance for Koenig to stabilize and grow into the future.
Today, the shipping market hasn’t much improved, but Koenig has nevertheless been performing steadily. This year, the German company and Koenig rival HCI Capital agreed to buy Tennenbaum and Delos’ 80 percent. As Delos and Tennebaum cash out, HCI and Koenig are hoping for growth, combining their fleets to a total of 220 vessels.