Breakbulk Americas 25th Anniversary Supplement

CO M M EM OR AT IV

EE

DI TIO N

A COMMUNITY CELEBRATES

THE BIGGEST THING WE MOVE IS TIME

We all come from the world of ‘big’. A world of big projects and big machines. A world in which it is Mammoet’s role to move objects – no matter their size – for customers in a range of heavy industries. We provide solutions for lifting, transporting, installing and decommissioning large and heavy structures.

We could talk for hours about the equipment we use, and about how sophisticated and powerful it is. But all that power means nothing without a plan.

In fact, we believe our business isn’t about size.

It’s about: time.

Uptime. Turnaround time. Time to market. To our customers, time is the currency that matters most. That’s why we strive to bring their deadlines forward. It’s an integrated, daily effort shared by everyone at Mammoet.

Having faced almost every conceivable challenge in over two hundred years, we have developed a way of working based on

three pillars: innovative engineering, careful planning and, above all else, safe delivery.

Sometimes, by deploying our expertise in the design stage, we can even help our clients to optimize their project as a whole.

That’s how we move time for our customers.

So time isn’t set in concrete. Or forged in steel. It’s not even all that heavy.

And yet, it’s the biggest thing we can move for you.

For more information please call Mammoet USA at +1 713-369-2200.

Or send an e-mail to: sales.america@mammoet.com.

Discover more on www.mammoet.com

MANAGING DIRECTOR Alli McEntyre / +353.21.470.9595 amcentyre@breakbulk.com

contents

ACCOUNT MANAGER Kathleen Pinson / +1.678.954.0552 kpinson@breakbulk.com

MANAGING EDITOR Gary Burrows DESIGNER Catherine Dorrough HEADQUARTERS Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin 2 Ireland

A4 25 YEARS OF BREAKBULK: 1990-2014

An annual conference, an enduring community

A16 DEVELOPMENT OF BREAKBULK CONFERENCES Unique event has evolved, expanded in scope and geography over 25 years

A20 HOT TOPICS THROUGH THE YEARS A27 BREAKBULK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS

For nine years, Breakbulk honored the industry veterans who helped shape the breakbulk sector.

A31 BEST PRACTICES IN MIDDLE EAST

Breakbulk to launch industry event in Saudi Arabia

www.breakbulk.com BREAKBULK MAGAZINE A3

celebrating the breakbulk community

By Leslie Meredith

25 YEARS OF

1990-2014 An annual conference, an enduring community

A

s the last decade of the 20th century began, hope was on the horizon for the breakbulk industry.

While containerized shipping had deeply cut into breakbulk volumes, it was becoming clear that not everything fits into a 40-foot box. Steel, timber and other traditional breakbulk cargoes, as well as project cargoes kept the industry afloat.

“Despite the container and intermodal revolutions, the predicted demise of traditional breakbulk shipping was greatly exaggerated,” wrote Craig Dunlap, columnist for the Journal of Commerce.

And the world was changing. The Berlin Wall had fallen and the Soviet Union dissolved. The Cold War was over and with it came new opportunities in parts

of the world that had been previously closed.

The Journal of Commerce decided the time was ripe for an event to focus solely on breakbulk transportation. In June 1990, the JOC hosted the first Breakbulk conference in Atlanta. While small, the event was a success, and in 1991, conference attendance doubled.

Victories in the struggle with containerization were celebrated. Some commodities, which were known as swing products, alternated between the two types of shipping, largely determined by cost. Equipment technology advances were lowering shippers’ costs by reducing and speeding cargo handling, thereby decreasing damage claims and labor requirements.

For instance, in the latter half of the 1980s, the

BREAKBULK TIMELINE Following is a brief timeline with some of the major events that shaped our industry and a selection of significant engineering projects, punctuated by the annual Breakbulk conferences the place to assess the past, solve current problems, celebrate success and weigh the future.

1990

1991

June 25-26, 1990 – 1st Annual BreakBulk Transpo ’90, Atlanta, Ga.

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March 3, 1991 – First engineers arrive at Kuwait oil fires. Iraq sets fire to 85 percent of Kuwait’s oil wells. Bechtel leads effort to put out the fires, involving 200,000 tons of supplies, the biggest since the Berlin airlift of 1948. Photo: Kuwait oil well fires. / Credit: James Hunt May 1991 – Federal Highway Administration green-lights Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project, known as the Big Dig. Bechtel and Parsons Brinckerhoff start construction on what would become the most expensive highway project in the U.S. at about US$15 billion.

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Engineered Transport Solutions Our Project Division brings targeted shipping solutions to the offshore, oil & gas industry. Managing this activity and meeting the industry standard is the mandate of the Project Division. BBC Chartering has invested time and resources to leverage its fleet and knowledge in order to offer its competitive solutions through global project tenders.

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celebrating the breakbulk community

vast majority of Brazilian green coffee moved in containers. But with the development of improved net slings that enabled dockworkers to load in one day what once took a week, breakbulk coffee shipping was making a strong comeback.

Ports like Mobile, Ala., reported that even though they had been essentially cut out of the container trade, they could develop into booming hub ports for specific commodities.

And, when world events affected breakbulk shipping, conference organizers found the right people to deliver relevant information to attendees.

At BreakBulk Transpo ’91, Lt. Gen. Edward Honor, president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Transportation Association, delivered the keynote address on the challenges facing breakbulk shipping in the wake of the Persian Gulf War. Iraq soldiers had set fire to 85 percent of Kuwait’s oil wells as they retreated, leaving Kuwait’s oil production at zero. U.S. engineering and construction firm Bechtel was called in to manage the movement of 200,000 tons of supplies, much of which was breakbulk cargo. It became the biggest airlift in his-

1991

1992

June 25-26, 1991 – 2nd Annual BreakBulk Transpo ’91, Atlanta, Ga.

tory since the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49.

Conference attendance steadily grew throughout the 1990s, reaching 450 by 1997.

“Conference attendance reflects growing interest in a traditional sector once consigned by many to the dustbin of history,” said William Armbruster, JOC editor.

At the annual gatherings, breakbulk people found others with similar perspectives, facing similar challenges.

They found answers, new business opportunities and friends.

Breakbulk people are a special breed, driven by challenges and driven by novelty. “Others can deal with moving containerized freight,” said Paul Wilson, then executive vice president of TransOceanic Shipping Co. and a long-time supporter of Breakbulk events. “The fraternity of people attending the conference is a special group that can tolerate the headaches and actually enjoy them.”

During this period, railroads become an attractive option to trucks for moving project cargo. Jim Hamilton, then general manager for freight forwarder C.H. Robinson, shared a story about a big rail transport for Westinghouse, from Hamilton, Ontario to Houston. Production

June 23-24, 1992 – 3rd Annual BreakBulk Transpo ’92, Tampa, Fla. Held in conjunction with the Tampa Port Authority’s steel-shipping conference.

