Achim is a Chamber of Commerce certified shipping economist; he studied Civil- and Commercial Law. Following his submission of a thesis, dealing with fundamental differences of certain aspects between Continental and English jurisdiction regarding the carriage of goods by sea, he was accepted as a Member by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in London; he is a Companion of The Nautical Institute, London.

Succeeding his apprenticeship he spent a time at sea as a cadet. He worked for various worldwide operating shipping and transport companies in Germany and overseas where his main activities involved liner- and tramp shipping as also large scale project logistics. Since 1985 he is engaged as a free lance consultant in the field of transport and logistics. He lectured maritime transport economics and international trade law and renders his expertise to shipping and shipping related companies, furthermore he is a non-executive director of various shipowning companies. His entrepreneurial interests also comprise co-ownership of numerous ocean going vessels. He has written numerous articles on the subject of carriage of goods by sea which were published in specialized journals.

As long a I know him, Achim has been carrying his various cameras with him and he takes photos whenever there is an opportunity. He is enthusiastic about documenting the vast facets of shipping and the carriage of goods by sea. It was the editorial team of the British Fairplay Magazine encouraging him in 1996 to contribute his photos for publication. Since then he very consciously developed his photographic skills, and has achieved an excellent reputation within the media and PR industry.

Patricia Maher-Affeldt - 2005