The funeral of Bertram Rickmers, one of the best known German shipowners of his generation, will be held today.
Senior shipping figures will join friends and family in the iconic church of St Michaelis in a midday service in the centre of the port city of Hamburg.
Between 500 to 1,000 guests are expected to attend the funeral service, led by senior pastor Alexander Order, according to German reports.
They will pay their last respects for the shipowner, who passed away in tragic circumstances two weeks ago.
Rickmers died on the night of 22 May, aged 71, after tragically succumbing to injuries caused by an accident in his home.
The shipowner, who hailed from one of Germany’s most illustrious shipping dynasties, remained a pivotal figure in the Hamburg shipping community to the end.
Rickmers entered the business in the early 1980s, when the family’s shipping empire had fallen on hard times.
A colourful career spanning four decades saw his companies twice succumb to bankruptcy, only for the business to recover and grow again.
In recent years, Rickmers helped oversee a comeback with his Asian Spirit Steamship Co (ASSC), which he launched together with son Rickmer Clasen — the sixth generation of the family to join the shipping business. The company has since grown with newbuildings and secondhand purchases.
Rickmers is survived by his wife Franziska, daughters Anna Sophie and Lara, his son, and five grandchildren.