Photo: Steel cargoes at Port Tampa Bay. / Credit: Port Tampa Bay

1993

June 27-28, 1993 – 4th Annual BreakBulk Transpo, New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel and Towers, New Orleans, La. / Credit: Hilton

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snags caused a delay in shipping, which cut the transport time down from one month to less than a week.

“Holding a vessel is a $50,000-a-day issue. We got it through Chicago in just five hours and into Houston in six days.

It shows the railroads can perform when they need to,” Hamilton said. “That kind of coordination can come easier with conferences such as the Breakbulk Transpo ’97.”

Unlike with container shipping, breakbulk is never the same twice, even when the cargo is the same. Berard Transportation, a Louisiana-based, family-owned firm established in 1945, moves modules and other heavy-lift cargo along the Gulf Coast. But it’s not hesitant to take on more unusual cargo moves. Berard – oh, so carefully – moved Mr. Ed, a 150-year-old, 400-ton oak tree, to make room for road construction.

The late ’90s were a time of growth for the industry. Cargoes such as forest products, steel and heavy equipment increased. Trade with Latin America was on the rise with new demand for mining equipment in Argentina, Brazil and Chile.

In response, Gulf ports expanded their facilities. New Orleans installed the

1994

Sept. 11-13, 1994: 5th Annual BreakBulk Transpo ’94, New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel and Towers, New Orleans, La. Photo: NASA Barge at Port of New Orleans. / Credit: U.S. Navy

1993 – Fluor builds first modularization yard in New Iberia, La., to handle 36,712 tons of module construction for GHX-2, named Project of the Century by ARCO. Photo: One of 26 modules bound for Alaska’s North Slope. / Credit: Fluor

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celebrating the breakbulk community

first gantry cranes along the Mississippi River. Alabama State Docks developed US$50 million forest products terminals, while the Port of Mobile added 180,000 square feet to its forest products facility and built new facilities to handle aluminum shipments. In Tampa, the port built a 15-acre general cargo facility and added a pair of 300-ton mobile cranes. Port Corpus Christi expanded a dock and installed a new ro-ro ramp to accommodate the German Armed Forces Command who would soon arrive for training.

Ports across the country followed the Gulf ports lead. The Port of Seattle rebuilt its Pier 91 to woo Japan for exports of classic American cars, conversion vans and RVs. Tacoma nabbed other ro-ro cargoes, such as gold mining equipment bound for Russia and oil trucks to Asia. Across the country, the Port of Wilmington in North Carolina spent US$6.5 million to renovate its wood pulp berth and bought a new gantry crane. Georgia Port Authority’s Port of Brunswick added a 200,000-squarefoot breakbulk transit shed and extended

1995

Sept. 17-19, 1995 – 6th BreakBulk Transpo, Radisson Hotel, New Orleans, La.

BREAKBULK RETROSPECTIVE Intermarine was founded in 1990 by Roger Kavanagh. He was a pioneer in the modern-day transport of project cargo. As Breakbulk Americas celebrates 25 years, so does Intermarine. Roger and I were a 2-person Breakbulk panel in the early ‘90’s, when the total attendance was less than 150 people.

Roger went on to be a keynote speaker, and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

The mid to late ‘90’s saw great growth in the project and breakbulk markets. Attendance at Breakbulk Americas began to grow exponentially, and Intermarine added more ships as well.

In 2002, Intermarine ventured into the U.S. flag heavylift arena.

Roger was encouraged to do this

by Capt. Bill Schubert, who was at the time the U.S. Maritime Admin-

– Paul Wilson, Intermarine

Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1996 – 7th Annual BreakBulk Transpo, Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, La. Held in conjunction with the Port of New Orleans.

Photo: Royal Sonesta 1996 Hotel. / Credit: DMG

September 1995 – EPA issues iron and steel industry report: There are approximately 1,118 manufacturing facilities and value of shipments totaled US$58 billion.

However, over the past 15 years, the U.S. steel industry has lost 58 percent of its facilities. Photo: Steel girder for 350-ton crane, the largest of its type at the time. / Credit: Library of Congress

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istrator. Bringing modern heavylift tonnage into the U.S flag fleet was a monumental step.

When Roger passed away in January 2007, many were convinced that the end of Intermarine was near. But Andre Grikitis, Roger’s best friend and now Operating Chairman of Intermarine, used an appearance at Breakbulk Antwerp to assure the world that Intermarine was here to stay. Intermarine went on to open offices in key locations throughout the world, just as Breakbulk added new cities to the Conference agenda.

Today, Intermarine carries on in Roger’s memory, pioneering new and better ways to do things in a business whose fundamentals don’t change. The true differentiation is the people. It’s good that some things never change.

1996: ConocoPhillips contracts Bechtel to build the Atlantic LNG project in Trinidad and Tobago, the first major LNG project in the Western Hemisphere in more than 25 years.

Photo: Atlantic LNG. / Credit: Bechtel

1997 July 1997 – Asian financial crisis began in East Asia, raising fears of a worldwide economic meltdown.

1998

Oct. 25-27, 1998 – 9th Annual BreakBulk Transpo ’98, Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

Sept. 21-23, 1997 – 8th Annual BreakBulk Transpo, Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, La. Held in conjunction with the Port of New Orleans.

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celebrating the breakbulk community

Ocean Terminal at Port of Savannah.

Great Lakes port of ClevelandCuyahoga expanded its long-term storage, added 800 feet of berthing and 100,000 square-feet of transit shed space. Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor constructed an 800-foot berth to accommodate rising steel cargo volumes.

The last conference of the 20th century focused on globalization. “Cohesiveness of the entire U.S. breakbulk shipping industry will be critical in meeting the challenges of the [new] millennium,” Gregory Rusovich, president and CEO of Transoceanic Shipping Co., told a breakbulk audience.

Steel remained a cornerstone for breakbulk, but it was a tough time for steelmakers and for those who moved the material. Quotas against Russian imports, the Southeast Asia crisis and other factors that led to the lowest historical levels in world steel prices.

As the 20th century gave way to the new millennium, the breakbulk industry faced the logistics of moving bigger cargoes to more remote destinations, and

later, a faltering economy.

While modularization was not a new concept, the practice of building largely self-contained units in a location where skilled labor was available and then transporting the modules to the construction site, grew in importance and provided new opportunities for breakbulk transporters.

