PROJECT CARGO WEEKLY
Global Readers
Neutral Coverage
2021
In-Depth Interviews
www.clcprojects.com
FOREWORD Dear Readers, It is my pleasure as the Editor in Chief of Project Cargo Weekly (which is part of the CLC Projects Group) to introduce you to the 2021 yearbook. It is the 3rd time that we are publishing our yearbook and, as usual, it comprises a majority of the excellent (both written and video) interviews that we published during the year passed. Since the issue is digital everything including the video interviews are clickable. What is different in some ways for this 2021 yearbook compared to 2019 and 2020 is the somewhat higher number of video interviews. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that people and companies have gotten much more accustomed to speaking and "meeting" online and this is certainly reflected in the 2021 yearbook. I also wish to thank our supporters that posted an ad in our network, you will find their input prominently displayed in this yearbook and as usual we have only allowed a select few to place an ad in our yearbook, in order to make the reading experience more pleasant for you.
We wish all of you a very Happy New Year of 2022 and we trust that this digital edition (which you are welcome to share with anyone, in whole or in part) will pique your interest as it does indeed include a lot of business intelligence and know-how from shipping industry leaders, movers and shakers.
Yours Sincerely Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com Editor in Chief of Project Cargo Weekly
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www.coli-shipping.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS PCW YEARBOOK 2021
i
UNITED HEAVY LIFT
ii
FOREWORD
iii
COLI SHIPPING
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
v
WEEK 2 – 2021
MITSUI O.S.K. KINKAI
SINGAPORE
009
ACE 54 AFRICA PROJECT MANAGEMENT
DUBAI, UAE
010
KUALA BELAIT, BRUNEI
010
METAIRIE, LA, U.S.A
018
BERGAMO, ITALY
023
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
028
JAKARTA, INDONESIA
037
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
042
SVENDBORG, DENMARK
046
MUSCAT, OMAN
050
SWEDEN
055
JYVÄSKYLÄ, FINLAND
055
MARSEILLE, FRANCE
059
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
060
HOUSTON, USA
060
JASRA LOGISTICS WEEK 3 – 2021
DAN-GULF SHIPPING INC. ZANINONI I.F.A. SPA INTRA OCEANIA LINES FOR ANL
WEEK 4 – 2021
IOL LOGISTICS LOBO LOGISTICS OCEAN7 PROJECTS
WEEK 5 – 2021
RA LOGISTICS PORT OF SÖDERTÄLJE SILVASTI
WEEK 6 – 2021
CMA CGM HEAD OF PROJECT CARGO DIVISION UAL CHARTERING ATLAS HEAVY TRANSPORT
ATLAS HEAVY TRANSPORT WEEK 7 – 2021
063
NYK BULK & PROJECTS ZUHAL SHIPPING & LOGISTICS CARMELO CARUANA COMPANY LTD.
WEEK 8 – 2021
075 088
ALLROUND FORWARDING MIDWEST DSV QINGDAO BA-SHI YUEXIN LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD. AAL SHIPPING
MARSA, MALTA
084
PLANET COMTRANS WEEK 10 – 2021
070
HAMBURG, GERMANY
QAS CHARTER WEEK 9 – 2021
065
DUBAI, U.A.E.
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
COLI LOGISTICS GMBH SEAWORKS BV
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
089
CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA
097
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
103
AARHUS, DENMARK
106
QINGDAO, CHINA
110
SINGAPORE
114
NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN
FRONTLOG FRONTLOG WEEK 11 – 2021
SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
123
CONAKRY, GUINEA
128
HÖEGH AUTOLINERS
OSLO, NORWAY
134
BEE LOGISTICS
TAIPEI, TAIWAN
139
SWEDEN
143
LIBURNIA MARITIME AGENCY LTD.
RIJEKA, CROATIA
143
FEVZI GANDUR SHIPPING AGENCY
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
147
DENMARK
153
GDYNIA, POLAND
153
SPARBER DOMINICANA SRL GLOBETRANS S.A.
WEEK 12 – 2021
HUTCHISON PORTS STOCKHOLM WEEK 13 – 2021
PORT OF GRENAA CHIPOLBROK CHIPOLBROK (CP) WEEK 14 – 2021
156 LYONEL A. MAKZUME GROUP OF COMPANIES CORY BROTHERS LETH AGENCIES
WEEK 15 – 2021
115 121
COLI SCHIFFAHRT & TRANSPORT TSCHUDI LOGISTICS GROUP MR. STEFFEN PEDERSEN, MARITIME LAWYER
5
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
158
IPSWICH, UNITED KINGDOM
161
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
161
BREMEN, GERMANY
165
MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
166
SINGAPORE
170
TABLE OF CONTENTS WEEK 16 – 2021
INTERNATIONAL FORWARDERS & CUSTOMS BROKERSASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LTD.
TSM PROJECT LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT STEVECO OY WEEK 17 – 2021 AHLMARK LINES AB PROTOS SHIPPING UNIMASTERS UECC WEEK 19 – 2021
174
MUMBAI, INDIA
176
ROSTOCK, GERMANY
181 184
A2Z (AFRICA) LOGISTICS ADVISORY WEEK 18 – 2021
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
C. STEINWEG GROUP BATI GROUP TSA AGENCY SWEDEN AB
KOTKA, FINLAND
186
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
187
NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN
187
MONTREAL, CANADA
191
VARNA, BULGARIA
192
OSLO, NORWAY
192
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
196
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
197
GÄVLE, SWEDEN
197
TSA AGENCY SWEDEN WEEK 20 – 2021
204 LOGISYN ADVISORS
CHICAGO, USA
206
UNITED HEAVY LIFT
NÆSTVED, DENMARK
207
BBC CHARTERING WEEK 21 – 2021
WEEK 22 – 2021
LEER, GERMANY
207
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
215
CATONI & CO.
TBLISI, GEORGIA
219
DELPA SHIPPING & TRANSPORT CO. LTD.
ATHENS, GREECE
219
PANAMA
236
HAMBURG, GERMANY
240
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (AND SLOVAKIA)
240
PLANCK MARINE INSURANCE
AD TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS HAPAG LLOYD - GLOBAL SPECIAL CARGO LIBURNIA PROJECTS & CHARTERING
LIBURNIA MARITIME AGENCY LTD. KENSA LOGISTICS WEEK 23 – 2021
243
CARGOCREW INTERNATIONAL GMBH LIBURNIA PROJECTS & CHARTERING B.V. WEEK 32 – 2021
WESTDIJK SWEDEN AB TRAVEL REPORT ISS PALUMBO
WEEK 33 – 2021
DANBRIT SHIPPING LIMITED SEA.O.G OFFSHORE MARTIN BENCHER POLAND
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
245
HAMBURG, GERMANY
246
ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
246
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
250
JULY, 2021
255
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
259
GOOLE, UNITED KINGDOM
268
HAMBURG, GERMANY & HOUSTON, USA
272
GDAŃSK, POLAND
272
MARTIN BENCHER WEEK 34 – 2021
275 R-LOGISTICS MERIAURA GROUP C.E.R.L.
WEEK 35 – 2021
FTGV TRANSPORT LOGISTICS CARGO S.A. DE C.V. ATLANTIC RO-RO CARRIERS INC. HÖEGH AUTOLINERS
WEEK 36 – 2021
ANTWERPXL AIR & OCEAN WORLDWIDE APS MANUPORT LOGISTICS
WEEK 37 – 2021
HILLEBRAND KENYA LIMITED AFRILOG AGENCE MARITIME MOHAB
CROSS OCEAN AIR & SEA PROJECT LOGISTICS NETWORK PROJECT ONE LOGISTICS WEEK 38 – 2021
MONACO
278
TURKU, FINLAND
286
LYON, FRANCE
286
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
290
NEW YORK, USA
294
OSLO, NORWAY
301
LONDON, UK
305
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
306
SANTIAGO, CHILE
306
NAIROBI, KENYA
314
GERMISTON, GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA
318
TUNIS, TUNISIA
326 333
PORT OF UMEÅ / KVARKEN PORTS MAINSTREAM
6
HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA
335
SWEDEN
341
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
341
TABLE OF CONTENTS WEEK 39 – 2021
`WEEK 40 – 2021
MILAN, ITALY
350
SAL HEAVY LIFT
HAMBURG, GERMANY
353
COSCO SHIPPING LINES
HAMBURG, GERMANY
353
PIRAEUS, GREECE
363
MARSEILLE, FRANCE
368
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
368
LOGIMAR SRL / AFRICA LOGISTICS NETWORK (ALN) / EXCLUSIVE PROJECT NETWORK (EPN)
MODERN FREIGHT S.A. MR. RICHARD HOLGATE RETIRED DIRECTOR OF MARINE OPERATIONS AT CMA CGM
VTG PROJECT LOGISTICS CLC PROJECTS NETWORK ACCESS WORLD WEEK 41 – 2021 CARGOGULF INC. ROYAL ARCTIC LINE A/S WEEK 42 – 2021
ASIAN TIGER SHIPPING LLC HABA-SPED LOGISTICS JAPAN K.K. SMART CARGO SOLUTIONS
WEEK 43 – 2021
HANSA MEYER GLOBAL TRANSPORT GMBH & CO. KG ENERGY INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS SRL ULOG
WEEK 47 – 2021
FORMAG LOGISTICS COMARK PROJECT LOGISTICS FEI CARGO LTD
PROJECT CARGO WEEKLY ASERCOMEX WEEK 48 – 2021 MLK INTERNATIONAL WEEK 49 – 2021
SINGAPORE
376
DUBAI, U.A.E.
377
AARHUS, DENMARK
377
DUBAI, U.A.E.
381
TOKYO, JAPAN
382
WARSAW, POLAND
385
HAMBURG, GERMANY
394
MILAN, ITALY
397
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
401
SAMARA, RUSSIA
409
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
410
MUMBAI, INDIA
410 419
BURGOS, SPAIN
422
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
426
XS GLOBAL LOGISTICS
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
430
NAVEX
LISBON, PORTUGAL
435
OMEGA SHIPPING
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
441
BALTIMORE, USA
447
THUNDERBOLT GLOBAL LOGISTICS WEEK 50 – 2021
374
KWH LOGISTICS LOGISTICS PLUS INC. THE RIGGING CO. LTD.
VAASA, FINLAND
458
ISTANBUL, TURKEY & HOUSTON, TEXAS
459
MANILA, PHILIPPINES
459
INDEX
468
GET THE PCW MOBILE APP
469
WEEK 02 – 2021 January 14, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday again and we are back with a new season of Project Cargo Weekly. I hope you all entered into the new year in orderly fashion and I think I speak for all of us when I express the hope about 2021 becoming corona free. Nothing has affected us all high or low, rich or poor more than corona which virtually has hampered free movement worldwide not to mention countless deaths and mayhem in its wake. On the personal front I also experienced tragedy in my nearest family when on the 19th of December I received a call from my father telling me that my brother, 7 years my junior, was found dead in his house in Copenhagen. Understanding grief is kind of more “manageable” when it is on others’ behalf but when it strikes yourself you understand that you didn’t know about sorrow and pain for real.
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For my parents, of course, it has been a horrible time as one should not outlive one’s children and dealing with his rather large estate — and in particular vulture-like creatures hovering over the estate to grab a bite — has been quite an ordeal. He left behind 4 children and it was my task in the initial stage to support the eldest daughter to deal with matters. So, yes it has been a dark December 2020 indeed, and a tragic ending to a year that in some ways is best forgotten. I was reminded that I should have done more with and for my brother when there was still time and in that there is a terrible and unforgettable lesson. Here is the last picture taken of me and my brother (left) in 2020 Starting up slowly in 2021 with the first issue of the year, I can note that on the shipping front, the going is apparently better than ever, with skyrocketing rates for container freight enabling the shipowners to hopefully pay back their loans taken for their expansions in recent years. Without knowing exact figures, I have heard container rates of up to 8x what they normally would be for a simple Shanghai to European main port shipment. Lack of containers is another problem, and it has even made it interesting to use breakbulk tonnage to take traditional containerised cargo in order to get it shipped. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai - Singapore
Kristian Korsvik, Singapore representative at Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai, Ltd. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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Video Interview: ACE 54 Africa Project Management - Dubai, UAE
Philippe Somers, CEO of ACE 54 Project Management was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
Jasra Logistics Sdn Bhd - Kuala Belait, Brunei
10
Interview with
Mr. Mitchell Leong Operations Manager
First off, Mitchell tell us about yourself. When did you start your career in shipping and freight forwarding? What made you choose this kind of career? Not so many people know about Brunei except perhaps that there is a rich sultan living there. How is the life generally in Brunei, is it a place to visit for tourists? I’m Mitchell Leong, the operations manager for Jasra Logistics Sdn Bhd based in Brunei. I have been working with Jasra for the past 14 years. Jasra Logistics deals mainly with lifting & transportation services and in 2009 we ventured out to include freight forwarding. Brunei is a small country located in the North of Borneo Island. (Nearby Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia). Generally, the life in Brunei is slow paced but peaceful and a great place to raise kids. Brunei is a tax-free country, with free medical care, education and a subsidized housing scheme. Brunei is a Monarchy state Ruled by the 29th Sultan of Brunei, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Brunei is a place to visit for tourist but depending on what each individual would want to see, there are no Orchard Road or Bintang Walk shopping, but being with friendly locals, beautifully preserved rainforest, traditional culture, a few museums, palaces, amusement parks, different types of food to name a few.
Tell us a bit about some of the projects that you have handled in/out of Brunei. Brunei’s main industry is oil & gas, and with the downturn in this industry, not many projects are in the pipeline. Luckily two major infrastructure projects are being carried out, refinery island managed and constructed by Hengyi Industries (China) and a bridge linking 2 districts of Brunei called the Temburong Bridge project, managed and constructed by Daelim Industries (Korea). With the great networking within CLC projects, Shin Jo Logitech, Korea appointed Jasra as their local handling partner in Brunei for the Temburnong Bridge Project. Our scope is to supply local handling services including: port clearance, transportation and lifting at the client’s site. 11
Some of our past projects are: • Some of our past projects are: • Oregon Power station Project, Berakas Brunei (port clearance, lifting, and transportation) • Land drilling campaign activities on Block L & Block M (freight, port clearance, lifting & transportation) • Temburong bridge contractors (freight, port clearance, lifting & transportation) • Baker Hughes, Brunei Shell Petroleum, Brunei Liquefied Natural Gas (supply of lifting & transportation services) • Cold box lifting & transportation from Muara Port to Brunox, in Kuala Belait (26m x 4m x 4m @ 63tonnes) (lifting & transportation) • Major heavy and OOG cargo for a newly built Nitrogen Plant (lifting & transportation)
Transportation of Cold Box Dimensions: 28m x 4m x 4m Weight 63 tonnes Do you belong to any networks currently? Yes, we are a member of CLC Projects. How is the relationship between Brunei and Malaysia? How about the cargo flow between the two countries, is it easy to cross the border? The relationship between Brunei and Malaysia is very good. Brunei is located in between Sabah and Sarawak which makes up East Malaysia. There are roads and highways linking Brunei to Sabah / Sarawak. With the Pan Borneo highway currently being constructed, the distance will defiantly be shorter and will benefit the trading industry between both countries.
12
Lifitng & transpotation of LIN Tanks Dimensions: 26m x 3.8m x 3.8m Weight: 50 tonnes Tell us about the main port in Brunei? Do you have shipowners calling there direct from overseas, and if so who are regularly there? Can you handle project and heavy cargoes in Brunei? Muara Port is the main seaport, it is located in Northern Brunei. The port is not big but is still able to accommodate container vessels, cruise liners, cargo vessels, heavy lift vessels and navy vessels. The port is equipped with container gantry quay cranes. This port is not equipped with any heavy lift equipment, and this is Jasra’s specialty, we are willing to provide a proposal to potential clients for their upcoming projects in Brunei. 13
Supply of equipment for the Temburong Bridge Project I visited Brunei in 1998 and went to an amusement park, everything was free of charge, is this still the case? Jerudong Park, it actually just re-opened 2-3 years ago with new rides and we now have to pay an entrance fee. The old rides during the 90’s were taken down and sold later in 2011. The park was revived with new rides and games and the opening of z water park. The entrance fees are very reasonably priced between BND 5,00 – BND 10,00 (3.50 – 7 USD) per person. How to get in touch with you in case some of our readers would like to have more information or a quote from you? For any inquiries about Brunei (business/personal), I can be contacted by the details below. Mitchell Leong Operations Manager Mobile : +673 8725770 mitchell@jasra-es.com 14
Featured Video Star Ferry ride between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula Editor’s Note: I spent many happy days and nights with my late brother in Hong Kong. I sent him there on his first overseas posting in 1992 and for both of us it was a place in the world that we thoroughly enjoyed. One of the simple pleasures we enjoyed was the Star ferry ride between Hong Kong Island to Kowloon Peninsula.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Leaving Denmark for Sweden after the tragic ending of 2020 I did experience a seldom sunny day in December with the castle of Kronborg to the right seen here from the ferry between Helsingor and Helsingborg.
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Wise Words
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WEEK 03 – 2021 January 21, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 21st of January and here we are again with the 2nd edition lf PCW 2021. Finding something else to say besides lamenting about the corona situation locally, globally, etc. is becoming more and more difficult, but it is no doubt at the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment. We are all becoming experts in Teams, Zoom or whatever the product is called, enabling us to meet each other on-line, and whilst we are constantly told to keep a distance to everyone but the closest acquaintances, it is becoming increasingly irritating. So I do take refuge in the fact that vaccines seem to be coming on stream now bigtime. However, as for traveling and, in my case, wishing for or rather craving for visiting Asia, it is a longshot and likely won’t happen until after the summer—if even then. Who wants to travel to a couple of destinations and then face the inevitable isolation at the hands of the local government or even face the fact that rules may have changed and you are unable to return home? Still, it is, of course, a mere fly in the ointment compared to the millions that have paid the ultimate price of this pandemic. Democracy seems to be under attack in the country which boasts of being the cradle of it, i.e., the US. The world looked on in horror as the Capitol was stormed by fanatics (see this video) convinced that Trump is not a sore loser but, in fact, a genuine loser of the election due to fraud. I spoke to a couple of friends in Houston (by Zoom) today and asked them their feelings about it. They told me that healing the divisions of the country is the single most important thing for the new president to deal with. Fanatics on both sides are hell bent on making trouble and having it their way is indeed dangerous for the democracy and freedom that we hold dear. I could well imagine the Chinese, Russian and North Korean presidents having had a Zoom conference giving each other high five’s online after seeing the chaos in Washington DC and then seeing a capital in virtual lockdown with thousands of armed law enforcement and national guard officers if not outright military. Some democracy! Still, the pillars of democracy seem to have 17
stood their ground….but the word fragile comes to mind. COVID-19 has been good, though, for many in logistics and in airfreight, and money due to exorbitant freight rates have been pouring in to the coffers of those with capacity in the right place at the right time, but I suspect that it will correct itself at some point. China’s economy keeps humming on, and the pride with which some Chinese think that they “handled” the virus after first “developing” it does leave a bad taste with many (see video here). I think the reputation of the country will need some time to recover fully to that of pre-pandemic days and rightly so. Any country where things can be delayed and covered up irrespective of consequences for everyone else needs to change! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Dan-Gulf Shipping Inc. – Metairie, LA, U.S.A
Interview with
Mr. Niels Busse President
18
First of all Niels, you are a Danish native but you have been residing in the US for many years right? Could you tell our readers a little about your own story, i.e. getting into shipping in the first place and ending up in the US Gulf? Sure, my dad sailed for the East Asiatic Company for a couple of years as a Steward on board M/V Kambodia. I always enjoyed listening to his experiences on board the vessel and of the many places the job on board would take him, mainly Far East/USWC, etc. Hence, I started my shipping career in Aarhus, Denmark in 1976 where I worked for a company called Bergmann, Smith & Co., which was a branch office of the old East Asiatic Company. It was a 3-year apprenticeship with a broad education which involved anything from handling containers on both the export and import side, refrigerated and frozen cargo, break/bulk both in containers as well as break bulk on ro-ro and conventional tonnage loading/discharging right outside our office. It was a great well rounded education which also included agency, operations, documentation from the ground up, dealing with railroads, truckers, and of course, the ships. In 1980, I moved to New Orleans as a boarding agent for the biggest agency in the US at the time. The company was called Hansen and Tidemann, Inc., and it was a demanding job. We handled up to 80 vessels per month and had 5 boarding agents plus 5 inside operations people, plus a manager just to handle the operational part for vessels calling on the Mississippi River. A typical work week was 80 hours, but I was young and eager to learn, and boarding all types of vessels such as tankers, bulkers, tweendeckers, etc.—all of different nationalities—was an excellent experience. After my 3-year plus venture, I worked for a few other companies, one which included equipment control, which I did for 5 years, and others related to regular agency business. In the late 80’s, I joined Gulfship Marine, Inc. as an operations manager and was also introduced to the chartering part of the business, especially for project cargoes, which I found interesting and challenging as each job was different, so never a dull moment. In 1990, I joined Intermarine, Inc. as one of the founding partners, and I finally established Dan-Gulf Shipping, Inc. in 1993.
What is the main activity of Dan-Gulf Shipping? Dan-Gulf Shipping, Inc. is a managing company that has been managing a variety of services for its exclusive principals such as Caytrans Project Services (Americas) Ltd., which traded worldwide for many years, 19
including Cuba as one of the first companies for this trade lane when permitted with OFAC licensed cargoes, mostly grain in bulk. In 2004, we landed a mining contract from the USG into Colombia for the currently biggest mining company in Colombia, Drummond, and we have maintained that contract ever since. Having that contract naturally led to many other opportunities for ports en-route, and for many years we had the BP, Ecopetrol contract also into Colombia but were also very active overall into NCSA, mainly catering to the oil industry mostly moving southbound. The voyages also combined well with the Caribbean Island trade as well as ECCA. The northbound business back to the USG would normally consist of pipes, bulk cargoes and break bulk, including cross trades in the segment.
I have it on good authority that you are an expert in moving cargoes into the Caribbean and North part of South America. Tell us more please about the services you provide. Is it own, chartered or operated tonnage, and what is your strength in that area? I always liked partnerships, although it is hard to find good partners, but we are now running the Caribbean service on Oslo Caribbean Carrier A/S (OCC) with whom we partnered in 2020. I have known Alf Andersen, CEO of Oslo Bulk, for over 25 years when he worked and lived in New Orleans. We have a good chemistry, low overhead, wealth of combined knowledge and OCC has the strongest presence in the Caribbean with a minimum of 10, owned, multipurpose vessels with a lifting capacity up to 120 m/t strictly trading USG/Caribbean/NCSA/ECCA. OCC are mainly focused on forest products and steel parcels and have numerous contracts in place, which we agreed would be complimented greatly by extending the service to include project cargoes that Dan-Gulf could bring to the table. Consequently, we formed a partnership, and thus far, we have been off to a good start. Due to customer demand at this stage, it has already been necessary to charter additional tween deck tonnage to cover all our combined requirements with vessels sailing from mainly Houston and Mobile, but also Panama City and Savannah to most of the Islands in the Caribs, and regular service to Colombia, Mexico, Belize and so on. Our strength in the area is the number of vessels strictly trading within the Caribbean segment along with a variety of contracts. That gives us a lot of flexibility others cannot do, and the tonnage we are trading has a very good DWCC intake of a shallow draft. Besides that, the combination of the knowledge/relationships our experienced team has covers a lot of territory and gives us an advantage in the constant puzzle at hand to parcel and make profitable voyages, while at the same time, providing reliable service to our many loyal clients to whom we are very thankful. 20
Houston always stands out in worldwide marketing as the most known Gulf port for transhipment of breakbulk cargoes. Could you, with your experience, point out a few alternatives for our readers? The reason I ask is that I lived in China for many years, and it was always Shanghai that got the attention, not the equally capable and much cheaper ports near to Shanghai. That’s a good question, Bo. Houston is really the main hub for well over 90 percent of the project cargoes moving ex the USG I reckon. However, for forest products, Mobile is also a good alternative for project cargoes, with competitive stevedoring. For sure we can offer very competitive rates to the Islands/NCSA such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica, just to name a few ex Mobile for project cargoes, when we combine it with the forest products already scheduled to these destinations, which also includes St. Croix, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Guyana among others. Another alternative for some of the larger projects as opposed to Houston are some of the Louisiana out ports, such as Port Fourchon.
