Paul Gurtler – Managing Director
Paul Gurtler entered shipping following a 14 year career in international banking, including 5 years in Tokyo, Japan, and one year heading the ship finance department of Marine Midland Bank in New York. Prior to establishing Interlink in 1979 he spent two years with Itel Corporation where he developed the company’s New York based ship leasing division. Since August 1979 he has managed Interlink, which has been an active shipping investor in partnership with Norwegian, Dutch, German, U.S. and Hong Kong based owners. The company’s shipping portfolio has included Aframax tankers (5), Supramax bulk carriers (5), Chemical/Product tankers (3), 1,100TEU containerships (2), 530,000 cu.ft. reefer vessels (3), Handysize bulkers (3) and a 125,000 cu.m. LNG carrier. All shipping investments were liquidated by the first half of 2008 and the current project to build and operate a fleet of Handysize bulkers was initiated in the second half of 2009.
Jens Alers – Director (Technical)
Jens Alers began his career in 1985 as a Management Trainee with liner shipping company OPDR in Hamburg. In 1988 he became Inland Marketing Manager of Hapag Lloyd (UK) in London, directing the company’s container haulage and rail logistics. He joined the Schulte Group in 1991 as a partner and Sale & Purchase Broker in Alemania Shipbrokers, Hong Kong. In 1995 he became Commercial Manager of Schulte Group’s Isle of Man based ship management operation, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (formerly Dorchester Maritime). In 1998 he was promoted to Managing Director of sister company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Bermuda (then known as Atlantic Marine L.P.) with general responsibility for the Schulte Group’s business development in the Americas. Since November, 2009, he has been retained by the Schulte Group in an independent capacity to represent their business development activities in the Americas and Europe. He is the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bermuda.
Forster Darling – Director (Commercial)
Forster graduated from the University of Vermont and started his maritime career in 1994 working for Fram Shipping of Bermuda. During a two year period with the company, Forster worked onboard a shuttle tanker in the North Sea, a RoRo vessel trading on a round the world service, and in various shipyards in Ukraine where Fram was building a series of tankers. In 1996 Forster moved to Oslo where he spent 3 years working as a Sale & Purchase broker for Lorentzen & Stemoco. In 1999 he enrolled at City University in London where he obtained a Masters Degree in Shipping, Trade & Finance. Following this he returned to Bermuda and established Fleetwood Management, a company specializing in the offshore administration of Bermuda based international shipping companies; this included an engagement in 2005 to commercially manage the off-shore fleet of a New York based ship-owner. In 2007 he established Mid-Atlantic Bulk Carriers Ltd. (“MAB”) which initially was an operator of chartered-in Handy-Size Bulk Carriers. MAB’s business has continued to develop and today MAB primarily manages the ocean transportation of its exclusive cargo base and handles the post-fixture management of the Interlink fleet.
Eugene Cornelius – Chief Financial Officer
Eugene Cornelius brings over thirty years of financial and management experience spanning a variety of industries and companies covering all aspects of the financial function including SEC reporting, GAAP compliance, SOX and internal controls, planning and budgeting as well as broad experience in treasury. Eugene joined Metall und Rohstoff Shipping RSA in 1996 as Financial Director and later held a series of positions of increasing responsibility in finance, mergers and acquisitions, regional operations and planning. Before being appointed to his position, effective February 1, 2015, he was Controller of Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. and previously, was Director of Reporting at Overseas Shipholding Group and prior to that appointment he served as Vice President and Controller at the Navios Corporation. Eugene acquired public accounting and tax experience at Deloitte & Touche South Africa and worked in the petrochemical, mining and steel production industries before entering the shipping industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of South Africa, a master’s degree in accounting, auditing and tax from the University of Pretoria, and is a Chartered Accountant and is a member of the South Africa Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Association of Chartered Accountants in the U.S.