Modularization pioneer, engineering company Fluor, built the first U.S. facility purpose-built for module construction on a yard in a 48-acre sugar cane field in New Iberia, La. Over two years, Fluor manufactured 26 modules for ARCO’s gas handling project on Alaska’s North Slope. Among the largest equipment modules ever constructed at the time, they were as tall as eight-story buildings and the heaviest weighed 5,568 tons.

Barges carried the modules 7,970 miles to Alaska via the Panama Canal.

Today modules for drilling platforms and other offshore oil and gas operations have reached 58,000 tons. These heavyweight cargoes can be carried only by the biggest ships in the industry of which

Sept. 24, 1999 – Mayakan begins pumping natural gas. Mayakan was Mexico’s first privately developed natural gas pipeline and Bechtel’s first EPC contract in Mexico. The 700-kilometer pipeline along the Yucatan Peninsula cost US$250 million to build. / Credit: Bechtel

1999

Oct. 3-5, 1999 – 10th Annual International BreakBulk Transpo Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

2000

Oct. 1-3, 2000 – 11th Annual International BreakBulk Transpo Conference & Exposition, New Orleans Marriott Hotel, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

Dec. 28, 2000 – Alma Aluminum Smelter starts production. Bechtel provided engineering, procurement and construction management for the US$1.7 billion Alcan project. Located in Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. Alma smelter’s capacity of more than 400,000 tons per year makes it one of the world’s largest.

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2001

the Vanguard is the world’s largest. Built

by Dockwise in 2012, the Vanguard can accommodate loads of up to 110,000 tons.

On its maiden voyage in 2013, it carried the 58,000-tonne hull of Chevron’s Jack/ St Malo semi-submersible floating production facility from South Korea to the Port of Corpus Christi.

By 2007, the breakbulk industry was thriving. “This is as good a market as we’ve ever seen,” Dennis Mottola, corporate manager of traffic and logistics at Bechtel Global Logistics, said at the conference.

Like other engineering firms, Bechtel saw the size of its projects balloon in value, number and complexity in recent years. “If it’s not a billion dollars any more, we say, ‘Oh, well, it’s a small one,’” Mottola said. “The size of the jobs has gone crazy.”

But success brought problems: fixed price bids were almost impossible to obtain, labor shortages led to delays and China’s insatiable demand for iron ore and coal squeezed an inadequate fleet supply even tighter. Bechtel saw its contract price for vessel charters soar 60 percent in just two years.

Sept. 11, 2001 – Within hours of the terrorist attack on September 11, Caterpillar joins forces with Caterpillar dealers to provide machines, power and people for the rescue and relief efforts. In the days following the attack, most of the equipment at Ground Zero was manufactured by Caterpillar. / Credit: Caterpillar Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2001 – 12th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

Dec. 11, 2001 – China joins WTO

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celebrating the breakbulk community

And mega-projects meant megalogistics, developing complex plans that could include multiple EPCs, cargo owners, freight forwarders and a myriad of other suppliers, to move oversized cargoes to more distant, and in some cases, inaccessible locations, within strict timeframes.

In 2007, Orion Marine – a pioneer in alternative shipping routes – handled the transport of oil drilling equipment to Siberia, one of several projects in the Russian Far East. Cargo had to be delivered in a short time window because of the extreme cold. Ice-breaking ships were needed, but sometimes they weren’t enough.

“We got just south of the North Pole,” said Peter Schauer, the company’s chief executive. “We couldn’t get the cargo in by sea because of ice, and we had to have it lifted in by helicopter over open sea.”

Schauer has been in the breakbulk business for more than 50 years. His advice echoes throughout the industry: “If something goes wrong, you have to have a Plan B.” Then came the Global Crisis of 2008 and the party was over. Its impact took time to ripple through the breakbulk industry, but as economic fears grew, project financing dried up. By the end of

2010, big projects were postponed and some were cancelled. At the onset of the crisis, the supply chain was occupied with ongoing projects, but as the jobs wrapped up, there were no new ones in the pipeline in much of the world. EPCs felt the crunch earliest, while carriers and ground transporters began their struggles later.

“We are at the end of the food chain,” said Guus Stigter, director for Mammoet USA. “The marine carrier delivers to the port and then the cargo comes to us. We experience our downturn a month or a year later.”

The Deepwater Horizon spill further curtailed project development when the U.S. issued a ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The ban was lifted in October 2010, but new drilling permits were still 71 percent lower a year later.

South America proved to be more resilient than other parts of the world.

“Since the economic crisis bottomed in South America at the end of 2008, the mining sector has experienced a steady turnaround,” said Alex Azparrent, man-

2002 – U.S. Congress approves Yucca Mountain site in Nevada for the Department of Energy’s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program. US$1.8 billion project was later cancelled in 2008

by President Barack Obama. Photo: Bechtel engineers survey preliminary tunnels in Yucca Mountain. / Credit: Bechtel 2004

2002 Sept. 8-10, 2002 – 13th Annual Breakbulk Conference & Exhibition, Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

2003 March 3, 2003 – U.S. invades Iraq.

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ager of logistics in Chile for Fluor. “The majority of projects that were cancelled or postponed are back on track.”

Renewable energy projects such as wind farms were a new development in project cargo transportation during the second half of the decade. Wind blades, nacelles and towers were carried by every sector – road, rail, barge and ocean vessel, a boon for ports across America and especially for those in the Gulf and on the Great Lakes.

With the start of new projects, came a new requirement: localization.

Governments began to require project developers to source their materials locally, and in some cases, train and employ local labor.

“The successful transportation provider of 2011 must be able to think globally but operate locally,” said Philip Ovanessians, then logistics director for Fluor.

In Brazil, turbine makers were initially required to buy or make 60 percent of their main parts domestically to be eligible for cheap loans from state bank BNDES, a rule that increased to 100 percent in 2012.

Sept. 15-17, 2004 – 15th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans Photo: Loading steel at the Port of New Orleans. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Sept. 25-27, 2003 – 14th Annual Breakbulk Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

2005

Aug. 29, 2005 – Hurricane Katrina devastates Gulf causing an estimated US$108 billion in property damage, making it the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in U.S. history. This year’s conference was moved to Houston.

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BREAKBULK RETROSPECTIVE Twenty five years ago, a new opportunity arose in the outsize cargo market place – the Antonov An124. Like most innovations it was greeted with trepidation, but just like Breakbulk, it has become an indispensable tool of global trade.

Without the 17 An124s managed by Ruslan International the International Space Station might be much smaller than it actually is, oil and gas projects could have run dry, and more lives may have been lost in the aftermath of humanitarian disasters.

– Paul Bingley, Ruslan International Manufacturers such as GE rushed to build plants to keep their position in the burgeoning Brazilian wind market.