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Tell us a little about some of the most complex transports you have handled into the Caribbean area via the US Gulf. Or can you simply elaborate on a couple of projects that you have handled irrespective of destination? One of our biggest challenges was a project into the then shallow draft port Roatan, Honduras for the Roatan Electric Company (RECO) for whom we moved power generation equipment ex Houston. DB Schenker and Alliance Power participated as transportation intermediaries. The first shipment out of two consisted of 12 LPG storage tanks, each measuring more than 133 feet in length (40.5 meters) and each weighing about 80 metric tons. The voyage took place in July 2016 after 9 months of voyage planning and job site preparation, including dredging alongside the discharge terminal. The length of these tanks stretched over the entirety of the vessel’s lower hold, tween and weather deck. They were loaded and discharged using the ship’s two cranes in tandem. In order not to overload the ship’s cranes, their rigging had to be adjusted while the tanks were being lifted precisely into their stowed position. The trick of having sufficient crane capacity with sufficient outreach while having a vessel able to arrive at Roatan and safely discharge with 4 meters (13.12 feet) draft was one which few other vessels in the world could have accomplished. The attending port captain, Joshua Jordan commented “At the planning stage, it appeared to all that two of the tanks would not be within the tandem lift ranges. With our knowledge and experience, we determined that the rigging could be adjusted. We proved our theory was correct during loading at Houston and reconfirmed it discharging at Roatan, even while the vessel sat separated from the pier by 3 meter (9.8 feet) Yokohama fenders to avoid the shallowest water.” All the rigging at Houston was supplied by the vessel, and all the cargo and crane handling on board was handled by the ship’s crew. Additionally, fishing boats and a small tanker vessel were moved, allowing for our vessel to come alongside. Other than that, we have moved everything from popcorn to Scud missiles along with warheads from the Med to the USG. At that time, the wall was still up in Berlin, and we were requested to remove the entire East German crew, which we accommodated by replacing them with a Philippine crew supervised by Greek officers. There were discussions about having a US navy escort for the vessel, but Washington settled for placing an escort person on board the vessel to watch out for the cargo. Upon the time of arrival at the USG discharge, I asked the Greek captain, “How did your escort do?” and he replied, “He was seasick for about 23 days!” I think that is what makes shipping one of the most interesting jobs in the world—every day is usually different. You never know what to expect, and you learn new things on a regular basis, even after more than 40 years in the industry.
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How has the business been hit during the COVID19 pandemic in the US? Our business was hit pretty hard during the COVID pandemic in our specific segment of the Caribs, but mainly the oil and gas industry sector. The mining, bulk, and forest products markets seem to have been somewhat stable, and we are finally starting to see an increase of activities on the project side as well. So, we currently have 12 vessels in the Caribbean service in order to keep up with clients’ demands, but for sure, another setback with the COVID-19 pandemic could quickly change things in a negative manner. Although I still think there will be several tough months, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Looking into the crystal ball, what do you see as the future in shipping for you & your company? Well, I am 63 years of age but energized and still very motivated for a variety of reasons, so as long as I have fun and the health to keep doing what I have been doing for most of my adult life, I will likely continue another 3-4 years. Eventually, you need an exit plan, and there are several ways to slice the salami, so we will see what the future brings as the ships keep moving. How is it possible to get in touch with you? Here are our contact details: Dan-Gulf Shipping, Inc. Niels Busse 3117 7th Street Suite 300 Metairie, LA 70002 Phone: +1 504.830.3900 Mobile: +1 504.481.6806 Fax: +1 504.830.3909 E-mail: niels.busse@dan-gulf.com Group: chartering@dan-gulf.com Website: http://www.dan-gulf.com
Zaninoni I.F.A. SpA – Bergamo, Italy
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Interview with
Mr. Andrea Colombo Board Member
Could you elaborate on this history of Zaninoni Italy and more importantly the ownership of the company? Zaninoni IFA S.p.A. was founded in 1979, when my father Angelo and my grandfather Carlo, together with other two families, Mazzucchelli and Adinolfi, took over a little transport company nearby to Bergamo. Today, after 40 years, the company is still driven by the same three families. The second generation is now working side-by-side with the founders, thus creating a winning synergy between young dynamism and decennial expertise.
Reactor for Qatar Fertilizer Co. 24
Andrea, please tell us about your own career in shipping leading up to your current position in Zaninoni? I grew up listening to my father talking about this job. I was fascinated by it and since secondary school, I was convinced and determined to put all my efforts into becoming a freight forwarder. After my studies in Shipping & Logistics in Genoa, I immediately started working in Zaninoni, and I went through the channels like everyone else, assisting on sales or handling groupage shipments. However, I soon realised that “Project Cargo” was the most challenging and rewarding wing of the freight forwarding industry, and I hit the ground running in it. I can say that working with people with 30+ years of experience is the best of the schools.
Heat Exchanger for South Korea In what specific fields of shipping and freight forwarding are you active? Are you used to handling OOG cargoes? Indeed. From the beginning, handling heavy/oversized cargo has been a routine job for Zaninoni. Some of our main accounts are companies involved in oil & gas, renewables, energy, mining, and construction. We are also very active and well-established internationally for the iron & steel industry, from raw material to semi-finished and finished products. However, as a logistics company, we are familiar with every means of transport, and we can offer our customers a wide range of services, from LTL up to full chartering of vessels or aircrafts, with a deep knowledge of customs and documents formalities.
Cold Box for Khorasan Steel Complex in Iran 25
Could you provide us with a few examples of project cargoes that you have handled? • Full air separation plant consisting of 1 cold box unit, pressure vessels and compressors for a total of 710 tons-4440 cbm destined to the Khorasan Steel Complex in Iran. • Reactor and pressure vessels for a total of 415 tons destined to the Qatar Fertilizer Co. in Qatar. • Heat exchanger and parts, total 545 tons, destined to South Korea.
Transformer under hook of a floating crane Italy is known, in particular, for customers who always take a very very long time in paying their invoices. Is that still so, and if so, why do you think that is? The wise man says: “In order to succeed, you need to win a job. Then you need to complete it, and last you need to be paid for it.” We always keep in mind this mantra, which reminds us never to celebrate too early and to be patient, especially because it may happen that we have to wait up to 6 months or even more before considering a job closed with payment. This is the situation now in Italy, and it will always be the same, especially today more than ever, with all the difficulties and delays caused by the pandemic. By the way, we are proud to say that we have always been able to be a financial support, as well as a strategic logistics partner, for our customers, granting them good credit terms with our own possibilities, without ever resorting to the help of banks. 26
How is the overall situation for the Italian economy nowadays, and how do you find the logistics business right now. Is it very competitive? The competition is very high nowadays. Besides the usual big global forwarders such as K&N, DSV, Deugro and so on, we find ourselves to be in competition with new freight forwarders every day. It is a tough environment but also a motivation to do better and better for our customers. Where in Italy is your office located? Do you have offices abroad, and if not, do you then work with overseas agents or networks? Zaninoni headquarters is located in Bergamo, right in the middle of northern Italy, which is in the top exporter regions of Europe. The position of our main office and warehouse reflects our client-oriented strategy, which consists in being also physically close to our customers and their needs.
We also have offices in Austria and Slovakia, mainly involved in trucking to and from Eastern Europe, and one office in Shanghai. Nevertheless, of course we often rely on overseas agents. Even if the general trend of Italian customers is to sell on an ex-works basis, many of our customers are used to shipping up to delivered door, and that is where it is essential to have a trustworthy partner. Being part of a network is fundamental for us in order to give our customers a full-tailored, global service. Has the Covid-19 situation affected your business side of things, and how do you see the year of 2021 developing? 27
2020 has been a tough year. Nobody expected such a dramatic scene and that it would have lasted for so long. The city of Bergamo took the hardest hit in all of Italy at the beginning of the pandemic in March/April. So obviously, our first thought was for our staff to be safe and healthy. Besides one or two warehousemen doing shifts, we stayed home for a couple of months in a smart-work configuration, and we came back into the office little by little with all the necessary precautions and new procedures—sanitizers, acrylic panels everywhere, surgical masks and temperature measurement at the entrance. Regarding the business, together with FEDESPEDI, the Italian freight forwarders association in which we play an active part, we tracked the impact of COVID-19 throughout the year. The result is that Italian FFs lost an average of 30% of the revenue in 2020. That is, of course, a very bad situation, but somehow we feel positive as Zaninoni closed the year slightly better than the average, and we are receiving some good forecasts from customers. What would be good ways for our readers to get in touch with you? You can reach me bye mail: andrea.colombo@zaninoni.it Or mobile – whattsapp/signal: +393386481098
Intra Oceania Lines for ANL – Melbourne, Australia
Interview with
Mr. Chris Peck General Manager
ANL is a strong brand in the Australian market. Could you first of all elaborate a bit on the history of ANL? I believe the abbreviation stands for Australian National Line but in today’s context, you belong to a global group, right? 28
Yes, that is correct. ANL is a container shipping operator with its roots firmly planted in Australian soil. Originally owned by the Australian government, ANL was purchased by CMA CGM, who is one of the leading container carriers and logistics operators in the world, in 1998. With the shackles which were associated with government ownership released, ANL has enjoyed many years of significant growth under the ownership of CMA CGM, highlighted by the fact that when purchased in 1998, ANL carried 72,000TEU per annum, and in 2019, this number had expanded to over 1.15M TEU per annum. This has given us an average annual growth rate of 10.5% per annum against a global average of 5.9%. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and whilst our core business is liner shipping to/from and around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the organisation has broadened its solutions to now include break-bulk, intermodal and value-added services. Currently, we operate 19 services with 420 ports of call with 33 vessels in operation. Whilst the ANL operation is focussed on the Oceania areas, through CMA CGM we offer worldwide solutions to any port in the world. We have 4 major offices with over 320 employees worldwide.
Australia and its size defies belief for many, even in shipping. What are your main ports of call in Australia generally, and please also enlighten our readers about your most recent development, i.e., a brand new, regular call into Port Hedland, right? To further give our readers a sense of size, could you elaborate on the time it would take to circumnavigate Australia, say using an ANL ship at 17 knots? ANL calls in all major ports in Australia, namely Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle (Perth). We have expanded in the last few years to also include secondary ports including Darwin, Townsville, Esperance and our most recent, new calling of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Pilbara region is a very exciting opportunity for us as we launch the first containerised service into this port, which is the powerhouse region of Australia, powered by some of the largest mining, gas and mineral resource deposits anywhere in the world. The service will also cater for breakbulk and OOG cargoes. Traditionally, containerised cargo has been shipped via Fremantle some 1650 kilometres (1021 miles) to the south 29
and road transported to the Pilbara region. We will be offering a regular feeder service from Singapore to the Pilbara, allowing access from all parts of the world through the CMA CGM Group’s global network. The mutual benefits that will be derived from the service include CO2 reductions, less road traffic, shorter supply chains and reduced handling which will lead to less risk of cargo damage. Australia is a large country which is heavily populated on its East Coast. The huge coastline covers 25,780 kilometres (16,020 miles) and is the sixth largest in the world. If an ANL vessel sailed from Melbourne and circumnavigated the Australian mainland at 17 knots, it would take nearly 40 days to complete the journey. Ironically, when ANL first commenced operations in 1956, it was purely a coastal operator with a fleet of both cargo and bulk vessels, and as such nearly every port in Australia has seen an ANL vessel visit at least once in that time.
What prompted ANL’s decision to make regular calls into Port Hedland? After our successful introduction of service port calls to Darwin, Townsville and Esperance, we considered the large transport task that was the Pilbara area. We had been approached by some of our customers who 30
were interested in gaining a new connection from Asia which would provide shorter supply chains, reduced road haulage and the opportunity to source products more cost effectively internationally via Singapore, and also from the East Coast of Australia. After studying these requirements, we ascertained that by introducing a feeder service from Singapore, our worldwide network could cater for the vast majority of these requirements. After full consultation with state and local governments and the Pilbara Port Authority, a new service was born. Our first sailing took place on the 2nd of November 2020 from Singapore and was well supported and above initial expectations. As the business grows, we will offer improved frequency and access to other ports in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions. We believe it is a game changer for the region with containerised cargoes now having access to this Port following the investment by the State Government to upgrade inspection and treatment processes and facilities to meet all Federal biosecurity requirements under this legislation. We think that the service signals the beginning of a new wave of economic activity in the Pilbara region.
On the issue of special equipment and breakbulk cargo, is that something that ANL gets involved with for the Australian trade? Even in cases of intra-Australia business,say the moving of mining equipment, etc., is that something which could be done using ANL tonnage as well? Could you provide us with some examples, pictures of projects that you have handled within the OOG scope of ANL? While ANL has always been carrying Project Cargo (OOG & Breakbulk), it is only within the last two years that we decided to develop this segment and launched a dedicated Project Cargo Desk. This project cargo desk does not only quote breakbulk opportunities but will also provide our customers with quotations when it comes to OOG cargo going along with the breakbulk one. We work very closely with our counterparts in the CMA CGM Project Cargo and Breakbulk divisions which allows us to give a seamless service from ports around the world, utilising our major transhipment hubs in Asia. Our liftings of breakbulk since the launching of this desk has seen a significant increase, and we want to inform the market that carrying breakbulk cargoes on container services on a fixed schedule with fixed frequencies and improved transit times is now a reality. Our team of professionals on the desk are ready to assist. Upon receiving your rate request, our Breakbulk Desk will quickly assess your cargo and study the feasibility of your intended stuffing plan. While studying the same, they will quickly identify whether your cargo needs to be shipped as OOG or breakbulk and provide the best service option available. In our current capacity, we can pretty much load all nature of project cargoes across all our services. 31
Tell us more about the ANL-owned tonnage which you have got in your service. Our service is made up of 33 vessels which are both owned and chartered. The size of the vessels range from 9500 teu container vessels to 600 teu MCP type vessels for the smaller services. Depending on the trade serviced, the vessels are suited up to the market that they are operating in, with vessels in trades which are involved in a lot of breakbulk cargoes engaged to ensure that we can cover the requirements of our customers. Is Tasmania a place that ANL can cover as well? I take it that some of the Pacific Islands, PNG and New Zealand are also places that are well-known to ANL, but how about for special and OOG cargoes? Again, we are pretty much selling our Project Cargo capabilities everywhere we can, which means on most of our current services, only limited at times by the terminal lifting capabilities of our contractors. Hence, we can definitely offer our services into TASMANIA (via Melbourne) through our dedicated service offers of our feeder operator who provides daily RORO services to the island ex Melbourne. In regard to the Pacific Islands, three years ago, ANL acquired Sofrana Unilines who operated dedicated Pacific Island services from Australia and New Zealand. The vessels we continue to operate on these services today are all fully self-geared and fully equipped to handle breakbulk cargoes of any size, big or small. As well we operate services across PNG offering the same flexibilities. Recently we also acquired the Toll service from Singapore to Darwin and East Timor, and these vessels also continue to be fully versant in the carriage of breakbulk cargoes.
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Outside our regular weekly / fortnightly services & regular port calls, in the past, we have also organised ad hoc calls to carry breakbulk loads. This is something we always look at as options if our services are not suitable, and we have the capacity to do this whenever required.
Where should our readers contact ANL when they want a quote for h/l and OOG? Say our readers are located in China, Singapore, Thailand, Auckland, and Europe, for example? Well to make it simple, we created a dedicated email address for customers to use for all of their enquiries they may have in regard to our services. The enquiries are handled directly by our Project Cargo Desk, and then local follow up is provided by our specialised agent representatives in the customer’s area. This allows a “one entry” contact into our organisation, and that follow up is performed quickly and in line with our Customer Service requirements. Should any one reading have anything you would like us to study, please contact us at mbe.projectcargo@anl. com.au. https://www.anl.com.au/
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Featured Video United Heavy Lift Newbuild Arriving Port of Köpmanholmen Sweden Editor’s Note: United Heavy Lift that just acquired several newbuildings and had one of their vessels in the very tiny port of Köpmanholmen, Northern Sweden at the end of 2020. Here is a bit of footage from the ship’s arrival after a long voyage coming from Vietnam.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: For many a seafarer arriving towards Copenhagen, it is a sight to behold seeing the castle of Kronborg on the starboard side. The location for Shakespeare’s Hamlet and a Unesco World Heritage, it is indeed a sight for sore eyes. Took this day and night view when last visiting Denmark.
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Wise Words
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WEEK 04 – 2021 January 28, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 28th of January and the last PCW of this month before we enter February. February is also the month during which your editor is turning 58, and for me, it does feel like the time is passing faster. I was told by my seniors that it is what happens when you age; time goes by more rapidly. I wish the eradication of the corona virus could also speed-up, but we are indeed dealing with a clever enemy that seems to develop and not least, mutate earlier than we expected. Can we close down societies? And at what cost? Has the cure, in some places, already become worse than the disease? I was chairing one of the usual Zoom conferences today with participants from US/New Jersey, Canada, South Africa, Delhi/India, Montenegro, Germany, the Philippines and Austria (www.clcprojects.com), and it was indeed another depressing status report that the project freight forwarders in the network that I chair could tell me about. I also get regular input from my children based in New York, London and Exeter, so having this kind of “boots on the ground”, enables me to rely less on the media. It was clear from the conference that patience is wearing thin, and although the logistics business has been good for some, the quality of life is gradually deteriorating with lack of freedoms being experienced in virtually all aspects of life. By the way, here is an interesting infographic from the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong about Wuhan then and now – so perhaps there is hope? Who knows… perhaps Chinese freedom is the new “freedom” for us all because I simply cannot see that we can lockdown like China can do! Still moving on… I had a good week last week where I managed to board a Cosco Shipping vessel in the Port of Gavle (with face mask of course). You can find more on this in today’s featured videos further below. I have seen more of Sweden in 9 months than in the 8 years since 2012 when I moved here from Beijing, so thank you corona! 36
Piracy attacks are seeing a major uptick, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. Why are we so incompetent in the world society to deal with problems like that? Imagine that airline crews were being abducted and some killed. In contrast, it seems that taking action—and that it is seafarers that are the victims—are lacking compared to what would be done to “free” airline crews. These days I guess the airlines have no more passengers than ships have crews….well close to. If we are serious about world trade and the world’s lifeline being the seafarers of the world, then why don’t we do something about it? See this one from Al Jazeera and this more expanded one from Africa Today which is very informative. Perhaps all ships should fly the Israeli, US or Russian flag then we know that something, anything would be done. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews IOL Logistics – Jakarta, Indonesia
Interview with
Christian Schmith Partner First of all Mr. Schmith tell us about your own shipping background and how you ended up in Indonesia. I finished as an apprentice with a Ship Broker in Copenhagen at the age of 22. Shortly afterward I left for New York, where I started as a trainee with one of the big U.S. liner agents. I quickly rose through the ranks. After 4 years in New York, I felt I needed a change, and Asia was very appealing to me. Therefore, I decided to take up a job in Hong Kong with a local NVOCC. After 5 very exciting years in Hong Kong, I moved to Jakarta in Indonesia, where I spent 7 interesting years 37
working for a global freight forwarding company. The route then took me to Singapore for a couple of years and then onto the fast-moving Shanghai for 4 years. After Shanghai, I returned to Singapore, where I now live and manage IOL Logistics’ activities from. It’s been a fantastic journey so far, and I feel very privileged having lived and worked in some of the main areas of the shipping/logistics Industry, like New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai etc. This has given me vast experience in all aspects of the business, and a great network of contacts.
Indonesia is one of SE Asia’s tigers tell us a bit about the current economy, how is the country developing and how is the market there for project cargo and logistics? Yes, Indonesia is the big tiger in SE Asia. After the financial crisis in the late 90’s Indonesia has steadily grown over the past 2 decades, and like the rest of SE Asia has been living in the shadows of China. However, over the last 5 years or so more and more focus has returned to SE Asia, especially Indonesia due to its vast population and growth potential. In the meantime Indonesia’s population has grown to over 260 million people, making it the fourth most populated country in the World – a surprising fact to many. The population is very young and with an ever growing middle class, Indonesia is an interesting place to do business, and will likely be so for many years to come. The official GDP figure for 2017 was +5% and for 2018 it is expected to push towards the 6% mark or over. The political environment in Indonesia has been stable, enabling the government to push forward with a lot of infrastructure projects – from roads, mass transit systems to power plants etc. This will most definitely give many interesting opportunities within the project logistics segment in the coming years. In addition, many investments are being made into the local production apparatus, which will also generate impending assignments of many different natures and sizes.
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What is IOL Logistics company history and background? What is your main line of business or shall we say your specialty in freight forwarding? IOL Logistics Indonesia was initially established in 1999 under a different name, and a new management team joined in 2011. Since then the main activity has been general forwarding and project logistics with a heavy emphasis on imports. We are always striving towards being a local company with a “First in Class” approach in terms of service, client focus, and penetration.
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Could you provide us with a couple of examples of project cargoes that you are proud to have transported for your customers? Recent projects handled: • SIEMENS – Turbines, and parts for various power plants in the U.S. • SANYO – Dismantling and relocation of a compressor factory from Cikarang to Bangkok • DOCKWISE – Floatover project for a semi-submersible vessel at Batam Island • DYESTAR – Dismantling and re-shipping of injection moulding machines to Hamburg • BEZEMER – Shipping 5 power winches to Papua New Guinea • FIGEE – Shipping a 200-ton crane to Xinhui
Customs clearance I believe can be a tricky matter not only in Indonesia but also in other Asian countries, what kind of advice would you give overseas agents/clients who have cargo destined for Indonesia? Customs Clearance in general and in Indonesia in particular, is a very delicate issue and in order to perform well it can only be done by licensed (PPJK=Indonesian Customs Brokerage License) and experienced professionals who have a complete knowledge and understanding of Indonesia’s specific customs regulations, tariffs and trade regulations. IOL has PPJK licensed staff and over the years we have sent employees on PPJK courses to obtain the clearance license. Empowering through education is one of our values. A rule of thumb is to cross-check whether the importer on record has all the required licenses and business and customs registrations before expediting a project or general freight shipment. Besides, all relevant shipping documents (Draft Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, etc.,) should be checked before final doc40
umentation is released and most importantly before submitting to Indonesian Customs. We also advise clients not to under-declare the value of the cargo.
