About HANSA

HANSA

HANSA – International Maritime Journal is one of the world's oldest continuously published maritime trade journals, founded in 1864 as the "Zeitschrift für deutsches Seewesen" and published monthly by the Schiffahrts-Verlag Hansa in Hamburg, part of the TAMM Media group. Now in its second century of publication, with the 156th volume reached around 2020, HANSA informs the maritime industry's decision-makers with detailed background on markets, financing, shipping, ship technology, insurance, ports, and offshore. As the oldest specialist publication in the German shipping sector with a high sold circulation, it holds a unique position in maritime media, combining a monthly print journal with online news, podcasts, and the annual HANSA-Forum industry conference held since 1997.

Overview

HANSA appears monthly as a bilingual-leaning German international journal whose main sections, "Märkte" (Markets), "Finanzierung" (Financing), "Schifffahrt" (Shipping), "Schiffstechnik" (Ship Technology), "Versicherung" (Insurance), "Häfen" (Ports), and "Offshore," structure its coverage of the maritime economy. Specialist readers find detailed background information on the latest developments in the maritime sector, with both the national and the international industry in view. Topics such as ship financing and maritime law, explained by industry experts, deliver immediately applicable information for daily business.

The journal regularly presents market analyses of important segments of the maritime economy in clear, compact form, with well-founded information on markets, trends, and potentials. Key personnel moves and brief news from all relevant areas complement the editorial program. Major events such as trade fairs and congresses are covered in previews and reviews, and since 2010 each issue has included a Buyers Guide, a marketplace for establishing new business contacts. The maritime industry thinks and acts globally like hardly any other, and HANSA provides the corresponding know-how for its readers' business.

History

The journal was founded in 1864 as the "Zeitschrift für deutsches Seewesen," in the era when German shipping was rising to world significance and Hamburg was establishing itself as a global port. In its continuous thematic development over more than 160 years, the journal mirrors the transformation of the maritime trade in all its facets far beyond national borders: the age of sail giving way to steam, the world wars and their aftermath, containerization, the rise of Asian shipbuilding, and the current transformation toward decarbonization and digitalization.

The publishing house, the Schiffahrts-Verlag "Hansa" GmbH & Co. KG, was itself founded in 1864 and remains based in Hamburg, led by Thomas Bantle and Peter Tamm jun. Since 2009 it has been part of TAMM Media, founded that year with headquarters in Hamburg and offices in Bonn and Berlin, which also includes the Mittler Report Verlag and the Maximilian Verlag with its dvp, Koehler, and Mittler brands. The publisher has organized the annual HANSA-Forum industry conference since 1997, a highlight of the national and international maritime events calendar. The journal's uninterrupted publication through 160 years of German and maritime history, including two world wars, division and reunification, and the digital revolution, represents a unique success story in specialist media. Few trade journals anywhere in the world can claim such continuity; the HANSA brand has survived the eras of sail, steam, diesel, and now alternative fuels, documenting each transformation as it happened. This archive of maritime knowledge, stretching back to 1864, is itself a historical resource of considerable value for researchers of shipping and naval history.

Coverage and Content

The markets section analyzes freight markets, charter rates, and secondhand and newbuilding prices across the shipping segments, giving readers the data they need for commercial decisions. Financing coverage addresses ship finance, investment structures, and the capital markets' relationship with shipping, a topic of particular importance in Hamburg, historically one of the world's great ship-finance centers. Ship technology reporting covers propulsion, digitalization, and the environmental technologies driving the industry's decarbonization, from alternative fuels to exhaust treatment.

The ports and offshore sections follow infrastructure developments and the offshore wind industry, a growth sector in which German and European companies play leading roles. Insurance topics address the specialized world of marine insurance, while legal contributions explain regulatory developments. The Buyers Guide in each issue serves as a marketplace for suppliers and service providers. Personnel news tracks the industry's leadership changes, and the previews and reviews of trade fairs and congresses, including the SMM in Hamburg, the world's leading maritime trade fair, connect the journal to the industry's event calendar.

The Media Family

HANSA anchors a family of maritime media within TAMM Media. The magazine Binnenschifffahrt focuses specifically on the concerns and challenges of inland shipping, offering in-depth insights into this important segment. The hansa.news website, launched as the international flagship, provides English-language news for global readers with a weekly newsletter and a biweekly podcast, the hansa.news-cast, offering exclusive insights into the people behind the products. The interplay of print magazine, online news, and podcasts with industry experts and decision-makers covers all important trends and events in shipping, shipbuilding, maritime politics, the supply industry, ports, insurance, financing, and offshore wind.

The newest addition addresses the yacht industry: the HANSA YACHTS portal covers yacht technology, shipyard stories, interviews, and market reports for professionals, from yacht owners and shipyards to designers, suppliers, brokers, and consultants, with a free monthly newsletter and a complete free archive of e-paper issues. The annual HANSA-Forum brings specialists and managers together to discuss the industry's latest developments. This multi-brand, multi-channel structure makes TAMM Media's maritime division one of the most comprehensive specialist-media operations in the global shipping industry.

Organization and Ownership

HANSA is published by the Schiffahrts-Verlag "Hansa" GmbH & Co. KG, based in Hamburg, part of the TAMM Media group founded in 2009. The group's leadership includes Thomas Bantle and Peter Tamm jun. The publishing house employs a focused team serving the maritime specialist audience. The business model combines subscriptions, advertising from the maritime supply industry, and event revenues from the HANSA-Forum and related activities.

The journal's sold circulation, described as high for the German market, reflects its status as the leading monthly maritime trade publication in Germany. For advertisers in shipbuilding, marine equipment, ports, and maritime services, HANSA offers access to the industry's decision-makers in Germany and beyond. The publisher's award partnerships, such as the 10,000-euro media budget provided to the winner of the RISING STARS AWARD at Europort 2023, demonstrate the brand's engagement with innovation in the industry.

Digital Presence

The portal hansa-online.de is the journal's digital home, complemented by the e-paper editions available through epaper.hansa-online.de. The hansa.news website serves international readers in English around the clock, with the weekly hansa.news-letter and the biweekly hansa.news-cast podcast. The podcasts feature conversations with experts and decision-makers, extending the journal's interview tradition into audio.

The digital strategy reflects the global character of the maritime audience: while the print journal serves the German-speaking core readership, hansa.news addresses the worldwide industry in English, with no subscription fees to maximize reach among decision-makers. Social media presences, including the HANSA.news global LinkedIn page, distribute news and engage the community. For a journal founded in 1864, the current multi-channel presence demonstrates how a heritage brand can adapt to the digital age while maintaining the editorial authority built over 160 years. In an industry where a handful of maritime journals serve the global shipping community, HANSA's combination of age, continuity, and multimedia reach makes it a distinctive institution in German trade publishing.