Director
Dr. Niels Hartmann is the Chief Executive Officer and board member of the Hartmann Group and founding member of Pelagic Partners. The Hartmann Group is a German independent, family-owned shipping company with a fleet of over 150 ships and a provider of third-party ship management services.
Dr. Hartmann is a PhD graduate from the University of Kiel (2005) with emphasis on national location factors for shipowning companies. As Group CEO he is responsible for the strategic development of the Hartmann Group’s business and fleet and for organisational matters.
Dr. Niels is also member of the board of the German Shipowners Defence Association.
Director
Atef Abou Merhi is a founding member and MD of Pelagic Partners, a ship owning fund with an AUM of $400m+. He is a seasoned shipping professional and a second-generation ship owner.
Atef holds a BSc (Hons) in Ship and Port Management from Southampton Solent University and an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. Atef also earned a diploma with merits in Ship Finance from Lloyd’s Maritime Academy and is an Alumnus of IMD Business School in Lausanne. He is currently attending the OPM Program at Harvard Business School.
Independent Director
Natasa is the CEO of Med Energywise that recently acquired ExxonMobil Cyprus. She previously served as Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry (2020–2023), leading Cyprus’s green transition and major EU-funded energy initiatives. Earlier, she was the first Shipping Deputy Minister of Cyprus, Director General of InvestCyprus, and held senior roles at Baker Tilly and PwC. She is an Oxford graduate and Chartered Accountant (ICAEW Fellow). She is a Cypriot citizen.
2026 © Pelagic Credit
Terms and Conditions
Cookies Policy