Meanwhile, nuclear energy was experiencing the beginnings of a renaissance in the U.S. In 2009, construction began on Units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle, the first U.S.-built nuclear reactors in 30 years. Construction of two new reactors at the Virgil C. Summer nuclear power plant in South Carolina began in 2013.

But the renaissance was cut short.

The Fukushima Daiichi disaster reawakened fears over the safety of

nuclear plants and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission responded with new and expensive safety regulations. At the same time, the U.S. shale gas boom was well underway, thanks to lateral drilling and hydraulic fracturing of deep shale deposits, which made for an abundance of cheap natural gas. Nuclear power plants simply became too costly an option.

By 2013, a mood of cautious optimism prevailed throughout the industry.

Hopes were high and continue to be so for U.S. energy projects.

“The growth and potential of shale

Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2005 – 16th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center, The Woodlands, Texas. Photo: Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center / Credit: Marriott

2005

2006

May 16-18, 2006 – 1st Annual Breakbulk Europe Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Hilton Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Oct. 29-31, 2006 – 17th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, New Orleans Marriott, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans. Photo: On-camera at Breakbulk 2006. / Credit: BBC Chartering

May 31, 2006 – Port of New Orleans, which sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005, regains nearly 94 percent of its pre-storm cargo handling operations.

2007

gas are shaking up the industry,” said Luc Maton of Ahlers. “The energy business, and especially the oil and gas industry, will rule the breakbulk waves.”

But new energy projects did not relieve the concerns of those in the carrier sector who faced heavy competition in a market with too little demand and too much tonnage. The good news was that rates were unlikely to crash again, but neither would they significantly improve.

“It is a year to keep calm and carry on innovating,” said Susan Oatway, consultant with Drewry Shipping.

As we approach the close of 25 years of breakbulk transportation, several facts are clear. Projects are getting bigger, and the associated logistics more complex. Cargo will continue to grow larger and heavier as well as the trucks, cranes, barges and vessels needed to lift and carry it.

Today’s breakbulk industry members may find themselves moving cargo in the world’s most remote regions and under the harshest conditions. Experienced mariners, freight forwarders, engineers and equipment operators will be in demand. Ports will thrive.

And Breakbulk Americas will continue to be more than an annual conference, an enduring community made up of leaders and friends in the breakbulk industry. BB

2008

2008 – The financial crisis of 2008, also known as the Global Financial Crisis, is considered by many economists to have been the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and had chilling effects throughout the breakbulk industry.

Oct. 28-30, 2007 – 18th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

Oct. 14-16, 2008 – 19th Annual Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

June 27, 2007 – Panama Canal expansion begins construction. Consortium begins the US$5.3 billion project to add two new sets of locks and widen the canal.

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celebrating the breakbulk community

DEVELOPMENT OF BREAKBULK CONFERENCES

Unique event has evolved, expanded in scope and geography over 25 years

By John Amos

D

uring the 1980s the growth of North American and international construction projects exploded, as the world’s countries developed their resources and manufacturing bases. This required the design, manufacturing and transport of construction material to remote sites.

Since 1827, the Journal of Commerce has reported on shipping information and in 1990 saw an opportunity to produce conferences dealing with breakbulk and project cargo issues. In the beginning, the focus was on bulk shipping such as steel, but organizers soon recognized there were many more issues to address as the world of construction projects was emerging.

Early conference topics and speakers were managed by Peter Tirschwell and Sheldon Meyer of the JOC and a few members of the Railway Industrial Clearance

2009 Feb. 17-18, 2009 – 1st Annual Breakbulk Asia Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore.

Association (RICA). As the conference grew John Amos of Bechtel and Vince Guinto of Westinghouse were hired to structure the speakers and panels.

In 2002 the editor of the JOC’s Gulf Shipper Magazine, Janet Plume, was put in John Amos charge of the program.

American suppliers of major fabricated material and engineering, procurement and construction, or EPC, companies grew rapidly to meet the design demands for nuclear power stations, refineries, metal extraction mines, and other capital projects. Many of the projects, such as Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, the English Channel

Oct. 13-15, 2009 – 20th Anniversary Breakbulk Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

Nov. 17, 2009 – CB&I is awarded a US$1.4 billion EPC contract from Refinería de Cartagena to build a new 165,000-barrelper-day refinery in Colombia. Photo: CB&I engineers at Cartagena. / Credit: CB&I

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2010

high speed rail tunnel between England and France, and oil sands projects in northern Alberta, tested the abilities of designers, fabricators, specialized ocean carriers, and jobsite construction management. For the first time some components weighed 800 tons or more.

These developments lent themselves to the burgeoning Breakbulk conference, which then added an exhibition feature to the event. Attendees could now meet with transportation providers and ancillary industries at one event. It was obvious that many issues related to this specialized area of transportation needed to be discussed through multiple panel discussions. High-level keynote speakers were also a feature. Some of the popular panels included Incoterms, forwarder selection, barging, special equipment, regulatory requirements, packing and lashing, and

June 2, 2010 – United Business Media redesigns Breakbulk.com.

Oct. 12-14, 2010 – 21st Annual Breakbulk Americas Transportation Conference & Exhibition, Hilton Americas Houston and George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas. Hosted by Port of Houston Authority.

Oct. 12, 2010 – 2011 1st Breakbulk Education Day, 1st Breakbulk Americas golf tournament, which was sponsored by Chipolbrok at the Wildcat Golf Club in Houston.

Oct. 25-27, 2011 – 22nd Annual Breakbulk Americas Conference & Exhibition, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

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celebrating the breakbulk community

pre- and post-transportation issues.

By the mid-1990s the conference expanded quickly, as so many U.S. companies were by then heavily involved in dealing with highly technical projects in some of the most remote places on the planet. These projects are never built in populated areas, rather in areas requiring expensive and technical transportation.

A good example was the Ok-Tedi mining project in Papua New Guinea. This was a mountaintop iron ore and gold mining project joint venture between two EPCs where the cost of transportation totaled 26 percent of the cost of the project as opposed an average of 6 percent to 10 percent for difficult projects.

Projects such as these meant that the Breakbulk conference offered an ideal venue to learn how to manage and execute such diverse projects. Breakbulk moved to ever-larger locations to accommodate attendees coming to hear panel experts and meet transportation suppliers. At the same time there were lots of parties and hospitality suites to satisfy the social aspects of attending. Bourbon Street was close at hand and the Port of New Orleans hosted Port Night outdoors along the Mississippi River.

It soon became apparent that the breakbulk and project cargo events

needed to expand to other parts of the world, thus nine years ago the first Breakbulk Europe Conference was held in Antwerp, Belgium. European EPCs and service providers wanted to interface with colleagues from North America. In nine years the conference has grown from 700 attendees to more than 6,200 in 2014.

European logistics challenges can differ from other parts of the world.

Panel discussions have focused on the movement of project cargo on the European river system, as well as transloading cargo to barges and coastal vessels to reach inland jobsites.

Further expansion of the Breakbulk conferences resulted in Breakbulk Asia in 2009, which was held in Singapore, and its move to Shanghai in 2012. The Asian conferences have tended to address Asia-specific issues for the huge amount of breakbulk and project cargo moving into and out of China. In addition to transportation there have been many panels and presentations on such diverse subjects as quality control, post transportation to remote areas of China and port development. Smaller Breakbulk congresses have also been initiated in Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.

Where are the Breakbulk confer-

2011

Aug. 7-8, 2012 – 1st Breakbulk Africa Congress, Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa. / Credit: Breakbulk Staff

Dec. 6-7, 2011 – 1st Breakbulk South America Congress, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

2012

Oct. 8-11, 2012 – Feb. 28-March 1, 2012 – 1st Breakbulk 23rd Annual Breakbulk Americas China Conference Conference & and Exhibition, INTEX Shanghai Ex- Exhibition, George R. Brown Conposition Center and vention Center, Sheraton Hongqiao, Houston, Texas.

Shanghai, China.

Hosted by Port of Houston Authority. / Credit: Breakbulk Staff

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ences going in the future? Developments in the industry have changed the focus of the conferences in some ways. For instance, modularization, health, safety and environmental, or HSE, issues have complicated mega-projects and have increased costs significantly. A further major area for Breakbulk to explore is governmental regulations and compliance issues. Each can cause project delays and result in heavy fines and/or sanctions.

The Breakbulk conferences have also broadened what is offered to attendees through educational programs such as the PLS Managing Logistics for Capital Projects, Heavy Transport & Lifting Masterclass and the PPG Certificate of Achievement in Project Cargo Management Workshop, and Breakbulk Jerry Nagle Education Day for students and entry level employees. Attendees can walk away with increased knowledge for use in the workplace.

Breakbulk is unique in what it has offered to attendees over the last 25 years in specialized breakbulk and project transportation. No other global forum covers such diverse topics and issues in a collegial setting amongst industry leaders. Over the years many attendees have told me that if there is only one conference I can attend it is Breakbulk. BB

Nov. 6-8, 2012 – 1st Breakbulk Turkey Congress, Istanbul, Turkey.

2013

Sept. 23-26, 2013 – 24th Annual Breakbulk Americas Conference & Exhibition, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, La. Hosted by the Port of New Orleans.

2014

Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2014 – 25th Anniversary Breakbulk Americas Conference & Exhibition, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas. Hosted by Port of Houston Authority.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014

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HOT TOPICS THROUGH THE YEARS 1990: BREAKBULK INAUGURAL CONFERENCE Working with leaders at the Railway Industrial Clearance Association, the Journal of Commerce organized its first conference devoted solely to the breakbulk community shippers, forwarders, carriers and associated businesses. About 100 attendees gathered in Atlanta, Ga., a number that would grow exponentially over the next 25 years.

1991: BREAKBULK SHIPPING & THE PERSIAN GULF WAR Lt. Gen. Edward Honor, President and CEO of the National Defense Transportation Association, delivered the keynote address in Atlanta, Ga., at the second Breakbulk Transpo conference. He described the challenges facing breakbulk shipping in the wake of the Persian Gulf War. NDTA is a non-profit educational association of government, military and industry professionals dedicated to fostering a strong and efficient global transportation and distribution system in support of national security. Iraq had set fire or damaged 85 percent of Kuwait’s 900 oil wells. Each day the fires burned, US$120 million went up in smoke. Tons of special equipment would have to be procured under extreme conditions.

1992: STEEL PERSPECTIVE The 1992 conference was held in conjunction with the Tampa Port Authority’s steel-shipping conference in Tampa, Fla. Robert Mann was appointed president for Cargill Ferrous International in 1991.

The company is a major international merchant of pig iron, semi-

1991

Kuwait’s burning oil wells. / Credit: James Hunt

finished and finished steel products. Mann discussed the state of steel in the U.S., factors that influenced worldwide steel flows, indicators of changes in the flow of steel and what he called “export surge/import doldrums” and how long would the situation last.

1993 C. Thomas Burke, Commissioner of the Study of Alternatives to the Panama Canal, shared the results of the 1993 Canal Alternatives Study, conducted jointly by the governments of Panama,

1993

In 1993, expansion of the Panama Canal was just a recommendation, but 21 years later construction is nearly complete. / Credit: Panama Canal Authority A20 BREAKBULK MAGAZINE www.breakbulk.com

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Japan and the U.S. The CAS concluded that a canal capable of accommodating vessels larger than 65,000 deadweight tons (Panamax) was needed. It recommended further studied of a high-rise lock channel to accommodated vessels of 150,000 to 200,000 DWT. Today, the US$5.25 billion Panama Canal expansion, which includes two new sets of locks, is nearing completion. It will accommodate ships up to 120,000 dwt., a bit shy of the 1993 commission’s recommendation.

1994 Erik F. Johnsen, president of International Shipholding Corp., a diversified carrier of breakbulk, ro-ro, and project cargo, including cargoes that fall under the Jones Act, delivered the keynote address at the 5th Breakbulk Transpo, held at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel. Johnsen and his brother founded the company in 1947 with a single vessel. The ISC fleet today stands at

54 vessels. Johnsen shared his then recent experience in establishing a new LASH Intermodal facility in Memphis, Tenn., which could handle barge, truck and rail traffic.

1995: OUTLOOK FOR U.S. STEEL AND GLOBAL DEMAND

The American Institute for International Steel Inc. was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Breakbulk conferences, providing expert panelists on a range of steel-related topics. Led by Horst E. Buelte, President of the American Institute for International Steel Inc., the 1995 panel consisted of leading steel importers-exporters and related enterprises in North America. Buelte covered challenges presented by the changing American steel market, export opportunities for U.S. steel producers and the continuing problems and uncertainties in U.S. and global steel trade ‒ noting that antidumping, often used by U.S. producers, may diminish their own export opportunities.

1996: MAJOR BREAKBULK COMMODITIES: RUBBER

In 12 years at E.P. Lambert, a natural rubber dealer and importer based in Akron, Ohio, Kip Tobin was responsible for buying natural rubber from producers in the Far East, selling to global rubber consumers and trading in futures markets. Because of its weight, natural rubber has been attractive to breakbulk carriers. But contamination from adjacent cargoes like wood has led to the containerization of some rubber shipments. Tobin said breakbulk shipping will remain attractive, but improvements must be made to the packaging to protect cargoes during transit and loading/unloading.