Do you also have offices outside of Indonesia? What is planned in the future for IOL Group, will you expand further? Besides Indonesia, we have a management office in Singapore and a smaller independent set-up in India. At this stage, we don’t have any plans to expand into other areas, as we prefer to maintain the focus on our current areas, and continue to consolidate and build these business units further.
How to get in touch with you? Contacts: christian.schmith@iolgroup.com or ton.pereira@iolgroup.com IOL Logistics website: http://iolgroup.com/ 41
Lobo Logistics – Brisbane, Australia
Interview with
Mr. Alberto Coll Director When did you start your company, Lobo Logistics, Alberto? We started the company in February 2017.
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Why the name Lobo? Lobo means wolf in Spanish (my mother tongue), but there are synergies with the way we want to provide our services and those beliefs make up our code. They are respect your business partners, adapt to the environment, trust your instincts, mentor the young generation, show no fear of the competition and always howl at a new opportunity.
What is your main business? Besides the traditional freight forwarder business, we also provide: International Air Freight – from a parcel to chartering the Antonov. Domestic Road Freight – a carton, a pallet or large equipment anywhere in Australia. Warehousing – 3PL storage in Australia and anywhere else in the world. Project Cargo – a hands-on dedicated division for your project freight management. Customs – from day-to-day clearance to import permits or complicated duty minimization strategies. Biosecurity Consultancy – biosecurity inspections of sites and cargo overseas. We believe that Lobo Logistics needs to maintain a different approach from conventional freight forwarding and, with that vision in mind, we offer a service that assists importers of fertilisers and other bulk commodities to start and maintain operations in Australia. The service covers every stage of the importing process, including: • Import permits • Surveys at origin and destination • Chartering • Port agency • Stevedoring • Discharge operations management • Warehousing • Load-ins and load-outs • Bagging/de-bagging • Screening of product 43
Could you please tell us about your experience and background in project cargo and logistics? What is your nationality? I was born in Venezuela, South America and have been around international logistics and project cargo all through my professional life. I moved to Australia in 2002 and started working for companies such as P&O Nedlloyd, Maersk Line, Skelton, JBS and 20Cube. I have been lucky to work in almost every field including: reefer cargo/dangerous cargo/OOG/liquid bulk/dry bulk and project cargo.
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How is the competition in Australia and how do you manage to stand out from that competition? The competition in Australia is fierce and if you play the numbers game, you are not going to win. We are a small office based in Brisbane, a major city on the east coast of Australia, but we have the experience and knowledge to attack every opportunity and have a hands-on approach to every job. I formed Lobo with the concrete idea that logistics services can be better. It’s simple – you do a great job and you get paid for it, you treat your service providers and agents with respect and you serve your clients promptly and by putting your money where your mouth is.
Discharging in Australia
Delivery to Client 45
Do you belong to any networks currently in order to cover destinations worldwide? I have been part of networks in the past with many members and I didn’t see any benefits, but, since working with CLC Projects network members, our reach has expanded exponentially and we have been supported by the network every time. These days, there is just too much risk in not belonging to a network, with scams coming from all directions. The CLC Projects team has always been very supportive and I intend to continue working with them for many years to come. What is the best way to get in touch with you? The best way to contact me is via email. LOBO LOGISTICS General Email: info@lobologistics.com.au Office Phone +61 (7) 31181706 Address: Building 6, Garden City Office Park 2404 Logan Road, Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113 www.lobologistics.com.au Director: Alberto Coll Mobile +61 (4) 32964507 albertocoll@lobologistics.com.au You can also Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for latest updates!
Video Interview: Ocean7 Projects - Svendborg, Denmark
Henrik Slothuus Hansen of Ocean7 Projects was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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Featured Video The Arrival of COSCO Shipping Vessel mv TIAN EN in the Swedish Port of Gavle Editor’s Note: I attended the arrival of COSCO Shipping vessel mv TIAN EN into the Swedish port of Gavle last week. Here is a video first from approaching the port and then from the vessel getting alongside in port. Although the weather was cold, rainy and boring, it was a great day.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: And we stay in the port of Gavle where, courtesy of Frontlog and TSA Shipping Agency, they provided us with this magnificent drone shot taken from above the COSCO Shipping vessel mv TIAN EN readying for discharge below deck load of housing modules from China. www.frontlog.se | www.tsaagency.se 47
Wise Words
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WEEK 05 – 2021 February 4, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 4th of February and a new month has begun. During the last week, I have been thinking a lot about the plight of the people of Hong Kong. I visited this beautiful spot in 1986 as part of a trip to China. In those days, it was impossible to fly direct from Europe to China, so we flew Lufthansa into Hong Kong and then further on with CAAC (abbreviation back then for China Aviation Always Cancelled but later on Air China, of course. I was also in Hong Kong during the handover from British rule to Chinese rule in 1997. I recall vividly getting the last room available in what was then the Regent Hotel with a fantastic view towards Victoria harbour and the handover ceremony and fireworks. Under the basic law, the 2 “systems” were supposed to work alongside each other for 50 years—a vision put forward by the great leader of the time, Deng Xiaoping who was a visionary quite different from the leadership now. With the new security law of Hong Kong, it seems that a grey area has been established making it up to the authorities to judge “who has transgressed” and who can be put into custody with or without trial. Some Hong Kongers of course didn’t make matters better by trashing, looting, and destroying public property, and now certainly there is a price to be paid. Democracy is like a salami. It can be taken away either fast or in slices which is what seems to be happening. A truly great place in the world, and NO, Singapore does not come close whether its geographical position, beauty of the harbour, or work ethic of the population, so no competition there. In a perfect world, China’s leaders would understand what a golden egg they do have in Hong Kong, certainly thanks a lot to its hard working people. There is an article here in the SCMP that you may like to read about the subject because it will, for sure, have an influence on the issue of Taiwan as well—what’s happening in Hong Kong ultimately. On another note, there seems to be an interest in deep seabed mining. See here. In fact, this was mentioned 49
recently in an online interview by Mr. Steffen Pedersen (a friend of mine and partner lawyer at Penningtons Law, Singapore) that it would become big business. China will, no doubt, empty the oceans not only of fish (together with Taiwan) but also of minerals in order to satisfy strategic ambitions. We can only hope that the environment will NOT be destroyed as so much of the environment of China has been in the last few decades and that the word SUSTAINABILITY can be translated into Mandarin. See interview here with Steffen. Finally, before turning to the shipping side of things, I have basically NOT said a word about the transition of power in the US. I do believe that the world is now in a better place with a new president. I am sure Biden can be the major difference between a Trump that was not only a sore loser but also erratic and an Obama that although speaking like music to one’s ears never accomplished much. I hope that Biden can make that difference, heal the wounds, and take the natural leadership role that the world does need from the US. For now, there must be enough on his plate and his to-do list making no one envious. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews RA Logistics – Muscat, Oman
Interview with
Mr. Colin McKinlay Managing Director
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First of all, Colin, what nationality are you, and what led you into a career in shipping ending up now in Oman? Also could you enlighten our readers about the history and ownership of RA Logistics? I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and having spent many years working with the multinationals that included regular overseas travel, I always had a desire to be based overseas. I was offered the role as Country Manager Oman for CEVA Logistics and the rest is history. CEVA first traded in Oman as Circle Freight International some 30 years earlier which became EGL – Eagle Global Logistics and then CEVA Logistics. I was promoted to Regional Director UAE, Qatar and Oman and maintained my Country Manager role alongside – and the 6-day working week – Saturday to Thursday which was essentially 7 working with the ROW on a Friday. We launched RA Logistics back in 2014 with my Omani Sponsor / partner and maintained silent partner agreement status with Logistics as one of the group companies stand alone business units. In the past month, this has all changed, and Resource Allocation Logistics LLC has its own Independent Company Registration. I am a 50% shareholder with my wife and Omani partner retaining the other 50%.
Do you have experience in handling oversized and project cargoes in RA Logistics? Could you provide our readers with a few examples? Yes. I was engaged with many projects during my career with Panalpina and CEVA from a wide range of aircraft and vessel charters to and from many exciting geographical areas. As RA Logistics we have supported, amongst others – Oman Air Aircraft Engines from Muscat to LUX/CDG/BRU. 15 supported to date. Complex Land Rig Move from Duqm to Iraq including transport mobilisation to Port (over Christmas) and export customs clearance. 51
6,600 Dairy Cows imported, cleared and delivered to the New Dairy Farm in Sunainah from Australia – self-loading cargo like never before ……
Clearance and delivery of 2.2km Container Terminal Construction materials at Duqm Port. This included the fine art of bank guaranteed bonded clearance in Sohar and Salah and customs integration in Duqm – around the clock !! Great collaboration with our Turkish agent who supported all of the international shipping. Oman is a big country and a beautiful one as well I have heard. As for the ports, can you elaborate a bit on the ports available currently in the country for import and export? Which ports would you say are generally used for project cargoes, machinery, plant equipment, etc.? Indeed Oman is a beautiful country, rich in culture and a fabulous place to be based. With 2,200 km of coastline, it has so much to offer and the main ports of Salalah in the south (1,000 km from the capital Muscat) and Sohar in the North (300km north of Muscat). Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ – Muscat) was closed to container ves52
sels some years back. However, it still supports some break bulk charters and Dhow vessels for local importers and exporters. Duqm, of course, is the new port some halfway between Salalah and Muscat and the new Mega City under development – now with its own Dry Dock, Break Bulk Terminal (JV with Antwerp Port) and the New Container Terminal we have just supported.
Is transit via Oman to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE a possibility nowadays? Maersk and others use Salalah port as a transhipment location for many of their mother vessels to feed the Arabian Gulf, Africa, and many eastbound and westbound trade lanes. Much of the Qatar-bound traffic from Saudi, UAE and Egypt was routed via Oman during the embargo; however, this has since been lifted, and it is business as usual. Oman plays an important neutral, often mediator, role within the Middle East region with friendly ties to all neighbouring countries. It is also working hard to position itself as a regional Hub for Logistics Support in the region with its vast Free Zones in Salalah, Duqm and Sohar.
How about customs clearance in Oman. Is that generally working well or would you have any rule of thumb to observe prior to shipping? Oman moved away from the old labour intensive manual system to online Bayan some years back. [Bayan is the Omani online electronic customs data system.] This is a much more user-friendly system with direct access to customs to overcome any clearance-related issues. It is important, of course, to work behind the scenes to ensure accuracy of documentation, HS Classification, Import Licencing and Customs Inspection where this is required, etc. 53
We can have shipments pre-cleared to speed up the final release and delivery process. Oman and the USA have had a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for the past 11 years under which products can be shipped to and from both countries on a Duty Free basis – provided you have all your ducks in a row – and we are here to support this for our clients in Oman and USA.
48ft long crates IAH-LUX-MCT on CV 747 Nose Loading Freighter Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand Oman and the rulers there to be kind of neutral between Iran and Saudi Arabia from a business and political standpoint. Is my understanding correct? It would be interesting to know from someone actually in Oman and not from some journalist sitting far away. Some say Oman is the Switzerland of the Middle East and often works as a mediator as mentioned above. Shipments flow freely from Oman to Iran and vice versa, and they remain neutral in a heartwarming, friendly manner. Our leader, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos played a very important role here hosting visitors from some unlikely neighbours that we see the benefit of today. Sadly, after a 49-year reign he passed away January 2020; however, he left a very important legacy. With new leadership firmly in place, Oman continues to diversify in new areas to become less reliant on oil revenue—circa 1MM BPD (Barrels Per Day) which makes up the biggest contribution to GDP. From the standpoint of visiting Oman as a tourist, are there any places that you could recommend in particular? There is so much to do and see in Oman from the beaches to the mountains, Turtle Beach, the home of Frankincense and so much more. Book yourself a tour guide, let them know what you like to do, and the world is your oyster. How is it possible for our readers to get in touch with you? Mobile is always on: +968 9760 6925. WhatsApp is the same number. Skype is banned here! Email of course: colin@ra.cc 54
Video Interview: Port of Södertälje, Sweden
Per Fredman, VP Sales and Marketing, member of the management team at Port of Södertälje was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
Video Interview: Silvasti - Jyväskylä, Finland
Silvasti is a major Nordic provider of heavy and oversized transports. Virve (Gustafsson) Hyytiäinen, Sales Manager at Silvasti was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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Featured Video Shipping in Downtown Stockholm, Sweden Editor’s Note: Stockholm/Hammarby Sjostad which used to be a port area many years ago is now a residential area mainly for well-to-do families with children in the Swedish capital. It is a beautiful area of the city and with an abundance of water around and access to the Baltic Sea via the gigantic archipelago means it is indeed a place also for “shipping people” to take up residence.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Taking the seaplane from Aarhus to Copenhagen downtown to downtown takes only 45 minn and is a great way to move fast. Picture here taken of the Port of Aarhus container terminal with one of the giant Asia loaders for Maersk Line alongside. I became a trainee in 1980 in Aarhus, at that time the largest container vessels were some 3100 teu which today amounts to a mere Baltic feeder….
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Wise Words
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WEEK 06 – 2021 February 11, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 11th of February. It is also the celebration of the Lunar New Year meaning that most, if not all, of the Chinese people are celebrating. Normally, this is the biggest movement of people in the world. Millions of workers, mainly from the bigger cities, are returning to their hometowns in the countryside. It is a very important event for the Chinese and as many are away from their families and only have this one chance in a year to return, it certainly comes as a huge disappointment that the Chinese government has “recommended” that people NOT to travel this year. And I do believe that a Chinese “recommendation” is different from what we in the west believe the word “recommendation” actually means. The Chinese leaders will be seen on television. Local leaders will hand out presents to the needy (there are a few millions left), and the media will be filled with great words about the Chinese nation—and certainly the country has a lot to be proud of. As with all nations in the world who are proud, they also have a lot to answer for one might say. One cannot, however, avoid being impressed. In my case more so, when thinking back to 1986 when I first visited to now, 35 years later. I reflect on the incredible development of the Chinese nation and that they are taking their rightful place among the great nations of the world is unavoidable. Let us all hope that the increased economic clout will go hand in hand with an expansion of human rights and freedoms that in other countries are taken for granted and that respect for the environment will take a much bigger place in the mind of the Chinese leadership. Food safety, water/air and ground pollution in China are notorious by world standards still to this day but with the New Year of the OX starting tomorrow, let us be filled with hope. 58
First and foremost, we publish a link to the PROJECT CARGO WEEKLY YEARBOOK 2020 which is a compilation of the best interviews from each of the issues we had during the year of 2020. Since it’s an online yearbook, the beauty of that is that you can easily share part or all of the contents with others. Videos and other links referred to can be clicked and viewed, and in my own humble opinion, there is a wealth of information in the yearbook that should come in handy for anyone interested in shipping. Hope you will enjoy reading it! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Audio Interview: CMA CGM Head of Project Cargo Division - Marseille, France
Mr. Stéphane Berninet – Head of CMA CGM Project Cargo Division was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: UAL Chartering - Copenhagen, DK
Mr. Samir Ferguen, Managing Director at UAL Chartering was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Atlas Heavy Transport - Houston, USA
Frank Scheibner – President & CEO at ATLAS Heavy Transport LLC & ATLAS Heavy Projects LLC was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Socotra, Yemen in 4K Ultra HD Editor’s Note: A light moment is needed in todays PCW as it’s heavy with information, video interviews, yearbook and what not. The island of Socotra which most ships pass by when entering or exiting the Arabian Sea near Yemen is really a place that should be visited although perhaps not now during the war but sometime in future. An amazing nature as this video shows clearly.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A fantastic picture taken when I was onboard mv CMA CGM Andromeda in the Indian Ocean 2017. You simply got to sail on the high seas to understand the scenery out there – yes days may be boring as they are ashore but more often than not the nature changes and no one day is ever the same. Judge for yourself NO photoshop or other enhancements used!
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Wise Words
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WWW.ATLAS-HEAVY.COM
WEEK 07 – 2021 February 18, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 18th of February and PCW is back hopefully visible in your Inbox. It is also 2 days since your editor turned 58. In celebration, I took the train first via the port of Karlshamn, Sweden where I witnessed the arrival of a heavylift vessel loaded to the brim with wind turbine blades and also a giant breakbulk vessel loading sawn timber for the North American market. After Karlshamn, I boarded the train again to Denmark where I arrived at my parents residence in Grenaa at 5pm on my birthday. Especially in view of my brothers untimely demise in Dec. 2020, it was the right thing to visit my parents, cheer them up, and enjoy the family time. We may have enough of worldly goods but we never ever have enough time. Time is precious. There is a good sequence from a movie called Papillon with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman in which Steve McQueen is dreaming. He tells the “court” that “I didn’t kill that pimp” to which the court replies: “Yes we know that, but your crime is the worst of all! “What?” he asks and the court tells him: “We accuse you of a wasted life!” to which he replies “GUILTY!” So yes, spend your time wisely. Live a little daily beyond the proverbial office desk and treasure the moments… ALL of them… dearly. There is increasing debate here in my native country of Denmark which is in total lockdown as to whether or not it actually works. Schools are closed. Companies increasingly go bust, especially for smaller traders and so on, whilst some are profiting handsomely on the pandemic. In other words, some things are out of whack. Vaccinations have begun, and results are promising, and let us hope that the cure does not become worse than 64
the disease because that is what many now are starting to fear. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews NYK Bulk & Projects – Antwerp, Belgium
Interview with
Mr. Kotaro Ichikawa General Manager
First of all, could you tell us a little about the history of NYK Bulk & Project and in particular, about your project division—when it was started originally. Our company (as HINODE KISEN, formerly) started a project/conventional shipping business in 1912. After 90 years experience in this industry, the company joined NYK Group and changed the company name to “NYK-HINODE LINE” in 2002. Subsequently, the company was merged with “NYK GLOBAL BULK (NGB)” in 2013 and renamed to “NYK BULK & PROJECTS CARRIERS LTD”. Now, we own & operate 65
about 40 MPP vessels + 2 deck carriers in our project division.
Do you have regular liner or semiliner services? What trade lanes would you say are of main interest to you and that you cover currently? Yes, we have “semiliner” services to SE Asia, India, Middle East, WC South US, North US & Europe, starting the transportation from the Far East / SE Asia. Thereafter, we take the return cargo to SE Asia/Far East on a spot-by-spot basis (or sometimes COA cargo), in order to maintain the semiliner service. Apart from that, we’re offering tramper service as well, depending on clients’ requests.
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Could you elaborate a little on your office set up? By that I mean whom to approach if someone is: sitting in The Americas, China & SE Asia, India, Middle East, Europe, Africa for rates? We have several offices around the world. If someone is sitting in The Americas, it would be our Houston office. China & SE Asia is covered by our China, Singapore & Jakarta office. India and the Middle East are handled by our Singapore office. Our Antwerp office deals with Europe. Africa is also covered by our Antwerp office, but only for tramper service. Each global office mainly takes care of semiliner & spot project business and the headquarters in Tokyo handles long-term projects. However, any global office may be a window for spot & long-term projects. Please feel free to contact any global office at your convenience.
Do project cargoes going via RORO also belong to your division or is that a different division altogether? No, car carrier businesses are handled by NYK LINE RORO TEAM. NYK BULK & PROJECTS CARRIERS LTD. takes care of Project/Steel/Drybulk businesses with MPP/Heavy lifter/Deck carrier/Small & Handymax bulker.
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Could you tell our readers about some of the major projects that you have undertaken in recent years? Frankly speaking, the number of projects itself is recently decreasing. During the past 2-3 years, the major projects that we have undertaken are mainly “Power plant projects in Asia / India / Middle East” & “On & offshore windmill projects in Asia”. In past days, we used to be engaged in many refinery & LNG projects and have a lot of experience in this area.
Do you deal mainly with project freight forwarders or shippers directly or is it a mixed bag? We deal with both project freight forwarders & direct shippers.
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The ships you have in the project fleet, are they generally owned or chartered in, and what would be your typical lifting capacity with own gear? It’s generally our own fleet. Our typical lifting capacity is 100tons (maximum 450tons). Type No. of Vsl Deck Carriert 2 1 Heavy Lift Carrier 2 Heavy Lift Carrier (Delivered in 2021/22) MPP Vessel (30k) 4 MPP Vessel (20k) 4 4 14 MPP Vessel (14k) MPP Vessel (12-14K) 7 Semi-Container Ro/Ro Vessel 4 42
DWT (mt) 19,815 9,433 12,470 30,000 20,000 20,000 14,000 12,000 – 14,000 18,000
Lifting Capacity RoRo 450tons 800tons 200tons 300tons 100tons 100tons 60- 80tons 80tons
Has the COVID-19 crisis affected your business? Yes, surely. There were not only commercial issues, but physical problems like crew changes, port closures, changes of working style for employees, etc. However, about 1 year has passed after we faced the difficulties, and now, we have almost adjusted to the situation. We expect the market situation to also recover little by little.
How do you view the coming years (2021-2022) for the project cargo segment? “1st half of 2021” might be still tough, but we believe “2nd half of 2021 onward” is getting better. We also understand some studies of suspended projects are being resumed. At our end, we are maintaining the same scale of our fleet, even after a very tough market situation during the past several years. Moreover, our new heavy lifters (800 ton lifting capacity), super eco ships meeting the IMO EEDI Phase 3 requirement for reduc69
ing GHG emissions will be also delivered in 2021/2022 as scheduled (1st ship: MV KATORI, 2nd ship: MV KIFUNE).
How would it be best for our readers to reach you? http://www.nbpc.co.jp/global_offices.html or you can get in touch with me via; kotaro.ichikawa@nykgroup. com
Zuhal Shipping & Logistics - Dubai, U.A.E.
Interview with
Mr. Niroshana Hettiarachchi Sales & Marketing Manager 70
When was the company established in the UAE and who are the owners of the company today? We were established on the 23rd of October 1991 under the leadership of Mr. Hamid Sher Lodhi. Tell our readers about your main line of business. I understand that you also specialise in seaworthy packaging. Can you tell us more about that and perhaps provide us with some examples? Zuhal Shipping & Logistics LLC provides a wide range of Freight and Logistics solutions in the United Arab Emirates. With a rich history of 27 years in the industry we are specialized in various activities and services. Freight Brokerage is our main business stream. Based on our annual volume commitments with the liners, we manage to get special rates negotiated in different sectors according to the liners capacity and strength. We mainly capitalize on our volume with the major carriers such as Maersk, CMA, MSC, Wanhai, Cosco and Hapag.
Professional lashing of heavy equipments Customs Brokerage is also an equally important division of Zuhal Shipping and Logistics. We perform customs brokerage services in all the gateways to the United Arab Emirates. We operate in Jebal Ali, Port Rashid, 71
Khalid Port and Abu Dhabi Port for containerized, bulk and loose seafreight cargo, and Dubai International Air Port and Abu Dhabi International Air Port for Air Cargo. Being a UAE based company it’s very important to be connected with all the other gulf countries through the land boarders. As we all know most of the traffic between the gulf operates through the land borders due to the short delivery time. Therefore to offer our customers a convenient service we established our presence in Hatta, Khatmat Melaha and Mazyed borders connecting to Oman and Sila border connecting to the other GCC territories such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. Industrial and household packing and removals is one of the key divisions under Zuhal Shipping and Logistics LLC. We have a history of more than 15 years. ZuhalPack has a solid reputation and recognition among business partners and corporations in the packing and moving industry. Zuhal Pack’s highly trained packing crew are capable of packing and lashing of any kind of out of gauge machinery, industrial equipment, heavy lifts, boats, yachts, vehicles and motorcycles. Our industrial packing supervisors are very experienced and educated in technical handling, drawings and HSSE.
Professional Lashing Apart from the industrial packing and moving, Zuhal Pack caters to household goods removals across the globe. Starting from the point of receiving the inquiry our specialized move coordinators will contact the customer and organize a pre-move survey. While conducting the survey we educate our customers about the moving process, different customs procedures in both countries and other valuable information for the customer to make their move a smooth and comfortable experience. Road transportation is another key division of Zuhal Shipping and Logistics LLC. We operate a mixed fleet of flatbed trailers, low bed trailers, curtain side and reefer box trailers across the GCC. During the past couple of years, we have increased our fleet and now operate with more than 37 own trucks/trailers as well as externally contracted assets for long term contracts. Moreover, we have a 3 ton fleet for distribution services within the UAE and recovery vehicles. 72
Heavy machinary packing by the Zuhal Pack team Our warehouse and distribution services consist of an open-yard facility of 38,000 Sqm and 12,000 Sqm of closed facility. Our warehouse facility is closely monitored by CCTV camera’s and 24/7 security personal to ensure the safety of the goods stored by our valued customers. Furthermore we are equipped with firefighting and HSSE. We operate our own fleet of containers across the Indian subcontinent and the GCC. We operate with 200 units of our own fleet and another 300 of leased containers. Apart from operations in the UAE, we operate branch offices in Qatar and in the African sectors such as Kigali – Rwanda, Lubumbashi, Bukavu and Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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There is a lot of competition in the UAE, in what way do you feel that your company is different? Yes the competition is very high in the UAE. The biggest challenge is how to retain market share especially with very thin profit margins. One can say the profit margin is paper thin and most of the competitors in the UAE operate with the minimum assets and facilities under their belt. So obviously, companies who are rich in assets will always look for extraordinary measures to remain competitive in the market. With this in mind we always try to offer personalized services to our valued customers. We have a very experienced and dedicated operations team who monitor each and every move of all shipments and update the customers regularly. Also, we have appointed key account holders to focus on their customer’s daily requirements and demands. We treat all shipments with high importance and I can say that we have achieved success in close communications and efficiency.
I see from your email signature that you are advertising the World Expo 2020, will you be involved as a logistics provider for that? Yes, we are involved in the EXPO 2020 as a logistics provider. Could you provide us with some examples of project shipments that you have handled recently? We are regularly handling piling rigs and accessories within the UAE and across the GCC for the construction industry. As you know, it’s always with over-dimensions and overweight. We provide a total end-to-end service to our customers, even obtaining special authority permissions and organizing police escorts. Also, we are very strong in handling earth moving equipment such as crawler cranes, JCB units and bulldozers. Further, we are actively involved in chartering cattle carriers, bulk and cargo carriers for both sea and air. 74
How to get in touch with you? You can contact me through our general mail id info@zuhalshipping.com or niroshana@zuhalshipping.com Niroshana Hettiarachchi Manager Sales and Marketing Mob: +971 54 3244 670 Tel: +971 4 262 3075 Fax: +971 4 266 2851
Carmelo Caruana Company Ltd - Marsa, Malta
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Interview with
Mr. Darin Zahra Senior Agency Manager
First, Darin, can you please tell us about the history of Carmelo Caruana? I believe it’s a group of companies. Is that the case? Carmelo Caruana Company Ltd is part of a diversified group called Hili Ventures. The group is steered from its headquarters in Malta and employs over 9,000 people in ten countries across Europe and North Africa. Hili Ventures’ commercial activities include logistics, technology, engineering, property, and leasing. One of its major businesses is as a Developmental Licencee for McDonald’s in six European countries and it currently operates 148 restaurants. It also owns Apple Premium Reseller chains in Poland and Hungary which are branded iSpot and iCentre. The company’s origins date back to 1923. The late Carmelo Caruana founded it, henceforth the name. The company initially started trading commodities from which ship brokerage, ship chartering and ship agency were developed. The founder continued to lead and develop the business until the 1970s. By then, Carmelo Caruana’s nephews, members of the Hili family, joined the company and have raised it from a pioneering family run business into an established leader in the Mediterranean at the helm of the shipping industry. To date, Carmelo Caruana Company Ltd covers a wide range of activities, namely: • Ship Agency • Ship to Ship transfer solutions • Freight Forwarding (all modes) • Customs Clearance • Storage and Warehousing • Mediterranean Logistics Hub • Project Cargo Management • Oil and Gas Logistics support services • Ship Brokerage & Chartering • Courier Services • Yacht handling • Passenger Services Malta is a small island in a fantastic location. Tell us what that means for you as a logistics outfit. Can you tell us about some of the jobs you handle, even though your home market is small? Indeed, Malta is small with a population of 460,000 and an area of 316km². However, we host over 15,000 vessels’ calls for various operations. Malta Freeport alone handles over three million TEUs on an annual basis. On the other hand, Valletta port handles around 40,000 trailers and around 3,000 containers every year. Moreover, it is estimated that over one million tonnes annually are handled at the Grand Harbour in conventional 76
and bulk cargo. With its geo-strategic location and the success stories in container transhipment and wet bulk, Malta is committed to becoming a maritime hub of excellence. Malta will soon undergo a regeneration exercise for Valletta port and its hinterland to meet transhipment demands and handle larger vessels as well as a more extensive variety of cargo. Carmelo Caruana Company Limited has been very active in contributing to this national success story, particularly containers and trailers. Moreover, the transhipment of breakbulk is already something which is regularly being dealt with in-house. We have several clients shipping various commodities to Malta, store in our warehouses and then distribute in smaller quantities to various countries via containers, trailers or smaller vessels. We offer a one-stop-shop to all our clients by handling and co-ordinating all the operations in-house from the vessel’s husbandry, arrange berthing and the necessary equipment to load/un-load the vessels, engagement of stevedores, transfer of cargo, customs clearance, storage and on-wards carriage. Heavier and bulkier cargoes are not normally transhipped in Malta although we are a preferred choice whenever such cargoes are destined to Malta.
Do you belong to any networks? If so why? Do you find it beneficial? Regarding the various activities carried out by the company, we form part of various networks. We tend to choose the more established ones which remain active and the response from its members is instant. 77
Some of our activities depend on third parties and we must make sure that we partner up with those most reliable on the market. One of our top networks is CLC Projects. The administrators are pro-active and try to assist with leads. Moreover, they have members from various parts of the logistics chain with a clean track record of operations.
Could you provide us with some examples and pictures of project cargo that you have handled? The company has been engaged in various projects, ranging from performing complex heavy lifts and transferring them to destination, or transferring the cargo ship to ship. We have also had projects that lasted several months, when we had to serve as a hub to handle casings and other equipment for the oil and gas industry. Operations were performed 24/7, with particularly our agency and operations handling a number of mother vessels and feeders on various supply vessels. More recently, we have been involved in the logistics for elite yachting events. These are less heavy, but still challenging in various aspects. The company has been engaged in various national projects, both for our expertise and our ability to offer a full service. Some of our achievements are pictured below.
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Tell us about your own shipping background and when you started your career. Why did you choose such a career? Before students go to University, they are encouraged to take up summer jobs. My first job was in a company called Euro Malta Express, a subsidiary company to the national shipping line – Sea Malta Company Ltd. My role then was at the check-in counter handling passengers travelling by ferry to Libya and Sicily. Eventually, I returned to the same company during my holidays and after graduation, I joined the mother company Sea Malta moving in the Operations and Logistics department for the fleet and further pursued my studies to work on board vessels as a super cargo and later with managing transport operations and logistics. As an industry expert, I should answer why I chose such a career straight away. Yet, I find it hard to reply to that. Whatever drew me the first day still amazes me today. I simply love what I do. Malta is also known as a retirement and tourist spot. Can you please tell us about some places in Malta that you think are worth visiting? Whether you wish to retire or take a break from the daily routine, Malta, with its typically Mediterranean climate, is certainly the place. What is perhaps most intriguing is exploring 7,000 years of history and yet passionately living in the present. Although Malta is mainly known for its beaches, I could safely say that every season sheds its beauty on the island. If it’s a swimming experience, art appreciation, a family park, a sports activity, ramble along or enjoy our mouth-watering cuisine, there is something for everyone. Valletta and Mdina must be on the visiting list for anyone travelling to Malta. My recommendation is not to just go around but to force your way into their secrets. There is far more than meets the eye. This island is accessible to people of all ages and lifestyles: everyone from the peaceful North (Mellieha) to the clubs in the central part of St. Julian’s to the fishing villages in the South (Marsaxlokk). What’s the best way to get in touch with you? I am not the typical office person and I like to involve myself in the physical operations. As a preference, I would always advise to get in touch on my mobile phone if something is urgent. Below are my full contact details: Mr. Darin Zahra Tel: +356 2568 1124 Mob: +356 9949 0196 darin.zahra@carmelocaruana.com www.carmelocaruana.com 80
Featured Video Saga Welco Vessel Alongside Port of Karlshamn Editor’s Note: Visiting the Port of Karlshamn, I witnessed the loading of some 55,000 cbm of sawn timber onboard a Saga Welco vessel which was alongside. The foreman told me that due to COVID-19, the Americans are doing more home refurbishments than ever before and that apparently, the timber was meant for the huge Home Depots and such like stores in the US. The lumber could, of course, also be used for a Mexican wall if Trump returns……
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A selfie is pretty much ok as long as you are not selfish. There is a difference. Anyhow, visiting Monkey Island onboard the UHL FRONTIER in the Port of Karlshamn this week was an experience. And you can guess from the flag in which country.
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WEEK 08 – 2021 February 25, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, And it is Thursday again and the last one in February 2021. Two months have gone by which won’t come back—at least not this year. Not a day goes by without us all being hammered by the latest corona situation, locally, regionally, continent-wide and worldwide. A lot of focus is currently on the seemingly slow and incompetent EU administration when it comes to procuring vaccines in time, and when comparing this to the status of UK vaccinations, we must admit that they are doing exceedingly much better than others in the EU. Perhaps there is something to be said for the fact that the EU is, in many ways, a working place and bureaucratic monster created by leftovers from national parliaments. I mean with the ridiculing of the foreign policy advisor recently in Moscow and the sluggishness with which the EU looks after the pandemic, there surely is a lot that could be improved. Having a monster in Brussels asking for money from every member state; then, after financing their gigantic gravy train, they distribute those funds back to the very same countries, mainly from North to South and East, and, of course, only after a loss due to corruption (read more here) or mismanagement on the way. COVID-19 has for sure, together with the immigration crisis before, made it evident for everyone that the mere talk of EU sanctions towards countries such as Russia or China are meaningless because we might be a sizable tiger but we’ve got paper teeth. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) though, has certainly learnt from the Russian way about NO TRANSPARENCY and rejected a couple of years ago a call to look into members spending. See video. COVID-19 has brought, on the other hand, extremely happy days for containership owners at the moment in particular. I heard from a reliable source that the income right now of just one sailing, repeat one sailing, only out of China to Europe is as much as the income overall from a whole months’ worth of departures before the pandemic hit. 83
On another note, we are so gripped by the green religion and political correctness in the EU that many items nowadays simply cannot be sourced from outside China and/or India. Factories face rules up their backsides and approval procedures to get started, so moving back or taking back production is very problematic. But fear not, you can always levy more taxes on the citizens….. Before I turn off my ranting for this week, let me reiterate that our societies have nothing much to learn from the likes of China or Russia, but we do need stronger leaders who are able to fight, stand strong, and also take decisions that are not always borne out of consensus. Perhaps it is the major drawback of democracy in action. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews COLI Logistics GmbH – Hamburg, Germany
Interview with
Mr. Patrick Zernikow Managing Director
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First of all, Patrick, tell us why you got into shipping in the first place and how you ended up as MD of COLI Logistics GmbH? Due to the fact that my grandfather was a shipowner, I got in touch with the shipping business very early, actually from the time I was a child. Shipping was always a topic in our family. When I was a child, my father and I went to the port of Bremerhaven and could get very close to the ships. In those days, it was still possible, because it was before 9/11. Even though shipping and logistics is part of my daily life, for me it is still unbelievable how such big ships can keep afloat and carry so much cargo. After several years working for another freight forwarder and doing some port consulting afterwards, the owner of COLI Group asked me to join COLI in order to set up the logistics division as a service addition of the COLI Group. So now we have brokerage, carrier and logistics under one umbrella.
Who are COLI Logistics today? Who are the owners of the group, and what is the main activity that you perform in shipping? Are you a project freight forwarder, broker, shipping agent or all of the above? COLI offers brokerage, own operated vessels and logistics services under one umbrella. I’m responsible for COLI Logistics, and the aim is basically to generate cargo for our own vessels. Yet, we do not focus only on project cargo, but also on FCL (including Flat Racks) and Ro/Ro Cargo. On the one hand, COLI Logistics tries to be the connection part to COLI Shipping and work out other shipping options such as Break Bulk on container vessels and Ro/Ro. On the other hand, we focus on smaller shipments like a combination of Container, Flat Racks and Break Bulk pieces. COLI Logistics operates offices in Hamburg and Bremen. Furthermore, we have a strong internal connection to our offices in Turkey, China and Brazil.
Outside of COLI Logistics office in Hamburg 85
The offices of COLI Logistics Bremen Could you provide us with some examples of projects that you have handled recently? Recently, we handled a shipment for our Cross Ocean member, BP Logistics, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We were asked to pick up cargo for an attraction park (a Sky Tower) from locations in Germany, Hungary, and France and bring it to Ho Chi Minh City. We loaded some elements on Ro/Ro Vessel (2x), some on Flats Racks (10 x 40’FR) and some in Containers (8 x 40’HC). Furthermore, we are currently handling a shipment of Brewery Equipment to Brazil. This project includes pre-carriage by barge from Bavaria to Antwerp, Break Bulk shipments on container vessel and Flat Racks and containers. We are also responsible for DAP delivery to two different locations in Brazil. We are also able to handle import shipments. We handled a shipment from Brazil to Germany. This Break Bulk shipment came in via Ro/Ro vessel, and we were responsible for DAP delivery including customs formalities. Also for our partner, Wiima in Finland, we have handled land transports from Germany to Spain.
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Within the COLI group, you also have a strong brokerage division, I believe, and customers and other project freight forwarders may get help from you in finding suitable tonnage, right? Yes, indeed! Our brokerage team often asks us to find other shipping solutions as an alternative to Break Bulk Vessels. Case by case, we have to evaluate clients demands in terms of transit time, costs, and handling instructions. Due to our experience of many years in the logistics sector, we know which carriers are strong in which trade, and we have built up strong relationships over the previous years.
Tell us about your offices abroad and your activities outside Germany. From the logistics point of view, we have very strong offices in Brazil and China. In particular, our connection to Brazil is very strong as this country is an FOB market, so the importance of having an office there is very high. Together with our China office, we have handled cross trades, for example, from China to Africa. COLI Shipping operates offices in Antwerp, Denmark, Turkey, Dubai, Singapore, and Tokyo. Are you a member of any networks at the moment? If so why, and have you found such membership useful? We, as COLI Logistics, are members of CROSS OCEAN. For us, it is important to rely on a network of well-experienced and high class freight forwarders in order to offer our clients local services in countries where COLI does not operate its own offices. Furthermore, this network gives us the possibility to meet each member once a year and exchange information about each country in terms of market situation and also cultural issues. Business evolves all the time, and looking into the crystal ball, what do you foresee in terms of development of COLI Logistics in the next couple of years? The next few years will be tough as we have been in the market with our new name for little more than one year. We have to face the challenges of the current worldwide market situation, such as uncertainty, as well as asserting ourselves against competitors. I’m of the opinion that the human beings behind the company name are still a very important sales argument, and I say this to my team everyday. 87
Furthermore, nobody can foresee the impact of the current Corona disease today. There will certainly be a deep impact. I hope the world economy and the logistics sector will recover quickly, but the most important thing is that as many people as possible stay healthy.
What is the best way to get in touch with you? You can get in touch with me via: Email: patrick.zernikow@coli-logistics.com Mobile: +49 151 1463 1380 LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/patrick-zernikow-8793b515a
Video Interview: SeaWorks BV - Amerstan, the Netherlands
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Tjeerd Veldhuizen, Managing Director at SeaWorks BV was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
QAS Charter - Istanbul, Turkey
Interview with
Mr. Caglar Ozturk Managing Partner When did you establish QAS Charter in Turkey and who owns the company? QAS Charter was founded in February 2017 at Istanbul, Turkey. QAS Charter is privately owned by four shareholders. I am one them.
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What is your main line of business? Do you ever carry ‘project cargo’, in other words cargo that is heavy and oversized and perhaps cannot wait for seafreight? As QAS Charter we organize cargo, group passenger, VIP passenger, air ambulance and helicopter charters globally. If we look into flight figures, cargo charters are on the top. Most of the cargo charters have been operated to carry outsized project cargo since the company was founded. Most recently, we transfered seventy five tons of single piece gas turbine with AN-124. We do charters to transport civilian/military helicopters, armored vehicles etc. frequently.
Explain to us how it works in airfreight. There are GSAs, brokers and the airline. Can you outline for us how it generally works between these parties? As brokers we act as agents for our customers. We are the bridge between airlines and freight forwarders. Once we receive a request from a customer, we first analyze the cargo specifications, loading point, offloading point and timeframe, then look into freighter market to find the most cost effective and also reliable solution for them. The other way we deal with freight forwarders is offering part charter capacity to them based on already contracted flights. For example, we booked a 747-800 from Asia to Africa and we had some empty space. So we published that available capacity to potential customers. If they have anything suitable we can offer them very competitive prices and faster delivery than commercial flights. Also, this is beneficial for main customers because instead of paying for full capacity, they will be paying less. We can say this is kind of cargo consolidation. There is another important point which I want to underline too. We only provide charter options to freight forwarding companies. We never approach end users because approaching our customers’ customers is not ethical and at the end of the day freight forwarders are like supermarkets for us. We can go and buy whatever we need in one shot. So instead of shopping from a individual butchers, bakeries etc. seperately, shopping at 90
a supermarket saves money, time and is more effective than the alternative.
It was reported recently that Volga Dnepr Airlines apparently wish only to deal with customers directly, thus effectively cutting out brokers and agents. What is your view on that? We have seen in recent years that some shipowners with limited success have tried to cut out the freight forwarders too. Do you think this is the future? This rumour has been in the market since last year and finally we received official notification from airlines last week. Each company has the right to create and apply their own sales strategy and, of course, we need to respect their decisions. QAS Charter is well prepared for such fluctuations in the freighter market and already has longterm and well-established relationships with alternate operators. So we will continue to provide IL-76 Stage 4 and AN-124 options to our customers.
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What makes QAS charter a go-to company when having an urgent airfreight delivery to make? Do you operate worldwide? Our operations ruin without any geographical limitations. Actually, most of our flights operate out of our base country. Time-critical charter operations are one of our well established divisions. We do lot of charters to transport auto spare parts, AOG aircraft parts and stage and band equipment. As is well known, those kinds of cargoes need to be delivered as quickly as possible in order to ensure production lines stay alive, shows happen on time and aircraft are servicable. For time-critical operations, one of the top important points is accesability. Our customers can reach to us on a 24/7 basis and, simultaneously, we can even reach airlines at three in the morning at the weekend or on public holidays.
Could you provide us with some examples of cargoes that you have been involved in airlifting to their destinations? 1) We transported forty tons of frozen peaches from China to Mexico with a B777-200F freighter. The operation was door-to-port basis and we provided envirotainers, batteries and dry ice. Peaches must be kept around -18 celcius and the entire product reached the consignee on time and without a single defect. This was the one of the longest cargo charter flights to carry such perishable cargo. 2) We carried all the ground handling equipment for the newly built airport at Senegal from Europe with giant AN-124s. Load-ability was very critical on that operation because the equipment included fifty tons of tow cars, 14m length conveyors and 400m passenger buses. From the early beginning of the request, we worked very closely with operators to find the most effective way to use less flights to carry the equipment. The customer was very satisfied with our service and our efforts to reduce the number of flights. Also, we arranged all ground transportation and handled all local cargo services, such as crane hire etc. for our customer. 92
3) We operated more-or-less forty full charter flights to Doha from Istanbul and Izmir last year to transport perishable food supplies. QAS Charter has been nominated as partner broker by Qatar Airways and they supplied MD-11Fs and B747-400Fs instead of sourcing directly from airlines. Our operational quality level and financial strength were essential factors that resulted in such a smooth operation. Tell us about yourself. How did you enter this business originally? What is your background? I started to work at MNG Airlines on a work placement during the last two terms of university in 2003. I studied bussines administration at Istanbul University. After graduation, I continued to work at MNG Airlines in the operation, ramp and cargo handling departments. By the end of 2006, I had been promoted to the charter sales department. I became one of the most successful airline charter salesmen and sold almost a thousand hours of cargo charters until the summer of 2011 when I decided to leave the company. I joined the UK-based charter brokerage company Air Charter Service and worked as senior charter broker, team leader and cargo sales manager for five years. At the end of 2016 I left from Air Charter Service and decided to establish a new company with my partners. So I’ve worked on both the airline and broker side. I have experienced all operational and sales stages of cargo charters from cargo build up and ground services to huge ACMI contracts in the last fifteen years. How do people to get in touch with you for more information or an airfreight quote? We are available on email and mobile phone on a 24/7 basis via the following contact details. Cargo Email Group: cargo@qascharter.com 7/24 Hotline Number: +905417206264
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Featured Video Departing early morning from Fremantle, WA to Sydney, NSW mv CMA CGM Georgia Editor’s Note: Being on board a cargo ship as a passenger is my pastime. I hope I can go soon again. Here is some footage from early morning while leaving the port of Fremantle, July 2019 with next stop Sydney!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: The size of the wind turbine blades arriving nowadays on breakbulk ships is ever increasing, and when you compare it to the port worker trying to climb up here, you get a feel for how huge (mainly long) at 72 m they really are! And they are talking about in excess of 100 m for offshore in the future! Picture taken onboard a UHL vessel at Port of Karlshamn. 94
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WEEK 09 – 2021 March 4, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 4th of March, and the first issue of the month is here since it is Thursday. This week, the kids had their school vacation, and I needed to act as a father but still combine it with business. So, I bundled them up in the car and took a road trip with the 2 boys (daughter stayed at home with the dragon☺). We drove first to Kalmar, some 450 km (280 mi) south of Stockholm, and then further along the east coast to Karlshamn where a vessel chartered by DSV was about to arrive to discharge more blades for wind turbines. This also meant that the 2 boys had to wear safety vests and helmets in order to follow their father into port to take a few pictures. For me, it was a great time to be alone with the boys, and thankfully, we had internet in abundance. So when I needed peace and quiet in order to focus on driving, it was turned on and YouTube was allowed. One boy was watching Slenderman; one boy was looking into how deep the lakes were that we were passing enroute, and I was listening to news, mainly of the usual scandalous and incompetent nature of some of our politicians. So all in all a great trip. To share with you a bit of the scenery (we were lucky with the weather indeed) see here: 1. selected pictures from the trip. 2. a video from Swedish east coast city of Kalmar. I returned from Karlshamn with 2 stops enroute for some 20-30 min in order to be online via Zoom and chair a couple of network meetings (www.clcprojects.com) and (www.cross-ocean.com) before continuing. I loath to admit it, but it is incredible that you can have a work holiday with your kids, manage to have a few stops during your long drive, and still be part of business meetings with members of the networks scattered worldwide. So yes, hallelujah indeed to technology and the internet! The total distance driven from Monday to Wednesday was some 1100 km, and it was even good for the wife and myself—sometimes we need to remember to miss each other, otherwise we take things for granted☺. 96
On the business front, we’ve got some interesting interviews in store for you. We start off by talking to a project freight forwarder called Allround Forwarding Midwest, located in Cleveland, USA. Although not the most well-known of cities in the US, they seem to have attracted a highly competent project logistics provider. We then remind you of an interview we had previously with a country known for “Play it again Sam” (at least for the older generation like me), i.e., from the classic movie Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart, so I mean Morocco where Planet Comtrans tells us what they can do in this beautiful country. Finally, we serve you a video interview featuring the now huge, Danish owned company called DSV—which incredibly enough started only in 1976 with some truckers finding each other and now boasts 55,000 staff members worldwide! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Allround Forwarding Midwest – Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Interview with
Mr. Janko Wille President
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First off, Janko when did you start the company Allround, and tell us why Cleveland for those who are not familiar with its location in the US Midwest? As a German native, I started my career in the US in 2010 when I was sent over to run the newly-acquired US branch for a mid-sized German freight forwarder. I had taken the position in Cleveland, Ohio and put down roots after a few years in the Midwest. Allround Forwarding Co. in New York City was my customer at the time, and after a management change at my current position, Allround’s owner, Hatto Dachgruber offered me an opportunity to jump ships and join the Allround team. So, I decided to move to the Big Apple, but whenever my wife and I came back to the Midwest for work or visiting friends, it felt like coming home again. Ultimately, we decided to move back to Ohio where I had opened the Cleveland office for Allround in the meanwhile. For sure not a hotspot to be honest, but here is where I got my first impressions of the United States and the place I now call home.
