1-April-2018
Denmark based J Poulsen Shipping and Germany based Hamburg Bulk Carriers (HBC) merged to form Poulsen HBC Line (PHL) in 2014 with the idea of getting better utilisation out of Hamburg Bulk Carriers (HBC)’s dry bulk fleet by scheduling breakbulk backhaul cargoes traditionally carried by multipurpose (MPP) ships.
Swedish tanker and ro-ro giant Stena Group’s breakbulk chartering arm Austen Maritime Services (AMS) has entered a partnership with Poulsen HBC Line (PHL). Austen Maritime Services (AMS) and Poulsen HBC Line (PHL) signed a deal.
Austen Maritime Services (AMS) was introduced as a joint venture between Stena and P&O Maritime, is thoroughly known as a port agency. AMS and PHL venture has around 25 vessels in Asia at a given time, about 20 of these from the core Hamburg Bulk Carriers (HBC) dry bulk fleet. Hamburg Bulk Carriers (HBC) dry bulk carriers arrive in China carrying grain or fertilizer and leaves carrying breakbulk cargo, but it is not an easy market for a foreign operator looking for industrial backhauls. In China, backhaul cargo has been dominated by local traders. Currently, Hamburg Bulk Carriers (HBC) has a fleet of 28 bulk carriers.