1997: STEEL: INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK David Phelps was named executive director of the American Institute for International Steel in 1996, a position he still holds in 2014. AIIS supports free trade and

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economic growth through competition in steel trade and opposes protectionist barriers. In his talk, Phelps made his case against the U.S. steel industry’s reliance on government to limit competition from foreign steel suppliers. At that time, the steel market was at its strongest since the early 1970s with healthy profits and far less capacity than necessary to serve the industry’s customers. Yet the industry continues to file dumping cases against their competitors, proving the industry is addicted to the dumping laws.

the breakbulk and project cargo sectors follow suit? Breakbulk was reeling from the imposition of protective tariffs by President Bush on March 5, while infrastructure projects worldwide that fuel project shipments, had been slow to recover. Bill Ralph, President of PIERS, led a panel with Fred Bedford, director for Jumbo Shipping, and Edward M. Emmett, president of the National Industrial Transportation League, which set the stage for passionate dialogue between conference attendees.

1998: CARGO PREFERENCE LAWS –

STAGE / SUBSTANDARD TONNAGE: THE PROBLEM THAT WON’T GO AWAY

HAVE THEY OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS?

Bechtel’s Vince Guinto led a lively panel on an emerging topic in 1998 that remains controversial 16 years later. Greg Gowans, director of transportation for ABB Combustion Engineering Systems, argued his case for updating the laws, saying imposition of cargo preference as a condition of U.S. Export-Import Bank financing introduces cost, schedule and risk uncertainties into projects. John Amos, director of business development for Danzas, agreed.

“It is now time for U.S. cargo preference laws to be amended to address today’s ocean shipping environment for project cargo shippers who are trying to remain competitive in the global infrastructure construction market,” Amos said. However, a third panelist, John C. Mamoulakis, vice president of Stellar Freight, said cargo preference laws must remain intact if the U.S. merchant marine industry is to survive.

1999 On Jan. 7, 1997, Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-LA, became the first woman from Louisiana ever elected to the U.S. Senate. With her appointment to the Armed Services Committee, she became the first democratic woman and only the second Louisianan to sit on the top national security panel. An auspicious start for the senator, who delivered an inspiring address to conference attendees. Today, Landrieu is Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which handles issues ranging from offshore drilling and revenue sharing to nuclear power generation and the creation of national parks. She is a fierce supporter of U.S. energy independence and promotes the development of clean domestic fuels.

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2003: BREAKBULK ON A GLOBAL

1999

Senator Mary L. Landrieu, junior senator from Louisiana. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

2000: AN OVERVIEW OF AMERICAN BREAKBULK PORT DEVELOPMENT

Kurt J. Nagle joined American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in 1985 and was named president in 1995. In his remarks, Nagle covered what kinds of traditional breakbulk cargo is moving in containers, where breakbulk cargo is coming from, the latest statistics on U.S. port investment in breakbulk facilities and what successful breakbulk ports are doing to remain competitive.

2001: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

While the tanker industry made significant progress in banishing substandard tonnage from major markets, the breakbulk and project sectors remained all too willing to utilize problematic vessels to contain costs.

That is a problem because port state control regimes intervene, disrupting the bestintentioned logistics plan. Capt. William G. Schubert, U.S. Maritime Administrator of the Department of Transportation, led a panel discussion among participants Knud Pontoppidan, chairman of the board of the Danish Shipowners Association; Ulf Freudendahl, corporate marketing manager for Det Norsk Veritas (DNV); and Capt. Daniel F. Ryan, marine safety division chief for the U.S. Coast Guard Eighth District.

2004: TRENDS IN FREIGHT FORWARDING

The fragmented nature of the breakbulk sector was cited as a factor that has retarded progress in information technology systems integration. Businessto-business e-commerce portals have been developed for several commodities with mixed results. Bill Hensel, Associate Editor/ Gulf Coast of JoC Week, led a panel with Richard Lower, director of corporate strategy for BridgePoint Inc.; Craig Watkins, director of product marketing for NextLinx; and Peter Baish, director of business process consulting for ClearCross, to discuss how the breakbulk industry can keep up with high-tech times.

Panalpina is a US$5 billion global transportation and logistics supplier based in Basel, Switzerland. As its North American head, David I. Beatson addressed how trends in forwarding, combined with the most significant issues facing project shipping have made for a tough business environment. Trends included globalization, consolidation and technology, evolving in a complicated economic, political and regulatory climate. He called for close and sustained cooperation between public agencies and private industry to help fuel growth of the U.S. economy.

2002: WORLD OUTLOOK FOR

GROWTH: EXPORT/IMPORT COMPLIANCE

BREAKBULK AND PROJECT CARGO SECTORS As the world climbed out of the 2000-2001 recession and the shock of Sept. 11, would

2005: STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL Panel moderator: William E. Murphy, President and CEO of WEM Enterprises What are the rules to meet the requireSEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014

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ments for import and export compliance?

What tools are available for implementation of the requirements? What happens when the company gets it wrong? Panelists Terry Soderstrom, director of international trade compliance for Halliburton; Bryan J. Schillinger, senior manager of customs and international trade for Ernst and Young; and Stuart P. Seidel, a partner with Baker and McKenzie, discussed these important topics. The takeaway? What you don’t know can hurt you and your company.

In 2005, Rose was appointed to serve on the 12-member bipartisan National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission created by Congress. The commission was charged with examining the conditions and operations of the sur-

face transportation system and developing a plan with recommendations to ensure the system serves the needs of the nation.

Rose’s speech focused on the resulting plan: To increase investment, expand services, repair infrastructure, demand

2006: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD: ATHASBASCA OIL SANDS

The high price of oil caused a major increase in oil extraction project work in northern Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands region. Due to its remote location and harsh winter weather conditions, the movement of breakbulk and project cargo was a major issue with costly transportation by truck and rail. John Amos, President of Amos Logistics LLC, moderated an expert panel, consisting of Gary Rowntree, director of projects in Canada for GeoLogistics; Col. Kenneth MacKinnon, transportation and logistics manager for Fluor; and Bruno Demers, metals and minerals marketing director for CN Railway.

2007: WORLDWIDE MARKETS:

WHAT MAKES AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT FORWARDER? The industry is flush with forwarders selling “project forwarding” services. But what really qualifies a forwarder as a true project forwarder? The panel presented its perspectives on what experiences, capabilities, resources and know-how qualify a forwarder as an “international project forwarder.” Dennis Mattola, Corporate Manager of Traffic and Logistics of Bechtel Corp., moderated the panel consisting of Thomas Griffin, President and CEO, Agility Project Logistics; Kathy Canaan, Product Director - Logistics, Fluor Procurement LLC; Patrick J. Mills, Senior Manager, Logistics and Transportation, Washington Group International; and Denny Thibault, CTL, Senior Director - Project Development, Kuehne + Nagel Inc.

