Seahawk Investments Expands Alternative Investment Platform with Launch of Maritime Private Credit Fund

Seahawk Investments Expands Alternative Investment Platform with Launch of Maritime Private Credit Fund

FRANKFURT / LUXEMBOURG 8 September 2026 – Seahawk Investments GmbH announces the launch of the Seahawk Maritime Credit Fund, a Luxembourg-domiciled Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) that expands the firm’s alternative investment platform into maritime private credit. The first sub fund SMCF I is supported by a well-established maritime industry family office acting as anchor investor, which has already committed around USD 80 million – more than half of the fund’s USD 150 million target volume.

The launch reflects a structural and growing opportunity in maritime private credit. The progressive retreat of traditional bank lenders from shipping finance — driven by tightening Basel IV capital requirements and internal portfolio rationalisation — has created a persistent financing gap, particularly for smaller and medium-sized shipowners. For institutional investors, this structural dislocation creates attractive risk-adjusted opportunities in senior secured maritime lending, especially in segments underserved by traditional banks.

“Maritime lending continues to experience a structural financing imbalance as traditional banks retreat from parts of the market,” said Philip Clausius, Managing Partner of Transport Capital Group, the majority shareholder of Frankfurt based Seahawk Investments GmbH. “We believe this creates an attractive opportunity for specialised lenders with deep sector expertise, disciplined underwriting and the ability to execute reliably in complex situations.”

Seahawk's investment platform already encompasses two established liquid alternative strategies accessible to a broad investor base. The Seahawk Equity Long Short Fund (est. May 2019, UCITS-compliant) provides liquid long/short equity exposure to transport and energy markets with low correlation characteristics versus main equity markets. The Seahawk Credit Opportunities Fund (est. 2024) offers liquid access to corporate unsecured and secured bonds in the same sectors. Both funds are available through regulated, daily-liquidity vehicles to a wider range of investors and serve as natural entry points for those seeking exposure to Seahawk’s expertise without committing to an illiquid private credit structure.

The new Seahawk Maritime Credit Fund I (SMCF I) deploys a senior secured, asset-backed credit strategy across a diversified portfolio of maritime transportation assets, including container vessels, dry bulk carriers, tankers, RoRo/PCTC vessels, offshore service vessels, and intermodal equipment.

The fund employs an anti-cyclical, through-the-cycle risk approach focused on generic, liquid maritime assets with transparent secondary market valuations. SMCF I, as first sub fund, is structured under a Luxembourg SCA, SICAV RAIF, with a maximum maturity of eight years, plus two optional one-year extensions, and annual distributions.

In addition to traditional secured lending, the strategy can structure financial leases – a capability offered by few providers in the maritime credit market. SMCF I can apply back leverage of up to 1:1, increasing the fund’s total credit volume to up to USD 300 million.

The strategy benefits from Seahawk’s global origination network and direct relationships across key maritime hubs in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, enabling proprietary deal flow and efficient transaction execution, often within compressed timelines.

The fund is managed by Michael de Visser, who previously led the shipping and intermodal activities of NIBC Bank in the Netherlands. “We are very pleased to have Michael joining Seahawk,” said Hubertus Clausius, Founder and Managing Director of Seahawk Investments GmbH. “His extensive experience in ship finance, longstanding industry relationships and deep understanding of asset-backed lending makes him ideally positioned to lead and to develop our maritime private credit activities.”

“Shipowners increasingly require financing partners who understand both the operational realities of the sector and the importance of execution certainty,” said Michael de Visser, Managing Director Credit Investments at Seahawk Investments GmbH. “Our focus is on providing flexible, asset-backed solutions combined with disciplined credit selection and active risk management.”

The fund is supported by an institutional-grade service provider framework: Universal Investment-Luxembourg S.A. (AIFM & Fund Administrator), DZ PRIVATBANK AG, Niederlassung Luxemburg (Depositary), Arendt & Medernach S.A. (Legal  Counsel), and Deloitte (Independent Auditor).

About Seahawk Investments GmbH

Seahawk Investments GmbH is a Frankfurt-based, privately-owned independent investment specialist focused on absolute return strategies with core expertise in the transport and energy sectors. Investment strategies include the Seahawk Equity Long Short Fund (est. May 2019), the Seahawk Credit Opportunities Fund (since 2024), and the Seahawk Maritime Credit Fund, alongside wealth management services. Regulated by BaFin under the German Securities Institutions Act (WpIG). The Seahawk Equity Long Short Fund and the Seahawk Credit Opportunities Fund offer investors across a broader spectrum direct access to Seahawk’s sector expertise through liquid, regulated strategies. Seahawk Investments is part of Transport Capital Group.

Transport Capital Pte. Ltd. — established in 2013 in Singapore, focused on investment management and advisory services in the transportation sector — is the majority shareholder of Seahawk Investments GmbH.

About Universal Investment

Universal Investment Group is one of Europe's leading fund service platforms and Super ManCos with around EUR 1,529 billion in assets under administration, about 5,000 fund and investment mandates and a workforce of around 1,700 at locations in Frankfurt am Main, Luxembourg, Dublin, London, Paris, Stockholm, Krakow, and Singapore. Founded in 1968, the company is an independent platform for asset managers as well as institutional investors offering structuring and administration solutions as well as risk management for Securities, Real Estate and Alternative Investments. Universal Investment is a signatory of the UN Principles of Responsible Investment. (as of July 2026)

Media Contacts

Seahawk Investments GmbH

Hubertus Clausius | Managing Director

E: hc@seahawk-investments.com  |  T: +49.69.244044.10

Michael de Visser | Managing Director, Head of Credit Investments

E: mdv@seahawk-investments.com  |  T: +49.69.244044.33, M: +31 654 980 298

Universal Investment

Alfons Niederländer | Senior Communications Manager

E: alfons.niederlaender@universal-investment.com  | T: +49 69 71043-2513, M: +49 151 40623664

This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for units or shares of an alternative investment fund. The Seahawk Maritime Credit Fund is a Reserved Alternative Investment Fund (RAIF) domiciled in Luxembourg, available only to professional investors and eligible counterparties as defined under applicable law. Investment in alternative funds involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Seahawk Investments GmbH, Bettinastrasse 62, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Regulated by BaFin, ID 10163381.