Klaus Pabst, born and bred in Kiel, Germany, was an apprentice at MaK in Kiel in the 1950s and went on to help the engine manufacturer establish the first branch of the company in Hamburg. After several years in the business, he felt inspired to start his own organisation and founded SEA SERVICE KLAUS PABST GMBH.
At the end of 1985, he relocated the company from his „home office“ to Norderstedt, where the foundation was laid for the current headquarters, just a stone’s throw away from Hamburg. With a small team of 4 employees he focussed mainly on the Scandinavian market, profiting not only from his extensive know-how but also from flexibility and close customer contact which became an early part of the company’s philosophy.
Ulrich Freudenberger, then an employee at the traditional Hamburg ship supplier EMIL KRITZY, joined the team in Norderstedt in the summer of 1991. The popularity of the company continued to grow at a rapid pace as word of the superb level of service of SEA SERVICE Klaus Pabst GmbH spread and the company developed into a renowned business establishment, further developing its already outstanding reputation for the supply of high quality spare parts for MaK diesel engines.
In 1995, Klaus’ daughter Maike also joined the business. Having successfully completed an apprenticeship as a shipping agent at the company Reederei August Bolten in Hamburg and work experience abroad in Cyprus (Reederei Nord), she brought exceptional credentials with her to the team. As the firm’s successor, Maike Pabst, along with her colleague Ulrich Freudenberger, founded Inter Sea Services & Trading GmbH in 1996. The takeover was complete in 2002 when Maike Pabst and Ulrich Freudenberger became the sole owners as equal partners in the company.
Further milestones in the company’s history were the construction of the warehouse/office building in Henstedt-Ulzburg in 1999 and the opening of the subsidiary WESSEX HANSEATIC MARINE SERVICES LTD in Poole, England, where Managing Director Martin Cassidy oversees ISST’s ongoing expansion in the United Kingdom.
As of autumn 2015, „Inter Sea Services & Trading GmbH“ in Norderstedt and „Wessex Hanseatic Marine Services Ltd“ have a combined total of 17 employees. A highly motivated team has evolved, combining decades of experience with genuine enthusiasm, assuring the continual growth of the company and exceptional customer satisfaction.
SHIPS KEEP SAILING ON.