Our story

MF Shipping Group began its journey in 1994, having been founded by CEO Karin Orsel at the young age of 23. The home base is still in the Dutch village of Farmsum, close to Delfzijl. 

With a team of 50 crew members on board and only 3 office staff back then, together they had but one goal: to be known as a reliable and efficient ship manager with key focus on the people aspect. And that has certainly been a success!

What started as a modest collection of 6 vessels, has now grown into a diverse fleet of more than 55 vessels, with more than 1.000 seafaring crew members and approximately 80 office staff. We are proud of our 98% retention figures.

Passion for shipping in combination with the down-to-earth northern mentality of “saying what we do and doing what we say”, still works for us. MF Shipping Group will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary in 2024. 

Our logo

Did you know that the three ‘globes’ in our logo actually symbolise a ship’s radar system? Each colour originally represented an individual working division. And now they still stand for our values. 

Radar is essential for safe navigation at sea and offers continuous monitoring to avoid hazards and to guarantee the safety of the vessel and its crew. Thanks to precision and reliability, radar provides essential data for the detection of objects and for navigation in complex maritime environments. 

By integrating radar with digital technologies, we have proven our innovative and future-oriented approach, whereby sustainable ship management is key. The importance attached to all these aspects can be recognised in our core values.