Christian Schwab, MSc., was born 1984 in Leer (Ostfriesland), Germany. During his working time in a shipowning company and a chartering broker he gained valuable practical knowledge in the shipping industry. The German Chamber of Commerce awarded him with the title Germany s Best Shipping Merchant 2009. In 2012 he graduated and received a Master of Maritime Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Facinated by Logistics and Shipping, he focused this study on the upcoming trend on horizontal collaboration in the maritime industry which has been awarded with the Marilyn Stone Memorial Prize from the ELUPEG.