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30Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Young Fleet for Heavy Loads Leer, Germany, not to far from the river Ems entry into the North Sea, with its Institute ofMaritime Studies, is the originof a maritime trade association in thefield of logistic, shipping companies, shipping, shipbuilding, carrying business and handling. Thus the city of Leer has grown, after the city of Hamburg, into the largest con- centration of shipping companies ac-cording to the managed numbers of ships,with around 16 shipping companies op-erating more than 400 seagoing vessels from here.By its seaport, the city was character- ized by trade for centuries. Traditionally only a few shipping companies were based in Leer, but this has changed in the mid-1980s when graduates from the In-stitute of Maritime Studies entered thebusiness of shipping. Further company foundation followed, and by the end of 2010, 16 shipping com-panies have been generated. Most own- ers and many of their leading employees are homegrown graduates from the Insti- tute of Maritime Studies. Additional drivers of change, which also have significantly influenced the area?s maritime growth, have been the economic expansion of the global goods traffic as well as the close collaboration with banks and financial service provider in the investment sector. Meanwhile, more than 400 vessels, with Leer as their homeport, are listed inthe German Maritime Register. Also ashore a few hundred experienced staffs are employed, for example in shipping fi- nance.Briese SchiffahrtA local shipowner with deep local roots is Briese Schiffahrt, and it is here in Leer, direct on the waterfront with a wide view of the water, where chief Dipl.-Ing. (naval architect) captain Roelf Briese has his ?wheelhouse? on shore. It is from hiswheelhouse that the 67-year-old navi- gates his worldwide maritime adventure, fittingly through calm but sometimes through heavy seas. But after every storm comes again sun- shine, and Roelf Briese would not be Roelf Briese if he didn?t stick to his course, even in stormy weather. His course is: Our Objective > Char- terer?s Happiness. The Key to Briese Schiffahrt stability In the past some 30 years ? wheremany companies have risen and fallen, been born and died ? Briese Schiffahrt has doubled its staff, generated an enor- mous increase in sales volume and at the same time enjoyed a substantial return of investment. Shipowner Roelf Briese relies successfully on ongoing fleet rejuvenation By Peter Pospiech, GermanyMR May 12 # 4 (25-33):MR Template 4/27/2012 11:34 AM Page 30