Following hot on the heels of the closure of two offices in Denmark, Zeamarine’s office in Antwerp has also been declared bankrupt. Six people have reportedly been sent home.

The Business Court in Antwerp declared the bankruptcy on March 10, earlier this week. The court has appointed Mr Bruneel from the Antwerp-based law firm L.Inc to guide the company through the process.

The office in Antwerp is the fourth office in Europe that Zeamarine has closed in the past few weeks. On Monday, PCJ reported that Zeamarine had closed its subsidiary in Denmark, resulting in the layoff of 23 employees.

Things are starting to look grimmer and grimmer for the German breakbulk carrier. In December, owner Kurt Zech appointed insolvency expert Sven Lundehn from Bremen-based law firm Alldatax as the new managing director of the shipping company. Lundehn took over the executive management from CCO Dominik Stehle and managing partner Jan Hendrik Többe, who have both left the company.

In previous statements, a spokesperson of the shipping company said Lundehn was appointed to realign the business strategy with the vision of the senior management and that the owners are committed to the continuation of the business.

It is unclear if Zech aims to continue Zeamarine in a slimmed-down version or if the company will ultimately be wound up completely. If the company does close its doors, it will be the biggest bankruptcy in the breakbulk sector since Beluga Shipping in 2011, a case that was also handled by Sven Lundehn.