Who are the owners, and what business are you mainly involved in logistics-wise? Our Cleveland office is owned by myself and operating completely independently. However, we still bundle strengths with Allround New York and support each other as if we were one unit. Our core business is traditional freight forwarding with a focus on air and ocean freight to/from Europe and the Far East. It started fairly small, but after a few years in business, we were able to add more and more to the portfolio. Today, we offer the full range of logistics services such as nationwide customs clearance, warehousing, and because of an increasing involvement in the high and heavy field, we have decided to join a new network – Cross Ocean!
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What ports would you suggest our readers consider if they have cargo to/from the Midwest Area and overseas? Can you list some of them that come to mind, perhaps also by adding a few words about the pros and cons for each? Being so close to the Great Lakes would trigger the idea that ports like Cleveland would be our first choice, but as much as we would love to support our partners locally, we only utilize them for a fraction of our business. The Lakes are not easily accessible for every trade lane, and the only time we really do have to go that route is because size or weight for a single piece would not allow us to travel longer distances if brought in via an East Coast port for example. Personally, I prefer the port of Baltimore. It is a regular call for many RORO carriers, and since it is only a five hour drive from Cleveland, it offers the opportunity to be on location in case of loading surveys or simply to be on site when an interesting shipment arrives from overseas. In fact, we take advantage of that quite often to protect our own interests and that of our agents which probably brings us to the cons right away. Surprisingly, it’s typically not the superloads which create major headaches. Most players involved here do know their roles and responsibilities precisely, and for the most part, things go smoothly. We see the challenges in shipments with regular legal-sized crates which arrive in larger piece counts. Way too often did we plan trailers to be maxed out and minimize the need for extra truck loads when crates then got misplaced at the terminal or loading personnel simply did not follow our instructions. Of course, nobody assumes responsibility when all scheduled trucks were loaded, and you still have some pieces left behind. Thus, we made it mandatory for ourselves to be present at the port when such shipments come in. The fix to this is sometimes a simple can of spray paint to clearly mark each piece or ensure the trucks get loaded exactly as planned on paper before. Yet, someone (one of us) has to be on hand to carry it out. This not only saves us and our partners thousands at times but also gets us in direct physical contact with the goods we otherwise only handle virtually on our computers. The Midwest is a large region though. We service the area also from other ports like New York, Norfolk, Charleston or even Gulf ports.
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Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? Could you tell our readers something about some of the projects you have handled? A few weeks after our office started in 2015, we had an opportunity to handle some forging machinery as a very first project shipment. With a couple of pieces ranging from 80 to 120 tons, it took our capability to the test. We were eager to ramp up the business and quoted aggressively which led to being awarded with a nearly half million dollar door-to-door shipment. In collaboration with a great partner in Europe, we managed to optimize the route and minimize costs by bringing the cargo into Milwaukee—as close as possible to its final destination near Chicago. It was a great success as we exactly met the estimated delivery timeline without any hiccups in transit. This fueled the interest in handling more project cargoes. We have also partnered with some great fellow Cross Ocean members like the Transport Overseas Group in Germany or LS Cargo China for a number of years now. We have handled numerous shipments for the tunneling and automotive industry with them and recently even got involved in a few very interesting military projects.
The US is a huge market. How about customs clearance. Does that always take place at entry/exit ports or can it also be done at inland points? Tell our readers more please. Customs clearance became huge for us. At first, we had a need to clear our local shipments coming into Ohio, and with a licensed customs broker already on the team, it just made sense to apply for a local permit which was quickly granted. That local permit allowed us to clear customs within the port district of Cleveland. So yes, customs clearance at inland locations is very common and even recommended to expedite the cargo flow from seaports. When Allround then joined another network to increase its business activity in the general cargo field, it quickly triggered the need for a national permit. Today, we can clear customs at any US port of entry which includes seaports as well as inland rail ramps. Unlike many of our global player competitors, Allround always clears cargo prior to arrival at its destination port or ramp. This allows us to identify and fix issues with paperwork before a problem with that paperwork could lead to delays and, subsequently, to increased costs for our customers or agents. We have taken over business from DHL, Schenker, K+N, etc. just because we were able to make clearances hassle-free for some of our customers who dealt with the big guys before. Another interesting aspect is the ability to support our agents to win new DDP business. Customs clearance is a pure service for the most part without much cost attached to it. Therefore, we and our agents can use it as a bargaining tool to win a new client’s business. 100
Do you currently belong to any international networks in order to conduct your global business? Yes, we are also part of the WCA network for our general cargo shipments which is still the majority of our business. We are firm believers in “people’s business”, and deem it as absolutely necessary to meet business partners face-to-face. Logistics networks offer that opportunity, and therefore, we hope to become a recognized partner for fellow Cross Ocean members as well.
What is your own background in shipping and logistics leading up to your current position? Shipping and logistics always played a major role in my life. It started in High School when I worked for a small trucking and warehousing company in Germany. For the most part, I got poorly paid, but for some reason, I also enjoyed it. As soon as I had my driver’s license, they “promoted” me to a driver for long and short distance deliveries in a Sprinter van. From that point on, I was hooked on transportation and logistics. Same poor payment, but the idea that literally everything we need in our daily lives had to be moved by someone from one place to another was very intriguing.
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At one point, I had to make a decision about what to do after school, and I decided to start an apprenticeship with Danzas (nowadays DHL Global Forwarding). It was an interesting time, and in retrospect, I was very lucky to find an employer that enabled me to get insight into the many facets of logistics. I had a chance to learn basics in airfreight, ocean freight, import, export, controlling and yes…even sweeping a 4000 square meter warehouse for three months taught me to treat the many different people in our industry from a truck driver to a CEO with the respect they deserve as human beings. After completion of my three-year training, I decided to study “international logistics management” for another three years besides working in export operations at DHL. As time went by, I was looking for new opportunities, and after being in sales for two years at another company I decided to take over their US office which brings us back to the first question of this interview.
Please tell our readers how best to get in touch with you? I prefer to be reached via email: janko@allroundusa.com Or via WhatsApp at +1-718-708-2115 Of course, I never mind a nice conversation over the phone either, but dealing with different time zones does not always allow that. www.allroundusa.com
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Planet ComTrans – Casablanca, Morocco
Interview with
Capt. Yahya Samer General Manager
Can you tell us about the history and ownership of Planet ComTrans? Planet ComTrans is a Moroccan company, active in project cargo, freight forwarding, contract logistics and ship agency. The team has a proven track record in project management and come highly recommended from end customers for the service quality. Most important is the care that the team show at different hierarchical levels and at different stages of the job, such as freight and chartering solutions, stevedoring, lifting, trucking and customs, with the sole purpose of providing both a good image and service. Our expertise is the result of having caring and diligent teams with previous experiences in mega-project management, representing some of the world’s most major container and project shipping lines.
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Morocco has several ports. Can you tell us more about the ports in your country? Which ones are mainly used for handling project cargo? Morocco has a diverse port infrastructure adapted to the different needs of each region the port serves. Tangier Med has nine-million-TEU capability. It is the largest port on the Mediterranean and in Africa by capacity and one of the top twenty ports worldwide. The port is active in the containers sector, break-bulk terminal and RORO terminal for the car industry. Casablanca remains the most important port in Morocco for domestic cargo because of the importance of the port hinterland and industrial network around. This port has a 450-ha capacity and eight kilometers of quay. It can host up to forty ships at the same time. More to the south, Agadir port serves the southern area and is active in all kind of trades, including not limited to: citrus, fish, minerals, bulk cargo (ore and cereals), general cargo (wood, steel, tubes, paper kraf etc.). It has a capacity of 45-ha and 1300m of quay.
How about customs clearance in Morocco? Is that difficult? Do you have any rules of thumb for exporters to Morocco that you can share? The customs procedure in Morocco is among the most organized worldwide, provided importers abide by the rules. We would like to call the attention of Cross Ocean’s different partners to the importance of adding on Bls and manifests at ports of loading. You must supply both the importer’s fiscal identification number (or ICE as it’s called in Morocco), and the product HS code.
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With the great location of Morocco at the crossroads between the Mediterranean and Atlantic. I would suspect that overseas nations such as China, India and Korea would have big investments and production facilities in your country. Can you tell us a bit more? Indeed, Morocco has signed several free trade agreements with the US, Europe, Turkey and the UAE. Also, investments from different countries have really increased over the last decade, including mega-companies active in: Automotive Infrastructure Telecommunication Pharma Retail
What is Planet ComTrans’s experience in handling project and oversized cargo? Could you provide us with some examples? Planet ComTrans has a lot of experience on both local and international levels. One example is the transport of oversized industrial machinery and its equipment by truck from northern Europe to Morocco. Do you belong to any freight forwarding networks currently? Do you find it useful? We do belong to the Cross Ocean freight forwarding network. We find it useful for the quality of the network partners and mainly for the financial protection it grants. Does Morocco have a national shipping line? I believe there was, or perhaps still is, a company called Comanav? Morocco does not have its own shipping line anymore, ever since Comanav was bought by CMA-CGM in 2007. 105
What’s the best way to get in touch with you? E: y.samer@planetcomtrans.com T: +212 5 2224 4930 https://www.linkedin.com/company/planet-comtrans/ www.planetcomtrans.com
Video Interview: DSV – Aarhus, Denmark
Sune Thorleifsson, Director, Global Sea Chartering at DSV was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Beautiful Day at Port of Kalrshamn Editor’s Note: March 02 in the Port of Karlshamn was a fantastic day, and having the chance to visit the port even with 2 sons in tow due to the school holidays was indeed an experience also for them. Thanks a lot to the port for this, and also feel free to enjoy this footage, evidencing yet another DSV project handled in a Swedish port. Thanks also to www.tsaagency.se for looking after the vessel locally.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Learning by doing instead of endless studying is perhaps the way forward. But don’t tell the business people selling their degrees from various universities that (big business nowadays). Here 2 “trainee stevedores”, in port for the first time, watch a breakbulk vessel discharging wind turbine blades. I recall being onboard mv Thyra Torm at the age of 5, and it did make an impression. So I continue the tradition. 107
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WEEK 10 – 2021 March 11, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 11th of March and we are back with PCW. My last weekend was filled with shipping again and if I thought I should relax (as if I ever wanted to….), I was mistaken. First I joined a fantastic online event that took place in the city of Hamburg—namely, the christening of the UHL FAITH of United Heavylift. Since it was streamed online via link, it really gave credence to the fact that virtually everything is now possible online. From UHL I got a batch of nice pictures from this event, including one where the godmother of the vessel clearly can be seen swinging the bottle firmly towards the hull of the ship. It was a nice event and do take a look at the pictures here, courtesy of the nice lady in charge of communications at UHL. Sunday had me then visiting the port of Gavle, north of Stockholm (again, I might add), but since flights abroad are more or less out of the picture, I take all the chances I can get to see some breakbulk or heavylift ships arriving in port. In Gavle, the vessel Symphony Sky arrived for discharging project cargoes, and since it was only a 2 hour drive up there (in other words, one way), I left in the morning, bundling in a couple of kids as usual in the back. See pictures here. Thanks a lot to www.tsaagency.se for the heads up about the ship’s arrival. They do say that stress is a killer, but so is inactivity. I suppose that if you like what you are doing, then it is not really work. It would seem from one of the most watched television programs last week that Prince Harry and his wife didn’t like much what they were doing, so they had to escape their hardship life in the Royal Palaces of the UK—poor them, and I hope they will find happiness in Hollywood which perhaps is closer to “real life”… Anyhow, it is the opinion of this newsletter that they should be able to get a job and finance their own way of living and perhaps place more energy on that instead of whining. Still, the show must go on, so why not Hollywood?
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In real life, containerised shipping is looking more and more like a Turkish Bazaar. Concerning the crazy market conditions with excessive amounts of cargo and lack of tonnage and containers, I was told the following by one reputable freight project forwarder with a global presence: Begin quote We are facing issues that some of our core container carriers are starting more or less to blackmail us in the current market in some sort of Dutch auction. With one top shipowner, we have an agreement to place bookings 1.5 month in advance only to be told there is no space… UNLESS of course we pay an additional of USD 500 per unit. Then magically, space appears and someone else gets canned. With another top shipowner their procedure is just hilarious. We are not sure whether to laugh or to cry. They say: “…and advise you to purchase shipping guarantee (at the moment USD 200/cntr) when you pls the bookings via web. This does not a guarantee that you will get a booking confirmation back”. End quote So reliability, long-term thinking, and trustworthiness of some of the world’s most reputable carriers seems to be in disarray right now, and whilst they are raking in money currently, there seems to be no thinking about the future. Regrettably COVID-19 will still take its toll for many, good and bad, for the rest of this year, so indeed, happy days are here but it is not for sure if we can count on things going back to “normal”. One might, of course, also say that some shippers and forwarders who were always used to playing owners against each other now do face tasting a bit of their own medicine. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Qingdao Ba-shi Yuexin Logistics Development Co.,Ltd. – Qingdao, China
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Interview with
Ms Kristy Gao Vice General Manager
When was the company Ba-Shi established in China? Who are the owners? Ba-shi Yuexin was started in 1989. We are a private, limited company with three shareholders.
Can you tell us about your organisation and offices in China? Our Headquarters is located in Shanghai. We have branch offices in Qingdao, Beijing, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Nanjing, and Hefei.
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Do you have experience in handling project cargoes, and if so, could you provide us with some examples of cargoes you have handled? Yes, we have. We are the contract logistics supplier of many government-owned corporations such as the Algeria China Power Construction Granary Project and the Congo Copper Hydrometallurgy Project.
Can you also arrange inland transport via Qingdao to other parts of China? Have you done this before? We can also arrange inland transport via any port in China to another region of China. We have been doing inland transportation for quite a while.
How about customs clearance in China. Is that difficult? How is the situation nowadays? It’s easy to do customs clearance in China now. Customs clearance now implements electronic clearance. It reduced the customs clearance procedures. Also, the operation is simple and efficient which saves a lot of resources for customers. 112
Are you currently a member of any networks? We are a member of Cross Ocean Air & Sea Project Logistics Network and WCA.
How about the COVID-19 pandemic situation in China right now. Is it serious in Shandong province? After the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Chinese government implemented a strong control policy, and we resumed normal production and work within a short time. There have been no new cases in Shandong for the last two months. 113
How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? Kristy Gao E-mail: gaocaixia@yuexinlogistics.com Tel: +86-532-85709252 Mobile: +86-17663982812 Skype: kristy_china@yeah.net Wechat: 13969610770 WhatsApp: +86-17663982812 Zalo: 17663982812 Website: www.yuexinlogistics.com
Video Interview: AAL Shipping - Singapore
Felix Schoeller – General Manager, AAL Shipping (AAL) was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Frontlog – Norrköping, Sweden
Interview with
Mr. David Osterstrom CEO and Founder
First of all, please tell us about the history and ownership of Frontlog? Frontlog AB was initially an offspring of Österströms Rederi AB, a shortsea shipping company that serviced the European forestry and steel industries with some 40 vessels, and was then sold to Transatlantic. Two years ago, we got involved with SIBS AB, a Swedish real estate group, and now it’s turned into our main business. The SIBS Group builds prefabricated, modular houses in Asia, and the group comprises all functions of the value chain – from land acquisition and development, to production, logistics, construction and property management – and Frontlog is managing all the logistics and shipments for them. Frontlog is owned by myself and the real estate group, with myself holding the majority ownership.
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I believe that you are used to handling project cargoes? Could you provide our readers with some examples of projects that you have taken care of recently? I have a hands-on background in shipping and logistics. I sailed when I was younger and then worked with material handling in ports and terminals. Now, the great bulk of Frontlog’s activities is the handling of the prefabricated house modules from Asia to Europe. We currently handle around 1500 modules (200,000 cbm) per year, 8-10 shipments of northbound modules, and manage all southbound/return cargoes as well. So, it’s a pretty steady volume. Project cargoes is a relative term, I guess, but I believe we are sufficiently geared and experienced for serving our clients well.
Do you also organise the chartering of ships, and do you, in fact, organise door-to-door so to speak? We manage the full logistics scope from the factory door to the construction site, whereby Frontlog is chartering the vessels and is responsible for loading and discharging operations, storage at discharging port, and distribution to the construction sites. The same goes for goods returning to the factory and parts or supplies destined for the production facilities. I have personally witnessed modular cargoes being discharged at Sodertalje recently where I understood from the port that it was handled by you. Can you tell our readers more about this interesting concept of shipping and “building” apartments? There must be a time-saving aspect involved in this. The modular construction concept does indeed save time all across the value chain. The modules arrive on site over 90% completed and basically ready for the homeowners to move in, with only the façade, balconies, etc, to be added on. Generally speaking, you cut the construction time by 50% by using the modular method 116
compared to conventional construction. It’s really fascinating to see how 5-10 fully outfitted apartments are produced and leave the factory every day.
The time-saving aspect in construction comes with many advantages though. Cost efficiency is obviously what people tend to talk about, but one also needs to keep sustainability in mind. A prefabricated building requires significantly less transport of materials to the site which consequently, reduces heavy traffic in urban areas. Also, air and noise pollution is reduced accordingly which today is a major issue in big cities. Furthermore, when speaking of saving time, we have developed a system that allows for handling the modules and lashing the modules like containers. We have also developed an adapter spreader that attaches to STS cranes and reach stackers for quicker and more cost efficient loading/discharging operations, so we believe we have optimized the use of time to the best possible extent. Do you have offices located outside of Sweden? We are based in Norrkoping, Stockholm and Malaysia, with smaller warehousing functions in Norrkoping and Gothenburg. The COVID-9 pandemic is affecting many businesses. What about yours? We have been extremely fortunate when it comes to the pandemic. The factories in Asia have kept producing, 117
and we are fortunate to have great people managing the logistics in Asia. Of course, the travel restrictions are curbing the efforts in attracting new business, but we can only hope that this turns for the better soon.
How do you view the future of modular housing? Looking into the crystal ball, what is in the pipeline development-wise for Frontlog? Our impression is that construction in general is increasingly moving over to modularization all over the world, mainly due to the benefits of saving money and time. We are gearing up to manage shipments of modules worldwide as our main client is increasing their production capacity from today’s roughly 1500 modules to around 8000 modules, with one loading every two to three weeks from Malaysia alone. Then, adding the volumes from the other module suppliers and real estate companies we are working with – which also are forecasting increased volumes – we are very excited about the future. When our readers would like to get in touch with you, how is it best for them to do so? Please feel free to email me at david@frontlog.se. Website: https://frontlog.se/ 118
Featured Video Departure from Jeddah Onboard mv CMA CGM Andromeda Editor’s Note: Departure from Jeddah onboard mv CMA CGM Andromeda as a passenger a couple of years ago was a fantastic experience. Next stop Jebel Ali where we could disembark for some Dubai shopping. Disembarking was not allowed in Jeddah when I was there.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: mv Kraszewski of Chipolbrok, CP, was in Antwerp recently to load project cargoes for Asia. Some great photos provided here by their media representative Mr. Olaf Proes in Hamburg, Germany. Enjoy these photos showing “real shipping”
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We are a Scandinavian based shipping & logistics company headquartered in Sweden. We specialize in door to door solutions catering mainly to the international real estate construction industry. We transport pre-fabricated housing modules worldwide by sea, road and rail. We do full vessel charters and manage both port and warehousing operations, including just-in-time deliveries to construction sites. Feel free to contact us to learn more about what we can offer you in terms of worldwide modular transport.
www.frontlog.se/contact
WEEK 11 – 2021 March 18, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 18th of March and we are back again. This past week has seen very little movement from my side, even around my home here in Stockholm, Sweden but I did manage to pay a visit to the Port of Sodertalje today which is also known as the gateway to Stockholm. Rules have been tightened in some places recently whereby meetings can be accepted but they are only allowed to take place outside – so having a coffee and freezing outside was the “experience” today. Still, it is what it is and hopefully we will be getting an easier ride soon, although the vaccine circus seems to continue in particular, with EU and its citizens being the victims of the slow roll-out, not to mention countless other countries around the world. Solidarity always sounded good when spoken but has a rather hollow sound to it in reality whether it is words uttered by businessmen, politicians or others wanting to grandstand towards Joe and Joanna public! Tomorrow I will take the train and visit the port city of Gothenburg and I did manage to get some face to face (with distance) meetings, so at least there is hope at the end of the tunnel concerning meeting someone outside teams/zoom/skype and you name it. A huge “rescue” package was passed through the US congress and I think my screen is not big enough to hold all the zeros that are in the sum that is now being printed as another “giveaway”. Now, I am by no means an economist, my ex wives (or their lawyers) always seemed to be better at being “economists” especially with “my” money ☺ but still, even to my untrained brain, surely if you print that amount of money won’t it impact the value of money overall and won’t inflation happen in its wake? Here in Stockholm the property market is at an all-time high, nobody seems to have a problem paying a million us dollars for a property and the banks are clamoring to be the preferred lender. Is the value of what we produce really equal to the amount of denominations we have printed ? Well, I do need to read up on “economics” and perhaps on economies of scale which seems to be the issue these days. Well, back to shipping and what is in store for you today. We start off with a visit to a holiday destination, a 122
place in the Caribbean with seemingly endless beaches but also shipping. We interview Sparber Group’s office in the Dominican Republic and they tell us about island logistics. We then remind you of an interview we had with Globetrans in Guinea, a country that, due to the Simandou Iron Ore Project and massive bauxite reserves, is very interesting from a project cargo perspective. Finally, we serve you up with an interview with renowned RORO carrier Höegh Autoliners, which are famous for accepting breakbulk and RORO cargoes worldwide. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Sparber Dominicana SRL – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Interview with
Mr. Jon Arevalillo Urquiaga Branch Manager
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First of all, what can you tell me about the Sparber Dominican Republic branch? When was it established? Is it wholly owned by Sparber Group in Spain? Sparber Dominicana was founded in 2001, continuing a plan designed by the owners to have their own strategic offices in Latinoamerica. Later, Sparber Group set up the Sparber Chile and Sparber Mexico offices. Sparber Dominicana SRL is part of Sparber Group. The headquarters are located in Bilbao, with 8 offices in Spain, Germany, Hungary, China, Chile, México and Dominican Republic.
