German start-up Okee Maritime has taken its first step as part of a plan to build a fleet of container feeder vessels.

The Hamburg-based company has acquired the 1,510-teu Hansa Narvik (built 1998) and plans to capitalise on low asset prices by picking up two or three vessels this year, says managing partner Felix Honicke.

That is being made possible with the help of an expanded shareholder base.