Rickmers appoints Bahr Behrend as UK general agent

The German project liner and heavy-lift specialist Rickmers has appointed Bahr Behrend Agencies (BBA) as its general agent for the UK and Ireland with effect from 1 December 2001.

Rickmers currently serves the UK either directly or on a transhipment basis with its Round the World (RTW) and Arabian Gulf/Indian subcontinent services. These cater for all types of general cargo, shipper-owned containers and heavy loads up to 450 tonnes in weight.

According to BBA's managing director Peter Copland, his company's immediate goal is to generate sufficient cargo to warrant Rickmers' vessels making direct calls in the UK:

"Middlesbrough and Immingham are already shown on the Rickmers' schedules on an inducement basis. We will be working hard to ensure that these ports become regular calls for all of Rickmers' services.

"Despite the difficult situation with regard to UK exports in general, there continues to be a strong demand for British made capital goods supporting industrial development projects worldwide. We believe that Rickmers' network of services, including its Round the World service, will be able to make a valuable contribution to British exports of project and heavy-lift cargo.

"On Monday, 3 December, we are opening a new office in Immingham and will be recruiting a number of additional staff with specific experience of the breakbulk market so that we can meet more specifically the requirements of the Rickmers services."

In addition to Immingham, BBA has offices in London, Liverpool, Felixstowe and Sheffield employing over 40 staff. R A Burke, with offices in Dublin, Belfast and Cork, has been appointed as the sub agent for Ireland.

Mr Copland explains that like Rickmers, Bahr Behrend has a long history:

"The company was established in Liverpool in 1793 and two of its founding partners, David Behrend and Charles Louis Bahr, were coincidentally both German shipbrokers originating from Hanover.

"Working together with Rickmers' management in Hamburg, BBA aims to establish Rickmers as the leading supplier of high quality breakbulk liner services out of the UK."