Elaborate if you will on the ports available for import & export in your country, and could you point out to us which ports are generally most used for project and OOG cargoes? The main ports in the Dominican Republic are Caucedo and Rio Haina. There is now an important investment in port facilities because there is a government plan to have the Dominican Republic become the HUB of the Caribbean. For project cargo, we’ve used the Cabo Rojo port located on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Manzanillo (Pepillo Salcedo) in the north and Barahona in the south.
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How about customs clearance? Is that difficult, and do you have a rule of thumb when it comes to doing customs clearance in the Dominican Republic? Following the rules of the official customs institutions in the Dominican Republic and following also the safe and secure business development of the supply chain (Sparber Dominicana recently obtained OEA and BASC certification memberships), Sparber has internally created special documentation processes to do customs clearance. Dominican Customs processes are improving every year, and nowadays the time of a standard customs dispatch is 48 hours on average.
I know that your group in Spain has extensive experience in handling project cargoes worldwide. Do you also have such experience in the Dominican Republic on a local scale, and could you provide us with some pictures of projects you’ve handled? Yes, we’ve recently done the LARIMAR I project, hiring 5 vessels (origin Denmark, Houston, China x 2 and Uruguay) on the port of Cabo Rojo, on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Find below 125
some pictures. Also, we’re delivering parts for the substation of Parque Solar Girasol, the biggest solar park in the Caribbean region. We took part in the Plata Mirador Norte project: a water treatment plant located in Santo Domingo, importing two, oversized storage silos on which we needed to transport the goods overnight with the supervision of official authorities.
You “share” the island with Haiti. Is it possible to transport cargoes over land to Haiti from the Dominican Republic? How is the relationship between the two countries? Is it possible to tranship cargoes into Puerto Rico as well or other Caribbean islands via the Dominican Republic? Well, the relationship between the two countries is normal. Nowadays, they’re reaching some new agreements to regulate the situation of immigration. 126
There is no problem to transport goods. The Dominican Republic was very helpful to Haiti when the earthquake came in 2010. Port of Prince was destroyed, and humanitarian aid was transported on trucks from Dominican Republic to Haiti. With Puerto Rico, the interchange of goods is fluent. We’re very close, following the good relationship and the investment the USA has in the Dominican Republic. When did you start your own career in shipping & logistics? I started in Hamburg in October 2010. I worked for a logistic company located directly in the Flughafen (airport). My first job was helping to pack cartons and pallets in the warehouse. That was a very important experience because I had the opportunity to learn German with my colleagues. After finishing my studies in Fachhochschule Regensburg in 2012, in February 2013, Sparber Group hired me to join the office of Sparber Chile. There, I learnt logistics on Big Letters. In April 2015, I joined Sparber Dominicana as Branch Manager.
Certainly, I cannot interview someone in the Dominican Republic without also asking about the country as a tourism destination. Which places would you recommend visiting when in your country? Any overlooked gems that are not overrun by tourists (non-COVID times of course)? If I disrecommend Punta Cana, our hotel customers would be disappointed, hahaha. Punta Cana is one of the four big tourism places in the world. There, customers can find everything they want. But there are also other places, eco-tourism places like Bahia de las Águilas (the best beach in the world in my opinion), Rio San Juan, Punta Rucia or Samaná. Or if you like mountains, you can climb Pico Duarte (3098 m) When our readers want to get in touch with you, what is the best way for them to do that? You can reach me via my e-mail address: jon.arevalillo@sparber.es or using my company phone number +1 8296376565. Also, my LinkedIn page Jon Arevalillo Urquiaga, where we share the latest news about Sparber Group. Website: http://www.sparbergroup.com/
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Globetrans S.A. – Conakry, Guinea
Interview with
Mr. Alexandre Camara Managing Director First of all, Alexandre, tell our readers about your country, Guinea. It is a country that does not often make headlines, so could you could tell our readers a bit more about your country, the products you import/export, the population, the main ports and the current political situation? Guinea is a wealthy country located in West Africa, bordered by a 350km coastline against the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by six bordering countries (Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone).
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The wealth of Guinea is linked to the fact that: It is home to some of West Africa’s largest rivers and water sources It holds more than 150,000km2 of very rich and arable land, perfect for agricultural activities. Its subsoil contains several mining deposits, such as the second largest bauxite reserve in the world, the second-largest iron ore reserve in the world, large deposits of gold and diamonds, nickel, cobalt and even traces of oil etc. The six borders with the six neighbouring states of Africa allows for all kinds of exchanges. The fact that everything is done, or redone, in terms of infrastructure and other investments related to sustainable development.
The main current ports are: The Port of Conakry, with a current draft of fifteen to sixteen meters. It’s currently under improvement and its management is being modernised. It has one quay of two kilometers (six berthes) and with two bulk docks the port of Conakry is open to various activities! The Port of Kamsar in the region of Boké (located 360km from Conakry) and in the city of Kamsar: It has two quays of about 250 meters, with drafts from seven to twelve meters it’s also useful for various activities. The Port of Dapilon in the Boké region, Boké town with its bulk quay (consisting of a wharf of about two 129
hundred meters owned by the state mining company). The Bel Airport in the Boké region, Boffa town with its bulk quay (consisting mainly of jetty and owned by the state mining company). The Mineral Port of Cobad (Russal Group) in the Boké region, Kamsar town (consisting mainly of jetty and, so far, owned by the state mining company). Guinea mainly exports (90%) mining products, and imports 90% of products of large consumption, materials and equipment. As for the current political situation, it is the same as that of almost all the French-speaking African countries that have difficulties adapting to the rules of western democracy.
Can you tell us about your own experience in shipping and logistics? I have been working in Guinea for thirty-three years! I am a mechanical engineer and in my professional career I’ve worked for Renault industrial vehicles, Bolloré (SDV) in transit and freight, SGS (at the time a Swiss company in charge of value controls and securing customs revenue in Guinea) and, since 2005, for Globetrans S.A. The lessons I have drawn from this long period of experience are that the procedures and working methods have evolved enormously in Guinea over the years and that the technological evolution (computer and communication systems) was a reality to which Guinea has adapted. The business climate is becoming more and more attractive day by day, so there is a feeling of evolution and willingness to qualify local skills. Above all, there’s the implementation of devices and agencies to guarantee the security of the investments, such as APIP (Agency for the Promotion of Private Investments), employers’ structures, the Commercial Court, the accompaniment of the international institutions of the UN, the European Union and the World Bank, etc. In 2018, in the latest ranking done by the World Bank, Guinea ranked among the top five African countries that initiated the most administrative reforms with the main objective of encouraging investment. Who does Globetrans belong to? 130
Globetrans belongs to me!
Your country is rich in resources. Does this mean that you regularly have a lot of project related shipments to/from Guinea? Yes, I can confirm this. Unfortunately, historically Guinea has had a very low level of domestic production! But also, because it’s in the middle of a development/expansion, there is a real craze about Guinea that attracts many investors. To date, Guinea imports almost everything (by land, sea and air) from food and equipment to industrial consumables, construction, medical materials, etc.
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Is customs clearance in Guinea difficult? Can you provide some rules of thumb for clients with projects to/from Guinea? To date, the processing times of customs files have been considerably modernized and improved! The import procedure is listed below:
Can you give us some examples of shipments that you have handled to/from Guinea or even inland in Guinea? Bulk and containers in general Telecommunication equipment Generator sets Building materials Personal effects Industrial accessories Elements of cranes, mining machines and other handling equipment Textbooks and didactics Agricultural products
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Can you explain to our readers which shipowners you’d consider to have the most experience in traffic to/from Guinea? We can recommend the following three companies: Maersk line CMA CGM MSC Can Guinea be used as a transhipment point for cargo destined for Mali? How are relations between Guinea and its neighbouring countries? Guinea and Mali are good neighbours with very good relations and common populations, and with a border of about 850 Km! To date, the port of Conakry receives thirty five percent of the total volume of goods imported by Mali. The port of Conakry is the closest to the Malian capital, Bamako, being 450km closer compared to the port of Dakar and 259km closer than the port of Abidjan! The rate reproaches or weaknesses listed about the currently improving Conakry is abnormally low, at just thirty five percent. The only downsides are: The state of the roads of Conakry to Bamako: there is about 250km of road in average conditions. The limitations in transportable tonnage (average thirty three tonnes for trucks in 4×2) from the port of Conakry, because of the need to cross mountainous roads over 300km. Customs processing times are quite long, but with the actual establishment of the Sydonia World customs system and the dematerialization of document processing by putting all the documentation online, these customs processing times have greatly improved. The average now has dropped from ten days to four working days.
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Are you a member of a global network organization nowadays? Yes, we are a member of CLC Projects, which we believe provides value that other networks do not. What’s the best way to get in touch with you for more information and a quote? Alexandre Camara Director General dg@globetrans2005.com 00224 664246424 / 00224 620464646 Diallo Alpha Ibrahima Director General Adjoint dgaops@globetrans2005.com 00224 654 151517 / 00224 624 827987 Camara Ibrahim Shmil Responsible Commercial commercial@globetrans2005.com 00224 628 358585 / 00224 654 151551 www.globetrans2005.com
Video Interview: Höegh Autoliners - Oslo, Norway
Stian Omli, Head of Sales Americas & Global Business Development Breakbulk at Höegh Autoliners AS – Oslo, Norway was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Incoterms 2020 Explained for Import Export Global Trade Editor’s Note: Let’s face it. We sometimes need to backtrack in life, refresh our knowledge, and remind ourselves what we should know. So for those of you who are in the same boat as me, see today’s video about Incoterms 2020…again.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Last year around this time, a semi sub from China operated by COSCO arrived in downtown Stockholm with a piece of equipment (or rather a bridge section) for Slussen weighing 3500 tons and 140x45m in dims, and it was indeed an impressive sight. A high visibility jacket helps to get closer and take a few pictures—which I did.
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WEEK 12 – 2021 March 25, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is the 25th of March, and there is now only 1 week left until April Fool’s Day, so politicians not doing their job worldwide—be aware. When I come out that strongly, I am basing it on an article that I read in SCMP last week whilst onboard the train to Gothenburg. Politicians and authorities who either don’t do their jobs, turn blind eyes, are corrupt, or in some other way thus leaving the problems for the common public to sort out should be removed from office. In some way, it has something to do with shipping. Fishing is, in some parts of the world, a murky trade. This is not so much in the EU with better oversight but on the global oceans where, in particular, Taiwanese and Chinese industrial fishing trawlers are raping the oceans of fish and everything that stands in their way. And if any sailor stands in the way of the trawler owner’s desire for profit (and in order to satisfy the owner’s greed), that sailor may risk being bumped off and left for dead in the oceans of the world because who would find out…. read this article from SCMP If indeed it is true, then PCW would like to know WHO in Taiwan and China is responsible for the oversight of their fishing fleets ? It makes you cringe when you see both countries sign this or that declaration in order to be part of the “world community”, only to blatantly disregard any rules governing both fishing and environment. So those of you who enjoy eating fish have a thought about it when you see imported from China or imported from Taiwan in your local supermarket. Fresh off the press relating to the SUEZ Canal, it seems that one giant Evergreen 20,000 teu container vessel has got itself wedged and is blocking traffic in two directions north and southbound causing a massive pile-up. See pictures here showing that size DOES matter also in the Suez Canal. 137
Hopefully, the tugboats can get it free—and soon—so world trade can continue. It is certainly like a major clog in the artery of world trade—as if this COVID-19 hasn’t been enough already with few winners and a huge number of losers. Spring is slowly coming to Stockholm, and yesterday, we had 13 degrees for a while, although today we are back to normal again. However, it is getting lighter, and if we bet on the fact that vaccines are coming and in plentiful supply, we could hope for the ability to travel freely this summer—or at least before the end of the year. I have online conferences with companies around the globe every Wednesday, and there is a fatigue and tiredness of this situation that is palpable now. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews
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Bee Logistics – Taipei, Taiwan Interview with
Mr. James Yang Managing Director
First of all, James, please tell our readers about the history of Bee Logistics in Taiwan. Who are the owners today, and what is the main business of your office in Taiwan? Bee Logistics started in Vietnam in 2004. However, in 2018, after many years of experience and discussing options, I decided that it was time to develop my own company, and we got together with Bee Vietnam, whom have been friends of mine for a long time, and developed the Taipei office. I am the general manager in Taiwan, and we offer ocean and air services for everywhere in the world. Although we work independently from the Vietnam and other location offices, we collaborate together, trying to provide many options and best service for our customers.
Can you elaborate a bit about the ports available for foreign trade in Taiwan? In Taiwan, we have 3 major ports in the north, middle and south of the island (Keelung, Taichung, and Kaohsiung); and one international airport near Taipei City.
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Are there direct sea and air solutions between Taiwan and mainland China nowadays? No restrictions at all for travelers? Actually, for shipping there are no restrictions, but for travelers, Taiwan is still in lockdown for any travelers without residency. In addition, anyone entering Taiwan, including the Taiwanese, is subject to a minimum of 14 days of quarantine under government supervision.
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Can you tell us about the services that you provide locally in Taiwan? Can you do door delivery, customs clearance, transshipment and provide all of these services in-house? Yes! We definitely can help with all that you mentioned. Moreover, we can also provide for ocean: door to door, Port to port, LCL/FCL RO/RO Shipping, Multi-modal transportation Solution for oversized, over-weight cargo, project cargo, Chartering vessel, Shipper owned container shipping, Buyer’s consolidation; and for air: door door/airport to airport, air chartering, sea-air combines services, perishable and DG.
Could you tell us about your most significant project cargoes handled? We have many, but the last one was a couple of months ago. We sent around 300,000 kilos of cargo to the USA.
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In Taiwan you speak Mandarin, correct? How is the business relationship between Taiwan and the mainland of China currently? We often hear from the politicians, but seldom, if ever, are they in touch with real life on the ground. What can you tell us about that? Yes, we speak Mandarin and Taiwanese. The business relationship is ok. It’s the politics that are a little bit delicate. Taiwan considers itself independent from China, but China doesn’t want to accept that, as well as other countries, so it can be challenging when doing business with other countries. Also, we have different currency and regulations from China.
I believe that Taiwan is the home of some famous global and regional shipping lines. Can you tell us more about them, names etc? Yes, this is correct. Taiwan is home to Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC) , Wan Hai Lines (WHL), Cheng Lie Navigation Co Ltd (CNC), Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (YML), and a few others not so big and famous. Please tell our readers how it is best to get hold of you at Bee Logistics? Please contact me at jamesyang.tw@beelogistics.com or Silvana Palau at silvana.tw@beelogistics.com for any inquiries. Website: http://beelogistics.com/
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Video Interview: Hutchison Ports Stockholm, Sweden
Lawrence Yam, CEO at Hutchison Ports Stockholm was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Liburnia Maritime - Rijeka, Croatia
Marin Skufca, CEO of Liburnia Maritime Agency was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video STS Cranes and Straddle Carriers Arrived Onboard mv ZhenHua 32 Being Discharged at Stockholm Norvik Port Editor’s Note: As you noticed, we had an interview with Hutchison Ports of Stockholm today. I was, in fact, alongside as the STS cranes and straddle carriers arrived from China, and it seems befitting to show you the short footage I made from this great day about 1 year ago now:
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Visited Gothenburg last Friday and after arriving 11.30 am, managed to have a total of 5 efficient meetings (3 freight forwarders & 2 shipowner reps) in more or less the same place. Efficiency is key, let’s hope the opening up and speed of vaccinations picks up soon. It’s sorely needed—face-to-face does beat Zoom anytime! 144
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WEEK 13 – 2021 April 1, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is the 1st of April; it is Thursday, and we are here with the latest issue of Project Cargo Weekly. Generally, it is called April Fools day,. Yet, I don’t dare tell that to the wife as it is also her birthday. Tomorrow, the 2nd of April, is my ex wife’s birthday, it pays off to have the dates straight in my head, so any flowers aren’t sent to the wrong receiver☺. This past week has seen me again hitting the road here in Sweden, mainly a combination of compensating for being unable to travel due to COVID but also in order to visit various ports, see ships in port, and take some pictures which more often than not give an idea of the nature which also surrounds these ports. Sweden really does have many nice and beautifully located ports. First, I visited a bulk carrier arriving at the Port of Oxelösund about 130 km south of the capital Stockholm. It had arrived with 50,000 tons of coal from Alabama (sorry green fanatics…☺). View the photos here. Then two days later, I drove 550 km to the small port of Köpmanholmen nearby to Örnsköldsvik (and the birthplace of Hägglunds Cranes) where a small coaster loaded with a few tower sections about 36m long, 60 tons each arrived from being transshipped at the Danish port of Grenaa. Here I have two links for you. This first photo album shows the nature up there, then this second photo album shows the shipment itself and the impressive size of the tower sections being discharged to waiting trailers for inland transport. All of the pictures and videos were taken virtually from the bed and breakfast called Kajkanten where the owner and his wife have now become friends of mine as I visited there several times. It seems that the wind turbine project cargoes arriving will continue both this year and next as Sweden invests massively in wind turbine parks in the country. Several shipowners have been involved as well as capable project freight forwarders and inland hauliers, all to make it go smoothly via such small ports and, lest not forget, often in difficult wintertime conditions. I took my 7-year-old out of school for a couple of days, so that he could join me on the trip north and see 146
something other than books and his iPad. Returning to Stockholm for a night’s sleep, the next day I visited the Port of Sodertalje/Stockholm gateway as they were receiving a new mobile crane that arrived from Liebherr Rostock, again via Port of Grenaa, as they had a mobile crane to be discharged there too for use in their port. Those pictures and video you will find further below under the featured video and picture(s) of the week. And as every Oscar winner always says after getting their trophy, special thanks to…..not mum and dad but to the shipping agents, shipowners, project forwarders and local port authorities making these visits possible. Outside in the big world, the main topic has, of course, been the grounded Ever Given and again this week the successful refloating. At some point, my WhatsApp kept on beeping as several jokes arrived from around the world depicting the vessel lodged in the canal. Indeed a serious matter though and again a reminder of aa/ the value of shipping to all of us, perhaps now Joe and Joanna public understand what shipping is, and bb/ the value, as ever, of the international seafarer who not only now but also since the pandemic hit has been severely and adversely affected by crew change difficulties, leading to horrendously long stays onboard. I hope the shipowners worldwide take responsibility and treat them well, and that shippers take note and vote with their feet by removing their cargo if they don’t! Corona, of course, features in the news, but for some strange reason, business is still on-going as ever before in many places. Housing markets are hot. Stimulus packages are rolled out, and the printing presses of the governments’ federal banks never stand still. Who knows if a major correction (as the financial jargon goes) is coming, but I fear that as the inequality spreads, the rich will continue to get richer and the middle class will be ever disappearing, so no news there….for this editor, something is out of whack when watching the poverty of children in the UK in 2021 (on YouTube, see here) Surely, it cannot be that all of the parents are “lazy”. Perhaps it is just a matter of jobs not paying a live-able wage. Well, I leave it to people smarter than me to sort this one out. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Fevzi Gandur Shipping Agency – Istanbul, Turkey
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Interview with
Ms. Bianca Namer Sales & Marketing Manager
Please tell our readers about the history of the Fevzi Gandur Shipping Agency and elaborate on the ownership. The Fevzi Gandur Group of companies has a long history as a shipping agency and in logistics. Our experience in this sector goes back to 1948 when the Group was founded in Lebanon as a shipping agency. The first Turkish company was formed in Istanbul in 1986. Over the years, additional owned offices were formed in Izmir, Mersin, Gemlik and Bursa. Agency activities were extended to other neighbouring countries. We have the expertise in rendering our agency services to Container, Dry-Bulk, Tanker, Reefer and Cruise Operators/Owners. The Fevzi Gandur Shipping Agency is a member of Multiport, the largest Ship Agency Network. We have and still represent a number of world class and still are part of the following liners either as Agents or as JV; • Jugolinija / Croatia Lines (Break-Bulk & Container Agency) • Costa Container Lines (Container Agency) • United Arab Shipping Co (Container, JV) • China Shipping Container Lines (Container, JV) • Wan Hai Lines (Container Agency) • Ecuadorian Line (Reefer, Agency) • Fred Olsen (Cruise, On Sight Excursion Agency) As you can notice from the name, the company was first formed by Mr. Fevzi Gandur and now is owned and managed by his sons, Mr. Cemil Gandur and Mr. Ali Gandur. We are a family company with strong values, managed as a corporation with an excellent reputation in the marketplace.
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Turkey has a huge number of both shipping agents and freight forwarders. How do you ensure that you stand out in the crowd as the one to be chosen? Over the last 25 years, we have added Freight Forwarding, Land Transportation, Logistics and Distribution activities to our existing Ship Agency services. These include: project cargo shipment; contract logistics; domestic distribution; macro & micro delivery with dedicated fleet; time-sensitive shipments as pharma & spare parts for vessels; intermodal services to Europe; collection & warehouse services of export cargo via international haulage as FTL & LTL; import & export air cargo operations at the new Istanbul Airport Warehouse; and finally, e-commerce order fulfillment services. We are able to offer complete, end-to-end solutions from point of origin/manufacture to point of consumption. We have the full capability of moving cargo in every transportation mode: air, sea and land. We can combine and provide multimodal shipment to our customers from one supplier—which is us. Providing all these services separately or in combined form facilitates the customers job which eventually makes us a preferred carrier/service provider in the market. We pride ourselves on our superior customer service and sophisticated IT systems that ensure customers will have constant and up-to-date information about their shipments.
Tell our readers about your main business currently. Actively, we provide our Agency Services to the following Owners: • ZPMC Heavy Lift and Semi-Submersible Vessels • Fred Olsen Cruise Lines • Various Navy Vessels and Tramp Owners Our NVOCC partners are: • Sarjak Container Lines (Shipment of out of Gauge Project Cargo in SOC 20ft, 40ft Special Equipment as Open Top, Hard Top, Flat Rack) • Bulkglobal Logistics (Shipment of Chemicals in 20ft Iso-tanks) • Nepal Shipping Lines • Fairmacs Multiline pvt 149
Can you provide services in all Turkish ports? How about transshipment to Iraq—is that also possible for you to arrange? Yes, we can provide agency services at all Turkish ports, including the transshipment to/fm Iraq via Mersin and Iskenderun, FTL as well as Project Cargo.
Has Covid 19 impacted your business, and how do you find the business environment at the moment in Turkey during this pandemic? We strongly believe that every crisis brings various opportunities, and within this aspect, we grow each day. Due to our IT backbone, we were already equipped to handle the sudden disruption in the business environment and very reduced access to our office facilities. We have carried on “business as usual”, have actually 150
grown significantly during 2020, and are on track to even more growth during 2021. Our range of products, our flexibility, and our focus to provide solutions even in the most difficult working environment has allowed us to capture a significant market share in all our product offerings.
