A new era begins: German shipping and logistics expert Harren Group extends its presence in Africa by opening its first office on the continent. Harren Nigeria in Lagos is led by Managing Director Paul Okpurughre.
“The new office represents the entire Harren Group and serves as a basis for further business development in West Africa,” explains Paul Okpurughre, former Director Business Development and Operations (MEA) at SAL Heavy Lift. “We want to intensify the proximity to our customers and our business activities in the region.”
West Africa represents about 30 percent of Africa’s total population. Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, even ahead of South Africa.
“Lagos is the perfect location for us – it’s a vibrant city and one of the main project and logistics capitals on the continent,” explains Dr. Martin Harren, CEO of the Harren Group. “The opening of the new office reflects our remarkably successful development in West Africa.
We want to further expand our local position based on the existing, trustful relationships with our customers and partners.”
Jürgen Kuntz, Senior Manager Chartering & Projects and Head of Africa Chartering Desk at SAL Heavy Lift, emphasises: “Having our own office in Africa means a lot to our organisation. Currently, around three of our Group’s ships sail to this region on a monthly basis. So it’s the next logical step to open an office there to be able to further develop our position.
We see lots of opportunities for example in the energy and infrastructure segments.”
Nils Aden, Managing Director of the Harren Group, underlines the potential for the entire Group: “There are also new opportunities for business beyond our existing heavy lift activities – for example in the tanker, bulker and renewable energy sectors.
The new office will represent our Group’s affiliated companies Jumbo-SAL-Alliance, Intermarine, Harren Bulkers, Harren Tankers, Atheleon and Combi Lift as their commercial agent. Opening the Lagos office makes our dedicated and personal services available to our customers locally. This is another important milestone for our Group.”
About Harren Group:
The guiding principle of the Harren Group is: If there is water, there is a way. Making the impossible possible, always finding a solution, going all the way.
Under the umbrella of the family-run Harren Group, subsidiaries SAL Heavy Lift (Hamburg), SAL Engineering (Hamburg) and Intermarine (Houston) collaborate with the Jumbo-SAL-Alliance (Rotterdam/Hamburg) to manage and control the world’s largest fleet of super heavy lift vessels in the premium segment (+900 t crane capacity).
Their core competencies include developing and implementing sophisticated engineering solutions for complex logistics projects. Combi Lift (Bremen) is a leading freight forwarder for the global transport of heavy lift and project cargo.
Harren Bulkers (Bremen) is a globally operating dry bulk specialist whose fleet includes bulk carriers in the size segments Handy-Bulker to Post-Panamax. Harren Tankers (Bremen) is the Group’s own tanker shipping company, providing both technical and commercial support for vessels as well as transport services to global energy companies.
Atheleon (Bremen) bundles activities in the dynamically growing offshore wind segment. The renewable energy sector already accounts for 60 per cent of the Group’s business – and the trend is growing.
The Harren Group owns the majority of the fleet. The company is committed to carbon-neutral shipping and is working to convert the entire fleet. The goal is zero-emission shipping across the Group by 2035.
Founded in Bremen in 1989, the Harren Group operates 22 offices in 20 countries around the world, employing around 400 people ashore and more than 3,000 crew members on board its ships.
