Heavy loads like wind turbines, huge cranes and complex generators are Noah Maritime’s bread and butter. Based in Emden, the maritime service provider specialises in securing and lashing cargo and has made a name for itself in the field of project cargo logistics and increased its business fivefold within three years. How did the company manage that?
Credits: Noah Maritime
For his business concept, Cem Öztürk simply needed to keep his eyes open. During his shipping and chartering manager training at epas in Emden, which also included six months with the parent company, the Briese shipping company in Leer, and the subsequent two-and-a-half years of work in operations, he had the opportunity to observe the challenges of securing project cargo.
“I had come to realise that there were a lot of competent tradespeople in the segment who did great work but were also quite focused on day-to-day operations and didn’t bother with things like a modern, engaging website and marketing,” recalls the company founder and managing director. There must be a better way to do this, he thought. So he quit his job, founded Noah Maritime and began contacting potential customers by email and phone and offering them cargo lashing services. “I knew what mattered to shipping companies and how to simplify their work,” explains Öztürk.
Whilst shipping companies tend to secure and lash the containers themselves and service providers specialise in vehicle transport, project cargo always requires tailored securing and lashing concepts. “Sometimes the crew itself is in charge of lashing cargo, but there are rarely any welding experts on board. If that’s the case, we can do it.” That is why it was clear from the beginning that one of the core USPs should be taking as much of the work as possible off the hands of the customer, which could be the shipping company, freight forwarder, cargo owner or port, depending on who is responsible for securing the cargo as specified in the manifest. That meant total commitment for Öztürk, who was involved both administratively and physically in cargo lashing during the first four years. “I did the office work and helped out on the ships, which is where I developed hands-on experience.”
From the headquarters in Emden and the branch in Gdańsk, the teams travel as far as Finland and France to secure and release project cargo.
As far as Finland and France for customers
Things were going well, “especially because our competitors were taking it easy and we were hard at work,” reports Öztürk. “That made it possible for us as the newcomer to acquire market shares in no time.” From the headquarters in Emden and the branch in Gdańsk, the metalworking and welding teams have been travelling as far as Finland and France for some time now to secure and release project cargo. Most of the cargo they deal with is wind turbine parts such as towers, rotor blades, generators and nacelles. And then there are cranes, large generators and smaller ships that are transported with multi-purpose vessels.
The number of employees required is dependent on the job. “Four employees are currently deployed on a ship at Teesport near Middlesbrough, England, for five days,” says Öztürk. “A total of twelve offshore tower sections had to be released there, which we had previously secured in accordance with all safety regulations.” The individual sections weighed between 202 and 324 tonnes and measured between 32 and 40 metres in length. His employees had plenty of tools with them in the van, including three plasma cutters and five angle grinders. The lashing chains and metal plates used to secure the cargo were welded directly onto the ship and the cargo itself to prevent it from sliding around during the sea voyage. “Broadly speaking, this is a typical job for us,” says Öztürk.
Noah Maritime currently employs 25 to 30 people, either directly or indirectly via subcontractors. There are usually more in the summer, as that is the peak season for project cargo. Ideally, the company will have notice of a few weeks for jobs like that. “But sometimes I get calls from customers who ask, ‘How soon can your team be in Sweden?’” says the managing director. In other words, he cannot offer a nine-to-five job, meaning that sometimes longer working hours and weekend work are involved.
New software for efficient scheduling
But his employees, who tend to be in their early to mid-30s, also see that as a benefit. “They enjoy travelling and like the idea of doing demanding physical work with heavy lashing chains and climbing around in the cargo hatches of the multi-purpose vessels for two to three weeks at a time and then having a week or two off.” Ninety per cent of his employees get around by car – often from ship to ship. Öztürk has just recently introduced the plancraft software to efficiently coordinate team assignments and materials. “It works really well,” he says. There is always plenty of work to be done in the office: “We’re also a small travel agency in the background and are in charge of accommodation, ferries, agent contact and, if necessary, flights,” says the entrepreneur. And then, of course, he has to respond to customer queries. “My main work is planning and coordination.”
Öztürk achieved an annual turnover of 440,000 euros in 2020 and 2.1 million euros in 2023. “Sales have doubled every year since 2020,” he adds. This period also included the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns in many countries, at which time he successfully conducted cold calls through Google and LinkedIn in Sweden, where there were only a few restrictions. In 2024, he applied for a spot in the FOCUS-Business portal’s ranking of companies with the largest sales growth based on percentage and secured 60th place overall out of 500 companies and second place among the logistics companies.
However, you cannot maintain this level of growth in this segment over the long term. “Now it’s largely about efficiency and further optimising all the processes.” Öztürk has just purchased a larger office right on the water in Emden to create more space, as the growth champion, which generated sales of 2.3 million in 2024, has set itself some ambitious goals for 2025. He plans to increase sales by 20 to 30 per cent compared to the previous year. (cb)
Facts
Noah Maritime
Headquarters: Emden
Additional location: Gdańsk
Established: 2017
Area of busines: Welding services and cargo lashing in shipping
Employees: 25 to 30, including subcontractors
Turnover in 2024: 2.3 million