The current business environment in Turkey is slowly getting back to normal. We’ve seen a resumption of project cargo movements and a general increase in cargo movement across all modes of transport. The situation is still not 100% back to normal, especially due to disruption in liner services, huge increases in container and charter rates, and lack of available equipment & space. However, 2021 is a definite improvement over last year and the situation is getting better day by day.
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What are your future plans? Logistics is in the midst of a technology-driven revolution. We believe that companies which have robust digital capabilities, keep up with the data collected at every phase of the shipment, and utilize these to manage cost control, quotation preparation and eventually keep the customers aware of their cargo whereabouts, will not only help to facilitate our job but customer satisfaction as well. Business online is essential to follow up; however keeping in close communication with the customers will always be a must. For this purpose, we are giving our utmost support to our IT and HR departments. Our focus is to be able to solve our customer’s supply chain requirements, and therefore, we will be expanding all our offerings. Yet, for the next year, our project, intermodal, e-commerce and pharmaceutical departments will be receiving special focus. We will keep on concentrating our extensive experience in dealing with variety of principals (Charterers, Owners, Operators), in both Turkey and International shipping which will enhance the Fevzi Gandur Shipping Agency to a high level of acknowledgement from a multitude of clients around the world within the aspect of Project Cargo Handling.
How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? We will be pleased to welcome inquiries regarding Shipments of Out of Gauge Cargo in 20ft, 40ft Special Equipment as Open Top, Hard Top, Flat Rack and also for Big Project Cargoes through: info@seahorsenet. com & info@fevzigandur.com
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Video Interview: Port of Grenaa, Denmark
Theis Gisselbæk – CCO at Port of Grenaa was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Chipolbrok - Gdynia, Poland
Radoslaw Chmielinski – Shipping Director at Chipolbrok Gdynia – Poland was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video A Liebherr Mobile Crane Rolling-off of a Landing Craft at Port of Sodertalje Editor’s Note: Port of Sodertalje / Stockholm Gateway received their new mobile crane from Liebherr in Rostock. Watch the arrival in port here… www.soeport.se
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A nice collage of pictures depicting the arrival of a new, high capacity, mobile crane for the Port of Sodertalje / Stockholm Gateway. www.soeport.se 154
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WEEK 14 – 2021 April 8, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 8th of April and we are back. I am writing this editorial from what you might call my “hometown” which is the port city of Grenaa, Denmark. My parents have lived here for 25 years, and I have kept a small condo available for a decade, enabling me and all of my 6 kids to have a place to stay when visiting. Rental yields in this small city in Denmark (some 15,000 inhabitants) don’t warrant renting it out, so much nicer to have it available if it’s suddenly decided that we visit. Grenaa has nice beaches; a deepwater, all year round, ice free port; and has developed itself into a versatile and fully functional port catering for different kinds of cargoes. Many summer houses are located here too, and it is only 15 km from the Aarhus Airport / Tirstrup which in non-Corona times has both domestic and international flights. If there was any justice in the world, Grenaa would have been the place of the largest container port in Denmark, but local politics, infighting, and special interest groups have put a damper on such ideas for years. Here are a couple of pictures from my visit this time to Grenaa. And here is also a link to a video that I took yesterday morning when in port. Of course, the highlight of the trip to Grenaa was enjoying time with my parents over a couple of Irish whiskies with my father whilst mum had white wine and cigarettes. We need to treasure the moments with our loved ones when they are here and not when they are no longer with us – life can be full of surprises and we never, perhaps luckily so, know what is around the corner good or bad. As you know from an earlier edition of PCW, I lost my only younger brother late December, and an event like that has again cemented the fact for me to live life a little DAILY. No point having money if you are dead, and no point lamenting about what you should have done when it’s too late. Today, I am traveling back to Stockholm but will have a couple of stops enroute to visit the Baltic Shipping Company and WeShip before crossing the border to Sweden. I’ve got my 12-year-old son with me for com157
pany, although he is primarily interested in ice hockey or floorball through his iPad. I did manage to spark his interest when showing him this video of the fast ferry we shall be taking from Aarhus to Odden on the island where our capital, Copenhagen, is located. She was built in Australia/WA and sailed via the Pacific to Aarhus! Rare as it may be, I don’t have any “political” comments to make this week. So best that I spare you whilst, of course, continuing to hope that there is light at the end of the vaccine tunnel also for the EU—not to mention so many other parts of the world, too. Inequality is a fact of life regrettably, and it surely can be seen from the vaccine rollout as well, although it is of, course, a gargantuan—if not impossible—task to supply everyone at the same time. In today’s newsletter, we start off with a reminder to you about an interesting interview we had with a company based in Turkey called Lyonel A. Makzume Group. They’ve got offices in interesting countries, and as we all know, development nowadays can come from where it’s least expected, so do take your time to read it. We then have got two interesting video interviews in store for you, and we start off by talking to a company based in the UK, Cory Brothers who—with a very long history—has an interesting and compelling story to tell about their shipping agency services. We finally, and very befittingly in light of the recent grounding in the Suez Canal, interview a company called LETH Agencies in Copenhagen. They are a major player in facilitating Suez and other canal transits for shipowners worldwide. Do listen to this interview as it is most interesting and in light of recent occurrence, certainly brings to light the importance of the waterways we take for granted, but also the costs involved and the planning needed beforehand. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Lyonel A. Makzume Group of Companies – Istanbul, Turkey
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Interview with
Capt. Umur Ugurlu Head of Project Department
First of all, could you tell us a bit about your history? I understand that LAM is the abbreviation of Lyonel A. Makzume. Where is your head office located, and who are the owners today? We are a family company with both a family and corporate culture. The company was founded by Lyonel A. Makzume in 1944 in Iskenderun, Turkey. Today, the group’s HQ is based in Istanbul, Turkey, overseeing a group of companies and its own presence in 11 countries.
In which countries are you currently active, and do you handle all kinds of logistical work? Alphabetically, we are present in Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Georgia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, and the USA. We offer various services in each country from shipping to logistics. I understand from your website that your company first started as a shipping agency. Do you still perform shipping agency functions, and do you represent some regular shipping lines currently? Yes, we still act as ship agents in 5 countries (Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Egypt) today and hopefully more in the near future. We represent liners in all types of shipping activities, i.e. container liners, PCC liners, as well as NVOCCs. I understand from your website that your company first started as a shipping agency. Do you still per159
form shipping agency functions, and do you represent some regular shipping lines currently? Yes, we still act as ship agents in 5 countries (Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Egypt) today and hopefully more in the near future. We represent liners in all types of shipping activities, i.e. container liners, PCC liners, as well as NVOCCs.
Noting that you are active in Azerbaijan, which we all know is an oil-rich country, how do you foresee business in the Caspian Sea this year? What is the best gateway for getting cargo into the Caspian Sea region? We see the future of the activities in the Caspian Sea as normal. We do not expect an increase of activities, but we believe the States of the Caspian will continue to steadily improve the infrastructure within the energy industry. The oil crisis will temporarily affect certain projects but not all. Project Cargo can arrive via the Volga-Don river way system and more narrow pieces and containers can travel via Georgian ports. In Turkey, the market is seemingly crawling with shipping agents and freight forwarders. How do you manage to stand out in Turkey? Our reputation is our best asset. You are unfortunately right. There are too many actors in shipping and freight forwarding. A lot of these companies are unfortunately staining the reputation of the country. Fortunately, old and new companies with great management are still available in Turkey Have you had experience in handling project cargoes before, either as freight forwarder or shipping agent? Also, could you perhaps provide us with a few examples of such? Both as freight forwarder and as ship agent we have had experience handling many project cargoes, and most of the time, we are combining both shipping agency and freight forwarding. As LAM, we handled a few projects to the Maghreb region and one important project for an international non-profit organisation to South Sudan via East African port last year. Today our JV ‘ Sinotrans Makzume ‘ is also regularly handling project cargoes in our region. What is the best way for people to get in touch with you? They can get our contacts on the group’s website. People can also reach any of our group’s company via info@makzu.me, and their query will be forwarded to the right contact.
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Video Interview: Cory Brothers – Ipswich, United Kingdom
Jenny Butler, Liner Director at Cory Brothers Shipping Agency Ltd. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Leth Agencies – Copenhagen, Denmark
Jacob Guldager, Branch Manager at Leth Danish Straits Copenhagen was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video mv Ever Given Fresh Off the Shipyard Editor’s Note: An impressive video here of the mv Ever Given fresh off the shipyard. It gives you an idea of the size of the vessel and the complexity in dislodging it from the Suez Canal. I suppose there IS a limit to the size of ships but….
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A selection of photos from the editor’s recent visit to the port city of Grenaa, Denmark. A deepwater port strategically located in Denmark, it has developed itself into a hub port also for project cargoes destined for other points in the Nordic region. For more information about the port check out: www.port-of-grenaa.com 162
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WEEK 15 – 2021 April 15, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 15th of April and we are here again already in the middle of spring month here in Sweden where I am located. Latest news on the Corona vaccination front is that we will be inoculated in May for those over 18 years of age depending on the supply of vaccines. Astra Zeneca and now Janssen [owned by Johnson & Johnson] have both been stopped due to side effects, so let’s see what happens. Being 58, I guess May will be the month for me unless I visit Moscow as a Sputnik tourist – perhaps I could then even get a trip around the moon like Mr. Gagarin some 60 years ago now. Talking to people around the world not only as editor of PCW but also as chairman of www.clcprojects.com & www.cross-ocean.com, COVID-19 is on everyone’s lips. For some, business has never been better (right shipowners?), and for some, it’s never been worse, but these are the things we must go through in life—up/down and around we go. Here in Sweden, as in many other European countries, drugs are becoming easily available even in smaller cities and sometimes even online. The French police managed to crack a secret communication network of encrypted phones (EncroChat) that apparently was used by criminals to discuss their action plans, and as a result of that, more than 50-80 individuals are now in custody here in Sweden. So it seems that European cooperation in law enforcement and the fight against drugs is partly successful. But open borders, lax controls, and a naivety when it comes to controlling who enters the countries of Europe has left us very vulnerable. I am not sure if the US is doing so much better, and with countries like China, for example, happily exporting anything that generates money, including Fentanyl and other deadly components, it seems we are fighting an ever uphill struggle. More about that here. But drugs also involve logistics, and so much so that several reports have been made on this subject. I particularly want to point your attention to this one from Dryad Global which you may find interesting and instructive. We must remember, though, that there wouldn’t be a market for this if there weren’t buyers! I am told that 164
buyers come from all walks of life. It seems many are looking for an extra “high” and the ability to keep it going. Naturally, that is dangerous and expensive for most. I myself fought with an alcohol addiction for a while. It took me 5 weeks, a USD10,000 detox program, and a change in family and life circumstances to clean up my act a few years ago. I have always loved the fast life, but I have now also found pleasure in a life that is less fast and whose rewards are not always commensurate with earning loads of money, stockpiling for a rainy day that may never come. Grandfather used to tell me “save for a rainy day”, but it ain’t gonna rain for 3 months! I now follow that! End of Philosophy 101. I turn now to the business world that is still seeing the repercussions of the Ever Given grounding in the Suez Canal. But fear not! The SCA (Suez Canal Authority) are hell bent on keeping their income come hell or high water. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Coli Schiffahrt & Transport - Bremen, Germany
Alain Akavi, Managing Directory at Coli Schiffahrt & Transport Bremen GmbH was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Tschudi Logistics Group – Maputo, Mozambique
Interview with
Mr. Thomas Vestergaard Managing Director
We have interviewed Tschudi Logistics Group before (here and here), but this time we are talking about Africa. What made you look into opening an office in Africa in the first place? Which location did you choose and why? At Tschudi Logistics, we always try to stay on top of our game. We have followed the development in Mozambique for many years, and last year, we decided that the timing was right to open a physical office in Maputo. Since we have conducted many projects in southern African countries, we already have great local relations. Among others, we are tightly connected with Energy Works in Maputo. Maputo is the capital of Mozambique but also the hub for white collar business. The main airport is also located here, which means that this is the city to which expats and other international stakeholders most often fly. While most offices are located in Maputo, a lot of the hands-on work takes place in Nacala and Palma as Areas 1 and 4 are located in the northern part of the country. I believe that these cities will attract more people in the future, as the infrastructure is continuously developing, and the newly renovated airport in Nacala is ready to take on a large group of people. Was it difficult to find the right staff to man your office? How did you go about it because it’s a frequent problem I hear not only in Europe but also in Africa—lots of people but still difficult to find the right ones. 166
At Tschudi, we have a mantra saying that “you can shape your own job and career, if you work for it.” To me, what matters is finding people with the right mindset. Employees with the right mindset and engagement can learn as we go and grow with the tasks they are given. Further, a great personality and skills to meet and engage with new people is essential—especially in Mozambique. Here close relations with business partners and clients are important. For this reason, our business cannot be run from our offices in Europe. We must be present, show up to events, and take part in meetings face to face. To ensure that we do so, I have spent most of my time in Mozambique since we opened the office last year. We are creating a team with a mix of locals and expats. I believe that this will give a beneficial dynamic working environment as we can draw on each other’s knowledge. My experience is that the locals are extremely important to understand the nuances of the local culture—nuances that can benefit our negotiation skills and handling of challenges when they arise. On the other hand, having expats will help us enforce and guarantee that we live up to the standards we are known for in Europe and Asia.
Maputo Port – photo credit http://www.portmaputo.com/ How do you see Mozambique as a market overall? It is a big country, with lots of resources, but it also has transshipment possibilities. Does your office intend to get involved in all kinds of project forwarding or will you stick to a few selected areas? I have worked on several projects in Africa throughout the years. I believe that the key to success is finding the balance between local adaptation and global complexity. In Africa, it is essential to be able to navigate risk in order to explore opportunities—something we have done for many years. Tschudi Mozambique offers all kinds of project forwarding, purchasing services, and a local workforce in relation to ship management, Offshore & Towage, Ship-to-ship LNG. We benefit from being in a tight-knit group, so we can draw on know-how and resources from the eight other Tschudi companies. Which container ship owners have you found have the best quality of service to/from Mozambique? Currently, we do not focus that much on containers, however, we see that both MSC and CMACGM are strong, and CMGCGM also offers inland services. We have a tight relationship with Augustea Maritime Transportation in Mozambique. In partnership with them, we are representatives for a total of three barges and tugs. 167
The carriers are: AMT Venturer, 17,400 DWT deck cargo barge and AMT Carrier, 9.025 DWT submersible/ deck cargo barge. The tug is: Mythos, ocean going tug, multipurpose field support vessel 4,00 BHP class.
Maputo Port Have you done some projects there already, and if so could you share some pictures with us? Even if not, as your office is relatively new, could you share some pictures from the ports etc. with our readers? Currently, we are mainly involved in smaller transports of construction equipment and material. However, the tender process for large gas projects is really picking up the pace, and contracts are even getting awarded. With such huge projects both on- and offshore, there will be a great need for logistics services. We, therefore, not only see ourselves as a door-to-door forwarder, but also as a supporter for other forwarders and owners who are not physically present in Mozambique. We will soon be able to offer agency services along the coast and not only as today in Maputo.
Maputo Port – photo credit http://www.portmaputo.com/ 168
What is your own impression of the country when you visit there? Which route do you normally take when flying there from North Europe? Mozambique is currently the 10th poorest country in the world, but it has also been mapped out to become one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. It is definitely clear that the country is under development with the finalization of Areas 1 and 4 constantly moving closer.
Overview of the oil/gas fields of Mozambique – photo credit: Riviera Maritime Media Doing business in Mozambique can be challenging at first. I have experienced a lax attitude to time, which can be frustrating as sticking to deadlines is crucial in an industry like ours. To me, that makes it very important to focus on our business culture and our way of working at Tschudi. By doing that, we do our best to uphold the same standard in all the countries we are based. Other than that, Mozambicans are, in my experience, both hardworking and motivated. I often use the TAP connection via Portugal directly to Maputo or Lufthansa via Johannesburg. The visa process can take some time, but I still recommend travelers to search same upon arrival, it is easy and cheaper. If any require advice or even a form to prefill, please do not hesitate to reach out. Tschudi Logistics Group is active in all the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands and now Mozambique. Are you in a further expansionist mode this year? We have big plans for our office here in Maputo. The development of Areas 1 and 4 (the two offshore fields where natural gas has been discovered) is moving fast, and this means that related areas such as infrastructure and construction for both onshore and offshore will commence soon. We must be ready to offer potential clients logistics solutions, and therefore, we are currently extending our team. In Europe, we are still experiencing a lot of activity. Our office in Rotterdam reopened a year ago and is already operating with great success. We still do a lot of projects which pass through eastern Europe and the CIS countries, and in relation to this, we have decided to open a new office in Poland. We expect the opening to happen within the next couple of months, and we are looking forward to adding yet another location to our far-reaching offices still this year. 169
How is it possible to reach you? Here are my contact details: Thomas Vestergaard, Managing Director, Tschudi Mozambique Email: tve@tschudilogistics.com Denmark +45 88 44 82 01 +45 21 73 37 73
Mozambique +258 84 824 6588
Video Interview: Mr. Steffen Pedersen, Maritime Lawyer – Singapore
Steffen Pedersen who is a Maritime Lawyer licensed in Hong Kong – Singapore and several South Asia territories was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Onboard Breakbulk Vessel Rickmers Antwerp Enroute to Houston Editor’s Note: From the memory bank (already 11 years ago now from 2010), here is some footage that I took two days before arriving into Houston onboard mv Rickmers Antwerp. Calm seas in the Gulf of Mexico and a wonderful sunset, and as I recall, a couple of drinks on deck with the co-passengers. A world class way of traveling indeed!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: After a couple of whiskies at my parents’ house during Easter, I had to take a cab back to my condo in Grenaa, Denmark. What an evening! So told the taxi driver to take another route in order to get me this shot of a fantastic sunset. We all know how difficult it can be to get the shot just right, but this one qualifies. 171
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WEEK 16 – 2021 April 22, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 22nd of April, 2021 and PCW is back again. This week has been one of the best for me from a shipping man’s point of view. I got a message recently on my LinkedIn profile from the forwarding manager at Valmet Karlstad, and since he told me that he was an avid reader of Project Cargo Weekly (yes, he is one..☺), he told me that if I had an interest to see the loading of a couple of valuable Yankee cylinders for export in the lake-based port city of Karlstad, then I would be welcome. To this story, of course, I do need to add that I have in my previous freight forwarding career had experience with this shipper and do believe that the manager knew about me not only from the newsletter. Nevertheless, I happily took the invite, and since the weather gods were on my side as well on 19th of April. Here is a photo album of fantastic (in my view of course) pictures from this nice day in port. And here is a video from the day as well. Valmet in Karlstad is a world leader in high value, tissue-making machinery, and their projects around the world include heavy lifts and containers for each project. This time, 2 pieces around 133 tons each were to be shipped—one for the US and one for Japan. An impressive company by all means and a kind gesture allowing a simple freight forwarder turned journalist to visit their shipping arrangement for this project. After some pleasant hours in the company of forwarding manager Mr. Henrik Zsigo and his team, I drove the 350 km to the Port of Södertälje where the bulk carrier CS Flourish was about to arrive at around 1700 hrs with a full load of prefabricated housing modules from Malaysia to the Swedish market. Again, please enjoy this great collection of pictures. Here is a video from the day as well, filmed from the nature park some 10 km away from the port itself. 173
PCW has a good relationship with both the Port of Södertälje, Frontlog (the shipper), and TSA Shipping Agency enabling such a visit, so yes, it is as always—not only what you know but also who you know and the way you treat and maintain your relationships. So in life, so also in business! Bottom line: an awesome day for me, Monday 19th of April, 2021. One for the memory bank indeed!! On the political front, I haven’t really had time to follow what’s happened around the world, but much of the noise has been the same. In Sweden where I live, it is of course the usual. The media here is more interested in what is happening in a court case in the US than the country’s own almost weekly shootings taking place. It may surprise you to learn that, but try taking a look at this sad statistic from 2017-2020. This would indicate that our media should spend more time dealing with our problems first before commenting on issues elsewhere. Bear in mind that we are a population of ONLY 10 million. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews International Forwarders & Customs Brokers Association of Australia Ltd. Sydney, Australia
Interview with
Mr. Paul Damkjaer CEO
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First of all Paul, I am Danish, and by the look I had at your surname, I believe so are you. How did you end up in Australia, and how did you get into the logistics business in the first place? Yes, it is Danish. My father was Danish and my mother Australian. I suppose you could call me a Danish Australian or vice versa. My father was a seafarer since the age of 14 with a small Danish shipping line called Maersk ☺. He ended up working on the oil tankers between Singapore and Australia where he met my mother, and the rest is history. At the age of 18, I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do, and I was not interested in attending university. I applied to be a junior shipping clerk with a small forwarding/customs brokerage in Sydney. This gave me hands-on experience which is very rare these days for new entrants into our industry, for which I am very grateful, and I am still in the industry 40 years later. I understand that you are an association that looks after customs brokers & forwarders. Elaborate if you will on what that job entails. The International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia Ltd (IFCBAA) is an enabler which fosters professionalism and integrity among providers of international trade services. Our strength is the knowledge and expertise of our members, and our objective is to use that knowledge to our members’ best advantage, assisting them in managing their business effectively in a competitive trade environment. IFCBAA functions as a peak, national, not-for-profit industry association, being the voice for International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers in Australia for 116 years. IFCBAA supports its members to work collectively with their clients and ensure revelatory compliance as to the import or export of goods. In the main, these relate to customs, biosecurity, transport security, and other taxation arrangements both domestic and internationally. What is the main advantage of belonging to an organisation like yours? The primary objectives of IFCBAA are to raise the profile of the International Trade Logistics and Supply Chain Management service industry and to promote the career advancement of its members through an emphasis on training and standards. It also functions as a single voice for solution providers in International Logistics and Customs matters. Nowadays, do you need a licence to establish a freight forwarding company in Australia? How about becoming a customs broker? To establish a freight forwarding company, you do not require a licence; however you must comply with the Australian government regulations and taxation laws. In saying that, most freight forwarders have approved bonded premises regulated by the Australian Border Force (ABF). You do require a Corporate Customs Licence to operate a Customs Brokerage and the Customs Broker who works for the Brokerage must also be licensed by (ABF). Would you say that regulations in place on the freight forwarding and customs brokerage business are adequate or too many/too few? Australia is highly regulated for any business that operates in this country. For our industry, it is extremely regulated in order to protect our borders and to ensure compliance with import/export trade regulations. Do you as a nationwide organisation also cooperate with similar entities in other countries? If so, what kind of advantages does that give, again, to be a member? We have many strategic international memberships with organisations that deal in International Forwarding 175
and Customs matters. The fact that IFCBAA is a high-level member of these international organisations sets us apart in Australia from other logistic providers. With many of these organisations, we are at the chair or director level, enabling our members to utilise these valuable connections if need be. • FIATA-International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations—Chair / Committee Member. • FAPAA-Federation of Asia-Pacific Airfreight Association—Chair / Secretariat. • IFCBA-International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations—Director. • TIACA-The International Air Cargo Association. • CBAFF-Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders of New Zealand. Customs clearance, I presume, is more or less automated nowadays also in Australia, but how do you find the efficiency and transparency of customs clearance in Australia overall? Yes, customs clearance is automated and has been for some time. ABF has arranged a working group of which I’m a member to examine the next step in further modernisation of its clearance platform. How is it possible for our members to reach you? You can reach me on my details below: T: +61 2 9587 1986 M: +61 0477 445 771 E: pdamkjaer@ifcbaa.com W: www.ifcbaa.com
TSM Project Logistics PVT Ltd. – Mumbai, India
Interview with
Mr. Shekhar Chavan Managing Director
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Could you tell us about the history and ownership of TSM? We are an owner-managed, medium-sized, freight forwarding company which was founded in 2004. We are based in the heart of the Hamburg free port. TSM Germany GmbH works with a worldwide partner network of agents that has grown from long standing working relationships. Together, we move approximately 5000 containers worldwide today.