2008: STAYING ON SCHEDULE: A NEW VISION FOR U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE

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accountability and refocus federal transportation programs.

2009: GENERATING A BREAKBULK

TURNAROUND: INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

2009

John F. Mika delivers keynote address at the 20th Anniversary Breakbulk Americas Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, La. / Credit: Staff photo

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John Mika joined CH2M HILL in 2006 and oversees annual equipment, material and subcontract commitments in excess of US$4 billion annually. CH2M HILL is involved in some of the most challenging projects in construction today, such as the 2012 London Olympics infrastructure and expansion of the Panama Canal. With the global economy continuing on its roller coaster ride, Mika provided his forecast on how various industry segments will fare and which geographical areas will take the lead.

corporate oversight of the international construction contractor’s global business supply chain departments. After the long global recession, breakbulk, heavy-lift and project cargo sectors gathered steam, as new contracts were awarded for infrastructure developments worldwide. Reflecting on the positive indications of growth in the capital project business, Hammerle presented important information on where the engineering, construction and procurement business was headed for the rest of the year and beyond and discussed which sectors showed the most promise and the locations that hold the most opportunity.

2011: WEATHERING THE VOLATILE

2010: THE PATH FORWARD:

ECONOMY: THE CRUSHING COST OF PIRACY LIABILITY

David Hammerle’s procurement experience extends through 20 years within Bechtel’s markets, and he remains responsible for

The eloquent Marcus Baker, Chairman of Marine Practice Marsh, warned his audience about romanticizing pirates: The idea of Johnny Depp running around with

EPC OUTLOOK

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2014

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a patch over his eye has a romantic feel, but there’s nothing romantic about what’s happening in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. And while the world’s navies were patrolling these high-risk regions, it’s impossible to cover 11 million square miles. More and more carriers added armed guards to their vessels, a move marine insurers support. In fact, Baker said insurance companies were taking a slightly more competitive view on pricing if armed guards are placed on board ships. He also predicted piracy would become a larger problem in West Africa.

2012: NAVIGATING THE ECONOMIC TEMPEST: PROJECT CARGO INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd, Ronald D. Widdows, President and CEO of Rickmers Holding GmbH & Cie. KG, shared his perspective on the challenging economic climate for the breakbulk industry.

2011

Armed guards aboard vessel. / Credit: Canadian Sea Marshals

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Widdows delivered a sobering message. A year ago it looked better for people in the sector, but geopolitical turmoil, financial markets still having a lot of difficulty getting squared away and softening growth in many parts of the world have dimmed hopes for a quick recovery. However, Widdows said the breakbulk sector recovers faster than almost all the others.

with a question: Do we understand the politics involved in the project or with our client so that we can know, manage and price risk of political opposition? Anthony Braddock, Partner at International Risk Consultants, shared how shippers can reduce risk through a comprehensive insurance program that protects them, their client and transportation providers.

2013: SEEKING SUPPLY CHAIN

2014: 25TH ANNIVERSARY

In several areas of the world, political unrest jeopardized construction projects, from uncertainty around the delivery of cargo to the safety of the jobsite itself, including employees. Gregory Gowans, Director of Logistics and Expediting at CH2M Hill Inc., presented a detailed look at how CH2M Hill assesses risks for potential and ongoing projects. Assessment starts

This year’s executive presentations are sure to spark discussions that will last long after the celebration on Thursday night. The lineup includes Ed Osterwald, partner with CEG-Europe, who will talk about trends in the global oil & gas industry; Bechtel’s Mark Falloon will discuss managing risk in megaEPC projects; and Teresa Lehovd, head of market intelligence for Höegh Autoliners, will reveal big opportunities in the Middle East for project contractors, logistics providers and shipping lines.

STABILITY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES: RISK MANAGEMENT DURING GEOPOLITICAL UNREST

2012

Ron Widdows delivers keynote address to a packed house at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

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2004–2012

BREAKBULK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS For nine years, Breakbulk honored the industry veterans who helped shape the breakbulk sector.

2004

2005

2006

Chairman, International Shipholding Corp.

Erik F. Johnson was the recipient of the first Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. At the helm of International Shipholding, Johnsen and his brother, Niels W. Joensen, pioneered LASH (lighter aboard ship) shipping and become the most successful operators of bargecarrying ships in the industry. Their success continued with the innovative CG Railway moving rail cars by ocean between Mobile, Ala., and Coatzacoalcos, Mexico.

Director, Jumbo Shipping Fred Bedford received the second Annual Lifetime Leadership and Achievement Award. A British citizen and third-generation veteran of the shipping industry, a good portion of Bedford’s 47-year career in shipping has been spent in the contract negotiation and management of some of the largest project moves of the time. He has developed a reputation for his high standards of professionalism, his wealth of knowledge and his keen ability to reduce seemingly insurmountable obstacles to practical, solvable issues.

President and CEO, Intermarine Roger P. Kavanagh founded Intermarine, a project carrier known as one of the world’s most innovative shipping companies. He set a high standard for customer service that other project carriers strived to emulate. In the 1990s when other project carriers were abandoning fixed or structured service schedules, Kavanagh pioneered the concept of ondemand liner service. Industry observers credited his bold vision as one of the main reasons for the sector’s growth.

Erik F. Johnsen

Fred Bedford

Roger P. Kavanagh

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2007

2008

President and CEO, United States Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation Inc. Eugene F. McCormick was responsible for establishing fund development strategies for the foundation, which included nearly 16,000 alumni participants. Earlier in his career, he spent seven years at sea for Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. and made 35 voyages on 15 breakbulk ships. Later McCormick continued with Lykes Bros. onshore and became president and CEO for the company in 1986. In 1994 he and long-time friend and colleague Barton Jahncke founded McCormick Jahncke Group, a transportation consulting firm in New Orleans.

Chairman, Rickmers Group A native of Bremerhaven, Germany, Bertram Rickmers grew up in one of the oldest and most widely respected shipping families in Europe.

He joined Rickmers Shipyard in 1980 and quickly showed his entrepreneurial spirit by founding his own ship brokering business, MCC Marine, in 1982.

He expanded his operations by adding Rickmers Reederei and Atlantic. In 2000, he acquired Rickmers-Linie from Hapag-Lloyd, marking a new era for the shipment of breakbulk, heavy-lift and project cargo. He introduced the Pearl String Service, an innovative, eastbound, round-the-world liner service, which soon added additional routes around the globe.

Eugene F. McCormick

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Bertram R. C. Rickmers

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2009

Edward W. DeFrancesco President, Universal LandSea Transport Inc. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ed DeFrancesco has spent more than 50 years in the breakbulk and heavy-lift shipping industry.

