Ships are expensive.

Sometimes innovative ways need to be found to finance them. 

Hundreds of millions of dollars.

They are not just bought with cash. Some kind of financing is usually needed to fund vessels. The vast fleet of ocean-going cargo ships are supported by finance from private and public investors. The shipping industry relies on this capital in order to function. 

The German KG or Kommanditions Gesellschaft model of Ship Finance

Through the pooling of risk and liabilities, shipping investments have become more accessible today than ever before. Anyone can buy shares in large ships used for commercial purposes. In Germany such investments traditionally even received preferable tax treatment. 

More about this in subsequent posts. This is what the legal structure looks like: