The company has its basis in a long historical background. The company has been originally founded as family-owned shipping company “Knüppel Schiffahrt” by Captain Johannes Knüppel in 1924.
The Managing Director Mr. Jens Knüppel represents already the third generation of being active in the family shipping business.
In the year 1924 the young entrepreneur Capt. Johannes Knueppel started his own business with the purchase of the ketch rigged barge named "BALDUR". The name symbolizes, according to northern mythology, the god of light and fruitfulness.

The name of the vessel fulfilled its promises. The vessel has been successful and the economic results created the basis for the further development of the company.

In the year 1930 Capt. Johannes Knüppel ordered a three masted trading (yacht) schooner. The vessel was delivered in 1931 under the newbuilding no: 404 and the vessel was named “ELLEN” after the wife of Captain Johannes Knüppel.

The vessel was part of a series of standard freight vessels developed by the shipyard “Nobiskrug” under the so called type name "earner" ("ich verdiene".) The vessel had a capacity of 240 tons deadweight and as motor a small “Deutz” Engine of 150 PS beside the schooner sails.

Over the subsequent years further vessels under the company flag with the funnel symbol “K” were launched into service as shown in the table. Over the subsequent years further vessels flying the company flag with the funnel symbol 'K' were launched into service, as shown in the following tables.

After the death of Capt. Johannes Knüppel in the year 1962 Captain Hans – Hermann Knüppel continued the management of the company and the fleet was consequently expanded by the next generation. Captain H.H. Knüppel ordered the newbuilding of vessels at German yards (below table).

Captain H.H. Knüppel recognized at an early stage that the trend was moving towards the container as a standardized transport unit in shipping. With the vessels m/v "ANNA KNÜPPEL" and m/v "MARGRET" he placed the order for the first container vessels.
These small container vessels were designed to carry limited quantities of containers and started the transition of the company into the container shipping market.
The renewal and expansion of the fleet continued with the order of the container vessel m/v "PETER KNÜPPEL" (newbuilding No: 822) at the shipyard J.J. Sietas KG.

The vessel was delivered to Kapt. H.H. Knüppel and his company Schiffahrtskontor Hans-Hermann Knüppel KG in 1977. The vessel has been operated in the company for around 23 years and even continued afterwards its operations for a Norwegian owner. Due to consequent maintenance the vessel has been a valuable asset with reliable and very successful economic results over all the operating years.

In 1982 a further container vessel m/v "HELIOS" (newbuilding No.: 903) has been added to the fleet. The vessel had again been build at the company house shipyard J.J. Sietas KG in Hamburg - Germany.
In 1985 the container vessel m/v "JENS KNÜPPEL" (12.500 tdw / 1.012 TEU) has been launched. The vessel was however sold in the final delivery stage due to the insolvency proceedings of the building shipyard “Rickmers” in Bremerhaven.
After the sudden death of Captain Hans-Hermann Knüppel in 1989 his youngest son Jens Knüppel took the helm and continued to successfully run the company at the age of 24 years.

As part of a fleet renewal and in order to react to a changing market requirements the second-hand container vessel m/v "MARGRET KNÜPPEL" (newbuilding No. 896 / Yard : J.J. Sietas) with a container capacity of 750 TEU has been purchased in the year 1997.

A further fleet upgrade was achieved in 2003 with the purchase of the second-hand container vessel m/v “K-OCEAN" (newbuilding No: 1148).
The vessel has also been originally build at the Shipyard J.J. Sietas in Hamburg. With this acquisition a modern container vessel with an innovative “open hatch” design and a slot capacity of 700 TEU has been added to the fleet.
The vessel has also initiated a new name series were the traditional family name has been symbolized by the letter “K”.
In the year 2005 the company name has been changed / transformed also in connection with a new partner structure from Knüppel Schiffahrts GmbH KG into K&K Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG.

In the years 2005 – 2008 the careful fleet expansion continued. Beside some container ship newbuilding projects in China as well as in Germany, five second-hand vessel projects were initiated.
The newbuildings “K-STORM” and “K-BREEZE” had been delivered to the company by the shipyard Hegemann Shipyard.
The vessel are constructed with a modern design and offer a high stowage flexibility in view to the intake (deck and holds) of all kind of various container sizes (i.e. intake of Containers with sizes of 45 Feet, 49 Feet, High Cubes, wide body units etc.).

Today K&K Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG represents a modern, reliable and professional shipping company, with a small but fine fleet being basically active worldwide in all ocean basins.