In 1957, DeFrancesco came ashore from the merchant marine and started working for Black Diamond Steamship Co. During his 12-year tenure, he became vice president and managed a “round-the-word” breakbulk service. His career in the heavy-lift industry started in earnest when he began handling chartering for Hansa Line. He was involved in the creation of the first custom-built American-flag heavy-lift ships. In the early 1980s, DeFrancesco established Universal LandSea Transport Inc. and became the U.S. sales agent for Jumbo Shipping. He remains at his post today, working with his son, Edward DeFrancesco II.

2010

The Hon. Capt. William G. Schubert President, International Trade & Transportation Capt. William Schubert is best known for his role as U.S. Maritime Administrator, appointed by President Bush in 2001. During his tenure, his accomplishments were many: implementation of the expanded Deep Water Port Program for LNG terminals, U.S. Export-Import Bank and Maritime Administration reform, expansion of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act financing program to include port and intermodal infrastructure projects, the 10-year reauthorization of the Maritime Security Program, tax reform for the U.S. maritime industry and formally establishing short sea shipping as a national transportation policy. Aside from his government job, Schubert is well known as a longtime advocate and tireless spokesman for the shipping sector.

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2011

2012

Chairman, Rickmers-Linie (America) Inc. Jerry Nagel spent much of the past decade working as president and CEO at Rickmers-Linie (America) in Houston, where he oversaw the expansion of the German carrier’s business in the Americas. He started his shipping career at age 18 when he joined his father working on the New Orleans waterfront. For the past two decades, Nagel became well known throughout the breakbulk transportation sector as a vocal proponent of industry recruiting at the entry level and for the development of resources to reach young people who might be interested in a breakbulk career. In 2010, he helped establish the first Breakbulk Education Day. In accepting his award while struggling with a pulmonary illness, Nagel announced he would spearhead the formation of a fund to assist members of the transportation industry from all sectors, modes and functions when hardships stemming from serious illness occur. Nagel died on Dec. 19, 2012.

Chairman, Agility Project Logistics Thomas J. Griffin began his 40-year career in the industry with a post in international logistics at Behring International. Later he moved to Transoceanic Shipping where he was instrumental in the development of the first dedicated project forwarding company into a global operator. Transoceanic eventually became Agility. Highly respected by his global peers and Agility’s customers, Griffin is best known as a proactive executive who can manage his organization and identify promising employees for management roles.

During his long career, Griffin established a reputation as a businessman who can pinpoint the projects on which Agility should bid that would lead to success.

Jerry Nagel

Thomas J. Griffin

BREAKBULK RECOGNIZES AMOS On the 25th anniversary of Breakbulk Americas, we recognize John Amos, longtime leader in the transportation industry and key contributor in the development of the Breakbulk conferences.

In the early 1990s, Amos was asked to help choose the topics and recruit speakers for conference panels, which he did for several decades. Today Amos runs the Leadership Summit, acting as the conduit between industry leaders and the growing Breakbulk conferences. He has never missed a Breakbulk Americas event and has moderated numerous panels and delivered countless remarks from the podium. In fact, he’s known in some circles as “Mr. Breakbulk.”

For more than 40 years Amos has had international and domestic assignments in the fields of logistics, procurement and construction management. Amos was employed by Bechtel Corp. for more than 26 years, and in his last position was global head of transportation and logistics functions for its US$900 million annual transportation budget.

After retiring from Bechtel in 1996, he became North American Director of Business Development for Dan-

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zas Corp. He formed Amos Logistics in 2001.

He has also served the transportation profession as a former lecturer at Golden Gate University, past chairman of the board of the National Industrial Transportation League, past president of the Railway Industrial Clearance Association, past president of the Pacific Transportation Association and past president of the Transportation Club of San Francisco.

He is president of the Propeller Club of Northern California and this year was named regional vice president for the International Propeller Club. He serves on the External Advisory Board of the California Maritime Academy, is secretary of the Exporters Competitive Maritime Council and consultant to Breakbulk Events & Media.

Amos is known throughout the industry for his expertise in managing the logistics for cargoes and projects of all sizes and in all parts of the world.

His dedication to the breakbulk sector has been unwavering. He has helped shape Breakbulk events into the unique global networking hub they have become today.

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BEST PRACTICES IN MIDDLE EAST

B

Breakbulk to launch industry event in Saudi Arabia

reakbulk Magazine recently spoke with Ahmed A. AbouAmer, head of consultancy for the Department at The Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, one of the League of Arab States specialized organizations.

AbouAmer has 17 years’ experience in the maritime logistics field. He recently spoke with us about how the Middle East can play a role in the field of logistics. He lives in Alexandria, Egypt.

Q: In September, Breakbulk announced the launch of Breakbulk Middle East 2015.

What can the Middle Eastern region learn from this event?

A: Breakbulk Middle East is the first edition of Breakbulk – “Projects meet Logistics,” which is meant to be a meeting place for decision-makers from important projects in the region alongside their logistics counterparts. The event should address the challenges facing both the cargo owners and their logistics suppliers.

Q: How big a challenge is cross-border logistics in managing mega projects in the Middle East?

A: The Middle Eastern region represents one of the most investment-heavy hydrocarbons markets in the world (estimated at more than $700 billion). In addition, investments in infrastructure are estimated at

US$2.5 trillion across all sectors.

Because of the size of these projects, planning the transport of the cargo is equally important as the design of the projects. The region needs to challenge the status quo in regards to cross-border logistics.

In support of improved communication and collaboration, the League of Arab States will showcase its new initiatives such as the development of the Pan-Arabic logistical hubs and the much-needed maritime academies at the Breakbulk Middle East 2015 event. The League of Arab States will contribute to academic research on moving cargo to the Middle East from across the world, especially by sea freight.

Q: What is your view on the Middle Eastern region being the host of the event and Saudi Arabia in particular?

A: This year marks key milestone dates for

Breakbulk Events as it celebrates the 25-year anniversary of the first Breakbulk Americas Exhibition held in New Orleans, La., and the 10-year anniversary of Breakbulk Europe Exhibition held in Antwerp, Belgium. This also comes at a crucial time since Dubai was voted winner of the World Expo 2020 bid under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”

On the same token, Saudi Arabia’s hosting of Breakbulk’s international event reflects the kingdom’s strong role in the global oil and gas, petrochemical and infrastructure/ construction markets. The Kingdom is managing a large number of exciting projects worth US$784 billion, compared to US$699 billion in the U.A.E, US$273 billion in Qatar and US$249 billion in Kuwait. Expanding Breakbulk into Saudi Arabia will create a unique and focused forum for the creation of industry best practices in the Middle East. BB

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