The Columbia Group has opened an office in Istanbul, Turkey.
CSM Turkey will be headed up by Capt Ozgur Gunes and overseen by Xanthos Kyriakou and Johann Meyer from the Italian and German offices, respectively.
This new office will offer the full spectrum of the Columbia Group integrated maritime services, as well as full ‘second party’ technical and crew management services.
CSM Turkey will also offer essential vessel digitalisation and optimisation services through Columbia’s Performance Optimisation Control Room (POCR), in addition to training, catering and newbuilding consultancy.
This will act as a valuable springboard for the new entity’s expansion into Turkish cruise management sectors, as well as other activities.
Mental health and crew wellbeing services can be offered through One Care, while Columbia Finance can provide Turkish stakeholders with the necessary project equity.
CSM Turkey will also explore a range of in-house joint venture opportunities with Turkish owners, as well as offer crew management services, that will include the supply and management of Filipino, Indian, East European, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese and Turkish seafarers.
The importance of the ‘second party’ shipmanagement model to the Turkish market was underlined by Mark O’Neil, President and CEO of the Columbia Group (pictured), who said CSM Turkey’s blueprint was all about “working with our stakeholders, our clients and our partners, side-by-side, supporting their ability to grow through the delivery of Columbia Group services.”
At the office’s opening, he said that Turkey offered a range of exciting opportunities, ranging from shipbuilding, offshore management and construction, to the cruise sector, super yachts and private jets, all of which could benefit from the services offered by the Columbia Group.
“We want to talk to you about managing your ships, about building vessels, about building barges and offshore units in Turkey. We want to advise you on how to manage, operate and invest in private jets and the super yacht industry. If there is a market for cruise in Turkey, come and talk to us. We will invest in that market, and we will invest in those vessels,” he said.
O’Neil emphasised that Columbia is committed to contributing to the Turkish society and is talking with Turkish maritime universities about offering Columbia scholarships to Turkish cadets.
In another move, COLUMBIA blue (CB), the leisure group active in yacht and cruise management services, asset management, and lifestyle and concierge services, has announced a new logo for COLUMBIA cruise services (CCS).
“The rebranding of COLUMBIA Cruise Services is an important step in unifying our visual identity across the CB portfolio,” said Norman Schmiedl, CB CEO. “By aligning the CCS logo with other brands under CB, we aim to enhance recognition and reinforce our position as a leader in the leisure services industry.”
The rebranding initiative further strengthens the connection between COLUMBIA blue and its parent company, Columbia Group. By tapping into the resources and reputation of Columbia Group, CB is poised to continue its upward trajectory, capitalising on its expanding portfolio of services, it claimed.
“We are thrilled with the success of COLUMBIA blue and we look forward to seeing continued growth of this unparalleled platform of leisure services,” added O’Neil.
CB also announced that Julia Siebert, CB’s former Vice President Leisure, Business Development, and Brand Strategy, has been appointed COO to further develop the business synergies throughout the CB brands and overall operations performance.
In addition, Hendrik Stellamanns, current director of Columbia Shipmanagement Germany, will also take on the position of COLUMBIA Cruise Services (CCS) Managing Director, alongside Siebert.
