Published by Splash247

Why should an owner decide to use a shipmanager. The latest chapter from our brand new magazine that is being distributed this week at Posidonia.

Shipowners who have never placed vessels under third-party management tend to share one instinctive concern: loss of control.

The fleet is their business, their reputation and, in many cases, their family legacy. Handing day-to-day operations to an outside company can feel like surrendering the bridge.

Yet ask the world’s leading shipmanagers how they would persuade a sceptical owner in the time it takes to ride an elevator, and a common theme emerges. The best pitch is not about outsourcing ownership. It is about outsourcing complexity.

“Do not outsource control; outsource complexity,” argues Ajay Chaudhry, co-CEO of shipmanagement at Synergy Marine Group.

“A good shipmanager strengthens the owner’s authority by bringing systems, expertise, governance, crew capability, data discipline, flexibility and risk management that are difficult to replicate in-house.”

That distinction matters more than ever. The modern shipping business bears little resemblance to the relatively straightforward operating environment of two decades ago. Decarbonisation rules are piling up. Cybersecurity risks are multiplying. Crewing shortages are intensifying. Digital reporting requirements continue to expand. Compliance alone has become a full-time industrial process.

For many owners, particularly those with smaller fleets, the economics are becoming increasingly hard to justify internally.

Manish Singh of Maris Investments says the conversation should begin with two uncomfortable questions. “Do you know what your in-house management really costs when you add up management attention, compliance overhead, IT spend and the capital tied up in crewing and technical infrastructure?” he asks. “Many owners who have never put numbers to it are surprised.”

His second question cuts even deeper: “What is your actual edge? Is it owning and operating vessels, or is it trading, commodity flows, or financial structuring?”

That argument increasingly resonates in a market where scale matters. Third-party managers today operate hundreds – sometimes thousands – of vessels. That scale brings purchasing power, global recruitment networks, digital infrastructure and specialised operational expertise that many standalone owners struggle to maintain economically.

Sebastian von Hardenberg, CEO of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and president of InterManager, puts the value proposition in succinct terms. “Third-party management gives you expertise at scale,” he says, citing procurement savings, regulatory compliance, digital tools, fuel-transition support and operational consistency. “We help you increase vessel availability, reduce opex, manage complexity, reduce risk, and protect asset value while you focus on your commercial strategy.”

The purchasing argument alone can be compelling. Large managers negotiate fleet-wide deals for lubricants, stores, insurance, training and spare parts at price levels smaller operators often cannot access independently. In some cases, proponents argue, those savings largely offset management fees.

But cost is only part of the equation. Increasingly, the debate centres on people.

“Most owners who self-manage do so for control. That is understandable,” says Massimo De Vincenzo, managing director of SeaQuest Shipmanagement. “But running a full shipmanagement operation today – with all the regulatory, technical, and sustainability demands that entails – requires resources and specialised expertise that most in-house teams cannot easily match.”

He points to another structural shift reshaping the market: talent concentration. “The best operational talent – superintendents, technical managers, crewing specialists – tends to gravitate toward dedicated management companies, where they can build a proper career and work across a varied fleet,” he says. “Attracting and keeping that calibre of people in a small in-house structure is genuinely difficult.”

That challenge is only likely to intensify as shipping enters the most complicated technological transition in its modern history.

Alternative fuels alone are creating an entirely new operational landscape. LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen each bring distinct technical, safety and training demands. At the same time, digitalisation is transforming how ships are monitored, maintained and operated. Owners who once needed a lean superintendent structure increasingly require data analysts, cybersecurity expertise and emissions specialists.

Niraj Nanda, chief commercial officer at Anglo-Eastern, says professional managers are built precisely for that environment.

“Third-party shipmanagement is about giving owners peace of mind without compromising strategic control,” he says. “A professional manager brings established processes, experienced teams and regulatory expertise with the scale and capability to meet an ever-evolving operating environment.”

For owners, he argues, that translates into resilience. “The day-to-day complexity, compliance burden and commercial pressure are handled by specialists whose sole focus is safe, efficient ship operation.”

Still, scepticism persists, particularly among owners who believe nobody will care about their ships as much as they do.

Tim Ponath, CEO of NSB Group, believes that concern misunderstands how modern shipmanagement relationships work. “We shouldn’t feel like an external vendor,” he says. “We operate as a seamless extension of your company, another high-performing department that you have full access to 24/7.”

That partnership model has become central to how leading managers position themselves. The days of purely transactional technical management are fading. Owners increasingly expect integrated service platforms covering crewing, procurement, catering, training, technology, voyage optimisation and welfare support.

The operational relief brought by outsourcing is especially attractive during volatile markets. Freight cycles are becoming shorter and more unpredictable. Owners need flexibility. Maintaining large in-house operational teams during downturns can become a heavy fixed cost burden, while third-party management converts much of that into a scalable service model.

Kuba Szymanski, secretary-general of InterManager, perhaps offers the simplest analogy of all. “Who fixes your car – you, or a professional garage?” he asks. “If you trust professionals with your car, why would you not trust professionals with your ships?”

His point reflects a broader reality: shipmanagement has evolved into a highly specialised discipline in its own right.

Yet not everyone believes third-party management is automatically the right answer for every owner. Vinay Gupta, managing director of Union Marine Management Services, cautions against overselling. “There is no pitch,” he says. “Never sell ice to Eskimos.”

For Gupta, the demand only arises when owners themselves recognise inefficiencies emerging internally. “The conversation is no longer about persuasion, but about trust and alignment,” he says. “A good manager doesn’t replace ownership – he strengthens it.”

That may ultimately be the industry’s strongest elevator pitch in 2026.

Third-party shipmanagement is no longer simply about cheaper operations or outsourcing administrative burden. It is about whether shipowners believe they can realistically build – and continuously maintain – the increasingly industrial-scale systems, talent pools, digital infrastructure and regulatory expertise modern shipping now demands.

For some large owners, the answer will remain yes.