Helge Rathje - Naval Architect/Engineer

Contact Details

Helge Rathje is a Naval Architect and Marine Surveyor located in our Hamburg Office having joined Taylor & Co (Hamburg) Ltd in August 2018.

Having served as a freight co-ordinator at Maersk Deutschland GmbH for three years, Helge then went on to join the German classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL) in September 1994, where he was responsible for rule development projects addressing wave-induced loads on ships and offshore structures.  In his function as head of department from January 2001 until February 2013, he was responsible for a number of major GL and international joint industry projects, and he also chaired several IACS rule development projects aiming to enhance the quality of wave data and sea loads on ship structures.

In June 2013, Helge joined SAL Heavy Lift GmbH in Hamburg as a heavy lift engineer, where he primarily implemented the pioneering weather-restricted sea transport method to facilitate sea transports of heavy lift ships under wave height conditions on transit.

Helge is an advisor to the German flag state regarding the intended implementation of weather-dependant lashing regulations in Annex 13 of IMO's CSS code.  As a Supercargo, he furthermore surveyed several weight-critical and oversized heavy lift projects on site.

Prior to joining Taylor Marine in Hamburg, Helge provided advanced engineering services to design bureaus, shipping companies, and an expert witness consultancy as an independent engineering consultant.  Helge is also a member of DNV GL's Heavy Lift Exchange Forum.

Helge's main expertise as an independent engineering consultant comprises:

• Seakeeping analyses of ships and offshore structures
• Design of weather-restricted sea transports
• Marine Warranty Survey of heavy lift shipments
• Accidental loss of hook load computations according to IMO and class
• Sea towage approvals and warranty work
• Mooring Analyses
• Alternative proofs of Classification and IMO rule-conformity regarding lashing and securing of sea-transported cargoes
• Pre-load surveys of project and heavy lift cargoes
• Load and lashing equipment inspections
• Intact stability calculation reviews of merchant ships