Ignace Van Meenen thought long and hard before deciding to step down as chief executive of Rickmers Holding. With the company in the hands of insolvency managers, he felt there was not much to gain from staying put.

“I didn’t make that decision easily,” he told TradeWinds on the day his resignation was announ­ced. “But I’d rather step out, get some rest, and then at the end of the process decide what to do.”