About AL Group

1857 – The company Herm. Dauelsberg is founded (Hermann Dauelsberg pictured below) and the first generation of the Bunnemann family, Mr. C. A. Bunnemann joins the founder. The company obtains the permission from the Chamber of Commerce to run a shipbrokerage firm in the port of Bremen.

1868 – Dauelsberg acquires its first vessel the schooner brig BETTY (376 GRT) through American business associates and uses it to transport coal from Great Britain to the South American west coast. On the return voyage she loads saltpeter bound for Europe. The chartering business gains importance in the Company’s business activities.

1885 – After the death of Hermann Dauelsberg in 1881 and the sudden passing of his son in 1885, C. A. Bunnemann (pictured below) takes full ownership of the Company.

1891 – The Company closes its own liner business and takes over the agency business for a new steamer line for Norddeutscher Lloyd.  

The following year Dauelsberg further expands its liner agency business with the British shipping company Lamport & Holt with services to Brazil and La Plata, and to East Asia as well as Australia through agency contracts with Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft (Neptune Linie) and Deutsche Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft Hansa (DDG Hansa).

1898 – The Company acquires the 1,987 GRT four-masted barque CHRISTINE. A year later the Bunnemann buys two more sailing vessels, the 2,437 GRT four-masted barque THEODOR and the 1,782 GRT full-sized ship FERDINAND FISCHER. All three sailing vessels would sail worldwide, primarily with saltpeter from Chile and with grain from Australia to Europe.

1921 – The Company buys its first steam ships, the FAUST (1,550 DWT) and RHEINGOLD (2,400 DWT). Both vessels would primarily be deployed in the intra European wood logs trade with the RHEINGOLD also trading between Canada and Europe.

1928 – During the Great Depression of the 1920s the business activities suffer immensely and the liner agency would again be in the foreground for decades to come.

From 1900 until 1932 the second generation of the family, Friedrich Bunnemann, son of C. A. Bunnemann, runs the Company.

1932 – The third generation, C. A. Bunnemann (II) jun., son of Friedrich Bunnemann takes over the leadership of the Company.

1948 – After the end of World War Two, C. A. Bunnemann (II) expands the agency, chartering, sales and shipping business. The Company’s owned shipped fleet was rebuilt from 1951 under the new subsidiary “Triton Shipping” with the tweendeckers SILVIA and CLIVIA, both built at Rickmers Werft in Bremerhaven, joining in 1954 and 1955. 

1964 – Shipowning activities expanded with Dauelsberg now owning five modern freighters between 5,832 DWT and 7,350 DWT, the largest fleet in the Company’s history to date.

1976 – C. A. Bunnemann, who had worked for the company since 1932, passes away. His sons, the fourth generation, Klaus F. Bunnemann and C. Andreas Bunnemann take over the Company.

1977 – Watanabe Shipbuilding Co. in Hakata delivers the 9,200 DWT freighter CLIVIA (2), the first Japanese built vessel for the Company. She will later change her registry from Germany to Singapore, the first time the Company registers a ship in Singapore.

1987 – During the 1980s and 1990s an increasing number of  liner companies take the agency business in house reducing the need for agency offerings. With the knowledge of the container trades from the agency business, the Company starts to focus on building containerships for its own fleet and orders two multipurpose containerships of the “Passat” design at the East German state-owned Warnow shipyard. The Vessels were lengthened after delivery to carry 1,100 TEU. 

1994 – Dauelsberg invest further into pure containerships by building two 1,400 TEU vessels at Warnow Werft, Germany and a total of eight 2,100 TEU container ships at Stoznia Gdynia, Poland. The fleet of the company grows to new highs.

2004 – The fleet expands further by the addition of two 4,300 TEU and two 5,100 TEU containerships from Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea.

2008 – The fifth generation. The two sons of Klaus F. Bunnemann join the business with Friedrich Bunnemann setting up Asiatic Lloyd in Singapore and Nicolaus Bunnemann joining Herm. Dauelsberg in Bremen.

2010 – Four 93,000 DWT post-panamax bulk carriers are delivered to the fleet of Dauelsberg, the first major investment into the dry bulk segment.

2013 – The Company orders 9,000 TEU Container newbuildings from HHI, South Korea.

2014 – The fourth generation of the family divides their shipowning activities into two seperate companies. Nicolaus Bunnemann sets up Atlantic Lloyd in Hamburg. Together with Asiatic Lloyd in Singapore, AL Group is born.

2016 – AL Group expands its container fleet by acquiring ships from the depressed secondhand market and banks, buying in total thirty containerships between 1,100 TEU and 4,300 TEU over the next four years.

2019 – Nick Bailey joins as Partner and Group Commercial Director. Over the next few years diversification of the fleet continues with the acquisition of a number of MR2 and LR2 product tankers. 

2020 – A Japanese representative office is established marking the start of a number of transactions in Japan including the long term charters of Kamsarmax bulkcarrier newbuildings as well as the Company’s first JOLCO transaction. Further second hand bulk carriers are purchased.

2021 – Major fleet renewal program begins with the order of six 7,100 TEU eco design containership newbuildings at DSIC, China. 

2022 – Order placed for six 50,000 DWT “7th generation” super-eco design MR2 tanker newbuildings at Hyundai Vietnam Shipbuilding.

The Company invests in Gram Car Carriers, becoming the second largest shareholder.

Container markets hit record highs, the divestment of selected older containerships begins.

2023 – Order placed for ten 63,500 DWT “super-eco” design Ultramax bulkers and three 82,000 DWT Kamsarmax Bulkers newbuildings at Hantong Shipyard, China.

The Company invests in four 7,000 CEU Dual Fuel Car Carrier newbuildings at Jinling Weihai Shipyard, China.

The divestment of older product tankers and containerships continues.

2024 – A new dry bulk operating subsidiary “Triton Bulk” is incorporated in Geneva reflecting both the Group’s growing bulk carrier fleet and the many dry cargo interests based in the Swiss city. It has been over 60 years since the Triton name was last used in the Group’s history.

Gram Car Carriers is sold to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).