Seahawk Launches Investment Fund to Finance Small and Medium Shipowners

The investment manager Seahawk Investments, based in Frankfurt, has launched a new maritime credit fund to facilitate financing for small and medium shipowners, a segment that is increasingly struggling to access loans from traditional banks.

The new Seahawk Maritime Credit Fund (SMCF), domiciled in Luxembourg, will offer secured loans and financial leases backed by ships and other maritime assets, with terms of up to seven years.

The fund will be able to finance a wide variety of assets, including container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, gas transport vessels, ro-ro ships, car carriers, and offshore support vessels, as well as intermodal equipment.

This initiative comes at a time of recovery in bank financing for the maritime sector. Loans granted by the 40 leading banks specializing in maritime transport increased by 6% last year, reaching $300.6 billion.

However, banks are maintaining a more cautious stance and are particularly focused on clients with greater financial solvency. The high prices of ships are also making lenders more demanding when granting financing.

Seahawk aims to capitalize on this space with a strategy based on relatively liquid maritime assets with clear resale values. In this way, it seeks to offer an alternative to shipowners who cannot find sufficient financing in traditional banking.

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