From captain owner to market leader
Jan Reier Arends founded JR Shipping in 1993. As a captain owner he, initially, focussed on the successful exploitation of compact multi-purpose vessels. Seven years later, the ambition to expand the company’s activities evolved. Together with Sander Schakelaar –who joined the company in 2000 as director and partner– a new course was set, aimed at growth in the container vessel market.
Ambitious plans for building new containerships coupled with an energetic acquisition policy for existing ships, very quickly resulted in a considerable expansion of the fleet. In order to secure equity financing for its new vessels, the company started to initiate and issue limited partnership (Dutch CV-companies) investment projects in 2001. The vessels are all financed through these limited partnerships. JR Shipping structures these projects herself and offers both private and corporate investors the opportunity to participate in the equity of new CV-companies, offering investors attractive returns on investment, on a regular basis. Today, a specialised department (Issuing of limited partnerships and Investor relations) ensures transparent information for and professional support of approximately 3600 partners in the various CV-companies initiated by JR Shipping.
Moreover, Confeeder Shipping & Chartering was founded, a daughter company specialised in the charter brokerage of container feeder vessels owned by JR Shipping.
Partnerships with specialist shipyards speeded up the shipping company’s expansion. Between 2003 and 2006 the company took delivery of no less than 8 newly built vessels: 6 with a capacity of 750 TEU, built by Volharding Shipyards (The Netherlands), and 2 with a capacity of 868 TEU built at the Sietas yard (Germany). Half 2007, the fleet comprises 21 container feeder vessels. Containerships (1.440 TEU each) are to be built in the next years.