I understand that you have offices in Hamburg, Germany as well as Mumbai, India. Please tell us more about your line of business and why this choice of offices? Yes, our HO is Germany, and we have network partners around the globe. We are a freight forwarding company, and Hamburg is the heart of the German port. Opening an office in India was a good move as India is a growing and emerging market after China and there is a lot of potential. TSM Project Logistics Pvt. Ltd. will be specializing mainly in the realization of project shipments from and to India. Of course, our classic portfolio of services as airfreight or ocean freight shipments will remain available, as well as customs clearance, warehousing and many other services we provided until now. The difference is that EVERYTHING we realize for you, is realized by ONE team, under ONE management and via ONE internal communication system, which makes us independent from external partners and, therefore, an even more reliable partner for our valued customers! Our Services: • Sea Freight (FCL & LCL) • Break Bulk • Air & Sea Charter Services • Project Movements • Customs Clearance • Warehousing • Inventory Management • Heavy Transport Haulages 177
Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? If so, could you provide us with a few examples? Yes. I have 15-20 years of experience in handling projects. We have handled a few projects from Germany to India, all heavy lift exclusive in ODC and BB vessels. Here’s some examples: Pipes BB shipment 1600 cbm from Tianjin to Lagos and also Trailer Vehicles of 2200 cbm to Lagos.
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Taking into consideration that India is a main market for you, we understand that competition is very fierce in India. How do you make sure to stand out? The market in India is very tough as there are lot of forwarders giving 60 days credit to customers. We are associated with our close customers who have been supporting us for a long time such as L&T, and other medium size importers and exporters.
How do you find the cooperation with the shipowners nowadays? We hear from the market that they are very very difficult to deal with and even paying a premium won’t always help to secure space? We are aware of major shipowners that have had this happen to them. Some of them became bankrupt. Others who are stable are supporting such as Chipolbrok, Ocean7, dship. However, we cannot rely on Chinese ship owners as nowadays, they are taking huge advantages of such situations where there are fewer ships in markets.
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And, of course, the “boring” question. How is the COVID-19 situation currently where you are, and what is the impact on the shipping business for you in Mumbai, in particular, and India in general? Yes, there is a huge impact on the Indian market as nowadays we are getting in touch with clients on calls and VC. Not everyone is familiar to us. As a result, some of the customers want us to meet, and we are missing face-to-face meetings. And due to this 2nd wave, there is a lockdown of 15 days in India, and again there are challenges and huge competition in the market.
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When did you start your career in shipping? I started my carrier 20 years back as a custom house agent and later on I worked with All MNC companies such as CEVA, CH Robinson, Hellmann, Dachser, Aprile. Please tell our readers how it is best to reach you? You can contact me at: Email: shekhar@tsmproject.com / operations@tsmproject.com Mobile: +91 (0) 9930944471 If you would like to ship your project, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Indian branch: Mr. Shekhar Chavan +91 022-48808546 shekhar@Tsmproject.com German branch: Mr. Marek Makowski +49-40-492938-24 makowski@tsm24.de www.tsm24.de
Video Interview: Hugo Stinnes Schiffahrt - Rostock, Germany
Steffen Wiegratz – Line Manager SanMex Service and MPP Transatlantic at Hugo Stinnes Schiffahrt was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video A Wonderful Day in the Port of Södertälje Stockholm Gateway Editor’s Note: The video speaks for itself. Note in particular the wonderful blue sky!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: “Below deck” means below deck, and for high value cargo such as this 133.5 ton heavy Yankee Cylinder from the world’s leading tissue machinery supplier, Valmet in Karlstad, Sweden, it is a must. I took this shot after descending down the ladder to the lower hold of a small coaster. Destination for this piece — Japan.
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WEEK 17 – 2021 April 29, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 29th of April, and we are back. It is also the last newsletter of April, and in a couple of days, we will have “International Workers Day” on May 1st, and I am sure it will be celebrated with marches and red flags in many countries around the world. [note: This day is not observed in every country.]Workers of the world should unite because if anything, the inequality has indeed grown in recent years. As I reported earlier, we are seeing poverty not only in “the usual suspects” countries, but also in what we label “1st world” countries such as the UK and the US. It is embarrassing, to say the least, and we should have a system whereby you at least have a wage that you could reasonably live on. Having said that, I know also of persons who no matter how much money you give them, actually never have a penny to spend, so yes, certainly our own choices do play a role. Yet, for the majority, I believe they share the same vision and dream: taking care of and bringing up our family and children well. There is an old saying that goes: “The water tastes good but who dug the well”. I have been fortunate in life to have received help during my career. I believe I have been instrumental in helping others in the same way by not being arrogant or proud, by respecting that the world DOES keep turning even if you are not there, and that you alone are not the only one to be credited with success. I have, however, also met people who have shown a propensity for being “legends in their own mind” and for quickly forgetting who gave them the chance in the first place, who helped them out when times were tough, and who lent them a dollar when it was needed. I think we all know that one of the most embarrassing things is when you have to ask for something back that you originally lent out. A good saying that I recall I formulated in my previous company was: ”Be proud but not arrogant, be humble but not crawling”. I travelled with the Trans-Siberian railway several times, and some of the friendliest people I ever met were ordinary Russians. Although they had next to nothing, they still shared whatever they had with me on the train. 185
That is the real soul of a country and not the trumped up and pumped up nomenclature that nowadays officially “represents” Russia abroad. It is only when you get out and about, get outside the bubble of the big cities that you often meet people for REAL. We start off in a country famous for hundreds of thousands of lakes, a country where the man doesn’t say much but when he finally does you can trust what he does say—i.e., Finland and. Steveco Oy in Kotka, a famous and versatile port operator, stevedore and project freight handling company gives us food for thought. We then visit a German native who moved to South Africa years ago and who, with tenacity and German work ethic, has visited more than 1/3 of all the countries on the continent. A2Z (Africa) Logistics Advisory in Jo’burg tells us more. Finally, we speak to one of the shipowners with the longest history in Sweden, i.e., Ahlmark Lines, and they tell us a story about their timber trade, their inland port, flexible fleet handling—in particular Sweden to UK (and vice versa) traffic, and their ability to transport high & heavy. Download the Project Cargo Weekly App for free. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Steveco Oy – Kotka, Finland
Heikki Renlund, Sales Director at Steveco Oy & Tapio Mattila, Senior Vice President at Steveco Oy was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: A2Z (Africa) Logistics Advisory - Johannesburg, South Africa
Alfred Thamm, Owner of A2Z (Africa) Logistics Advisory was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Ahlmark Lines AB - Norrköping, Sweden
Peter Anderson, CEO at Ahlmark Lines AB was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Breakbulk Vessel mv Symphomy Spirit Arriving Port of Harnosand Loaded with Wind Turbine Blades Editor’s Note: I visited the Port of Harnosand where https://tsaagency.se/ was handling the BB vessel mv Symphomy Spirit’s arrival with blades. Enjoy the editor’s footage from close-up.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: I have always been told that the length doesn’t matter ☺ but it certainly does in shipping. You have to see it to believe it, but apparently, it IS possible to have extendable trailers the length of 60-70 meters as I witnessed close up here at the Port of Harnosand where these Silvasti-operated trailers were waiting for blades arriving (see featured video).
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WEEK 18 – 2021 May 6, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is May 6th, and we are back again here at PCW. Last week I visited Finland and drove by car to the Port of Umeå/Holmsund where SCA are building what is going to be the largest paper factory in the world, able to produce some 700,000 tons of paper per year. Machinery and parts coming from China and besides being told about that I also saw the port through a port tour with the local agent there before boarding the Wasa Line ferry across the Bay of Bothnia to Vaasa in Finland. The saying is true, you simply need to get OUT OF THE OFFICE. Not only to meet people face to face but also to visit ports and see for yourself what is happening. Thankfully, sitting at your desk searching google will not develop your business – it takes determination and effort. For those of you in sales, thinking that you can do proper sales sitting in the office; sorry, but that is not your job description. So get out and about, you will be rewarded (of course COVID19 permitting). Laziness and being comfortable, of course, also is a hallmark of some sales people, but hopefully the management sees through that. Here are a some pictures and a video from the Port of Umeå and the ferry approaching Vaasa. I certainly learn a lot during this trip to both Umeå/Holmsund and seeing, for sure, is believing. Vaasa in Finland which is pretty much a Swedish speaking city famous as the home of Wärtsila, ABB, KWH, etc. While there I attended a vessel arriving from United Heavy Lift (see below featured picture and video of the week), and I also met with local agents and, by coincidence, I met a former shipping manager in Wärtsila that I hadn’t seen in some 20 years, he happened to be in port, still in shipping and now working for himself and part time for Deugro. Shipping and project freight forwarding is, after all, a small world so better not rubbish anyone as that person might one day be your boss. After Vaasa I paid a visit to the shipping agent Rauanheimo in Port of Kokkola who were nominated by TSA Agency in Sweden (they together with the agent in Vaasa belong to the same group KWH Logistics). Kokkola 190
was a major surprise for me as I never had any clue about the millions of tonnes of cargo that they handle in that port. Iron pellets coming by rail wagons from mines in Russia shipped out via this Finnish port. Other mining companies such as Boliden etc. are also active and it was an impressive port tour that Rauanheimo took me on during my few hours stay before driving through Finland down to Turku for boarding the Viking Line ferry back to Stockholm. Here you can enjoy a few pictures from the Port of Kokkola, Finland. So basically I drove some 1400 km between Sunday mid-afternoon on the 2nd of May and the 5th of May am plus two ferry trips. But I enjoy the freedom driving, listening to podcasts on the way and, being 58, having the obligatory pit stop mainly to visit the men’s room at the gas station. Speaking of being 58 I was informed yesterday that am scheduled to get my vaccination tomorrow, Friday, against covid19, so unbeknownst to me which vaccine I will get, I am hoping that I will be back with another editorial next week ☺ So do FINISH listening to the interviews which are now also available as podcasts on our website and learn whilst enjoying your coffee or fiddling with your paperwork. Do also remember to download our APP, enabling you to listen or read interviews whilst on the go! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Protos Shipping – Montreal, Canada
Andre Neuendorff, Director, Owner & President at Protos Shipping Ltd. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: Unimasters – Varna, Bulgaria
Nikolai Bozhilov, Executive Chairman at Unimasters was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: UECC – Oslo, Norway
Bjorn O. Gran Svenningsen, Director Sales & Marketing at UECC Oslo, Norway was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Port of Vaasa – Discharging of Wind Turbine Towers Editor’s Note: I made this footage in the port of Vaasa, Finland on the 4th of May. It was a fantastic project cargo day in port. Full credit goes to DSV, UHL, TSA and Backman & Trummer and last but not least excellent stevedoring work by Blomberg locally. Teamwork at its best with fast, efficient and safe discharge!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: In Vaasa I managed, by luck, to get this beautiful shot of the UHL FORTUNE which had arrived from Asia loaded with tower sections for the booming renewable wind power industry. United Heavy Lift (www.unitedheavylift.de) is a frequent visitor to the Baltic Ports with project cargo and their port agent TSA Shipping Agency (www.tsaagency.se) coordinate in the various and many ports up here.
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WEEK 19 – 2021 May 13, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 13th of May (luckily not Friday the 13th right, Jason?….☺ ) and we are here with PCW again. The past week has been quite ok here in Stockholm, and finally the weather has turned for the better with summer-like temperatures hovering about 18-20 for a few days—which, of course, for some of you is winter-like, but for us northerners is pleasant. I have even begun looking for opportunities to fly to some of the very overdue destinations that I have on my radar including: Hamburg, Malta, Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu, Perth, Sydney, New York, etc., but taking a trip like that—which I happily could do in the past, staying a few days each place—is at least, as far as I can tell, still not really possible as the rules & regulations about quarantine, etc. are different at each destination. A former colleague of mine is right now stuck for his 3rd week in Beijing before he can proceed to Jiangsu Province, China for some business meetings, so although my mind is wandering, I also don’t want to get stuck anywhere. My son in New York at the young age of 32 already has gotten his 2nd vaccination, whilst I—being 26 years older here in Sweden—still got only one and must wait another 6 weeks for the next one. Still it is, in a way, a zero sum game: we are not really secure until we are ALL secure. On the news front shipping-wise, I noticed that the Suez Canal Authority reduced their “ransom” demand by 1/3 which I am sure is a step in the right direction but far from enough, and I believe most of the shipping community worldwide is appalled by the blatant extortion that seems to be going on concerning this matter. Accidents do happen, but the knee jerk reaction is first to find someone to blame. I believe that culture mainly started in the US as the country certainly isn’t lacking lawyers and ambulance chasers. I still recall seeing posters when I was a teenager visiting there saying: “Did someone hurt you? Were you injured in an accident? Call……and we will get you the best compensation!” 195
If accidents become business and not a matter of understanding the pros and cons of life, then we are certainly on a downward trajectory. It doesn’t mean that no one ever is to be held accountable, but accidents DO happen. You cannot always only enjoy the income; sometimes there is a loss, too, if you understand what I mean. In other words, it costs money to earn money! Here in Scandinavia we do have quite a lot of common sense, but in some areas, particularly in banking, no one so far has been held accountable for knowing about money laundering and what not. Instead, golden parachutes have been handed out without failure, so yes, the nomenclature as we know from Russia and other “one party states” is evident here, too. Speaking of which, recently OLAF, the anti-corruption unit of the EU, fined one Danish politician for the misuse of funds of about USD 15,000, but it took them 5 years to get to it. Talk about “efficiency” for your tax dollars…… Also note that you can now listen to our interviews without watching the videos even on our app (download here). Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: C. Steinweg Group – Johannesburg, South Africa
Michelle Tinkhof, Managing Director at C. Steinweg Bridge (Pty) Ltd and Gerald Povey, Director- Projects, Mining & Energy at C. Steinweg Group were interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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Video Interview: Bati Group – Istanbul, Turkey
Nikolai Bozhilov, Executive Chairman at Unimasters was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
TSA Agency Sweden AB – Gävle, Sweden
Interview with
Mr. Marcus Larsson Senior Port Agent and Project Specialist 197
First of all Marcus, could you explain to us a little about the history of TSA Agency? The name implies that you are a shipping agency, but if I understand correctly, you are also shipowners? Who are the owners of TSA? TSA Agency Sweden was established in 1992 by a group of experienced brokers in order to provide professional, international, shipbroking services in the Swedish market. We are a local actor with global experience and can manage all of your routine (or not so routine) tasks, for all kinds of vessels, wet and dry, from coasters to VLCC’s, for all Swedish ports. We will ensure that essential supplies, crew transfers, customs documentation, and declarations are forwarded and arranged with the relevant port authorities in a timely and efficient manner, that customs duties and dues are paid and discharged correctly, or that whatever unusual situation which may arise is handled in the best possible fashion. TSA is the commercial leg for the Swedish ship owner, Tarbit Shipping AB and Tarbit Tankers BV with 13 Bitumen tankers and 3 product tankers. TSA Tanker Shipping is a specialist in tanker transportation services covering chartering and operation of bitumen, pitch, coal-tar, vegetable oil as well as chemical and petroleum products all over the world. As of 2019, we strengthened our position on the Swedish east coast by opening up a new office in Gavle, covering mainly dry and project cargoes. On an annual basis, TSA Agency Sweden handles around 1300 port calls in total, serving ships in 53 ports of Sweden.
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You handle a lot of project cargo vessels coming to Swedish and Finnish ports. When a large breakbulk vessel is coming from, say China, with wind turbines to Sweden, then what is your job as a shipping agent? We coordinate a smooth port stay together with Master, Ship Owners and Shippers and including with the stevedores who will discharge the vessel. Vessels which are calling at Sweden and/or Finland after a long voyage also need fresh provisions, visits to dentists/doctors, deliveries of spares etc, which we arrange in all ports in Sweden and Finland.
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Are you normally nominated by the shipowner or are you nominated by the charterer or receiver? Sometimes we are appointed by shipowners for normal Port Agency, but as of now, we are also acting as Port Captains and Surveyors if needed/requested. I would say that we are not only Port Agents. We are trying to do a little bit more for our customers. I always use the famous wording, “If my customers are happy, then I am happy”. How many ships are you expecting to arrive at Swedish ports at the moment and in the foreseeable future? We handled about 40 port calls in all ports of Sweden and Finland in August, and September looks the same. It is all kinds of projects like bridge sections, housing modules, trafos, pallets and windmill cargo. In our scope for the moment, we have 55 vessels expected until mid October; 90% are Project Cargo vessels.
Can you also tell our readers a bit about the ports that normally are used on the east coast of the country for project cargoes? We are Port Agents in Lulea, Pitea, Skelleftea, Kopmanholmen, Umea, Harnosand, Hudiksvall, Gavle, Norrsundet, Skutskaer, Stockholm, Norvik, Soedertalje, Norrkoping, Oxelosund, Oskarshamn, and Karlshamn on the East Coast, but we are also serving vessels on the West Coast in Ports such as Uddevalla, Gothenburg, Varberg, Lysekil, Malmoe, and Ystad. You name it, we can act everywhere. Just ask us if you would like to get an agent that takes complete care of your port stay. During winter, isn’t ice and below minus temperatures sometimes a problem for transportation generally? Yes, it is normally ice class that will be needed during December until the end of March. How did you become a shipping man in the first place? What do you like in particular about the job? Haha! Actually, I was tired of being a salesman and supervisor in sales at K-Rauta. I tried to get a job as a travelling agent / salesperson for coffee machines, but I got a chance to start as Port Agent at AB PJ Haegerstrand 2010, and I tried. I like this job since it is so different. You can be the Port Agent for the same vessel once a week, but it is never the same. Tell us about your team in Gavle and a typical work week with ships in port. I assume that ships can arrive at all hours and not always between 9-5. 200
We founded the office in Gavle on the 1st of October 2019, and I started alone at home with assistance from our HQ in Gothenburg. In May 2020, I got a “new” colleague, Joakim Ljung, and now we are running our office in Gavle. I worked together with Joakim at the Port of Gavle (Yilport Gavle AB) as Port Planner and Customer Service Manager between 2017-2019, and we cooperate really well. Joakim also has experience from the “sea side” which helps us a lot.
How would it be best for our readers to reach you? You can reach us at: Sweden@tsaagency.se Projects@tsaagency.se +4631 10 03 30 or +46708 199 135 But of course, you are always welcome at our office in Gavle: TSA Agency Sweden AB Nobelvägen 2 802 67 Gävle, Sweden 201
Featured Video A Clear Shot of a Rainbow in the Indian Ocean Onboard CMA CGM Georgia Editor’s Note: Onboard the CMA CGM Georgia in the Indian Ocean enroute to Fremantle, I spotted this rainbow whilst being a passenger onboard and standing on the port side bridge wing. With Covid19 gone, hopefully we can travel as passengers on board cargo ships again!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Visited the port of Kokkola, Northern Finland last week, and unbeknownst to me was that millions of tonnes of iron ore pellets are exported from Russia via this Finnish port regularly. Here one of the bulkers in port loading during my visit. For further information about the Port of Kokkola, write an email to: agency@rauanheimo.com who are strong locally as shipping agents! 202
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Vasagatan 5c 411 24 Gothenburg Tel: +46 31 100 330 Mail: projects@tsaagency.se Attn: Mårten Zetterberg Mail: marten.zetterberg@tsaagency.se
Nobelvägen 2 802 06 Gavle Tel: +46 10 214 63 64 Mail: projects@tsaagency.se Attn: Marcus Larsson Mail: marcus.larsson@tsaagency.se
N A R V IK KEMI
LU LEÅ
R AAH E UMEÅ H ÄR NÖ SAND
VAASA TU RK U
BERG EN
O SLO
G ÄVLE N AAN TALI STO C K H O LM
N O R R K Ö P IN G
H E L S IN K I
S Ö D E R T Ä L JE
G O TH ENBU RG ÅR H U S C O PEN H AG EN
O SK AR SH AMN MALMÖ
ALL KINDS OF VESSELS, ALL SWEDISH PORTS. TSA Agency is a local port agent with global experience.
TSA Agency ensures that customs documentation, declarations, and duties are handled MR E XMQIP] ERH IƾGMIRX QERRIV ERH XLEX JVIMKLX JSV[EVHMRK WLMT WYTTPMIW GVI[ XVERWJIVW SV [LEXIZIV SXLIV RIIH XLEX QE] EVMWI EVI EPP HIEPX [MXL MR XLI FIWX TSWWMFPI JEWLMSR 87% %KIRG] GSWX IJJIGXMZI WSPYXMSRW YRTEVEPPIPIH UYEPMX] ERH XMQIP] WIVZMGI MR EPP Swedish ports. | tsaagency.se
WEEK 20 – 2021 May 20, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 20th of May, 2021 and PCW is back in your inbox. Last week saw me do something bold. I booked my first trip abroad by flight since I arrived back from Dubai on March 5 of 2020. I am doing this now for two reasons. First, I got my first of 2 Pfizer shots, and second, I bought a condo in Dubai as the market is now down and having money in the bank is almost a crime these days (as they more often than not make you pay for it). As we all know, banks only take risks when it involves millions in one go, but “normal people” they hardly care for, and we are mainly in their way. Like one project freight forwarder remarked to me recently, this ship owner (name known to me) should try to call their own customer service. I can suggest a couple of banks at least here in Sweden should do the same….. So, I am leaving mid-July for Malta, Dubai, Doha and back to Stockholm. If all goes well, I will be able to slowly start to conduct business in a more normal way without endless zooming ☺ . Having said that, Zoom does come across as a great platform that solves a meeting pickle in a rush, and it is no doubt here to stay. Speaking of Zoom, I actually had a great interview with a couple of friends of mine in Houston, Texas. They run an asset-based heavy haul trucking company. Formerly known as Hansa Meyer, their trucking company now got reinvented as Atlas Heavy Transport. This means that a competent and neutral entity has opened its doors to the vast OOG trucking market in the US and Canada, and I invite you to watch or listen to this most interesting interview. Generally, I don’t start by referring to interviews in the editorial, but when competent people “go for it” and reinvent themselves with a new, fresh and modernized identity whilst keeping their existing skill set, that is something to applaud. It just goes to show that there is something to be said for the old SAS quote “Who dares – Wins!” I started a couple of companies myself. The first one was back when I was 24 years old. I took a loan from the bank (of all places), and it turned out ok. So yes, shaking the tree, breaking new ground, and daring to go against the establishment —not least the politically correct ones—is a “must do and can do” thing on the agenda. 205
Whilst waiting for the first flight out of here, so to speak, I did drive to the north of Sweden and visited the Port of Holmsund where a BBC Chartering vessel was in town. I stayed overnight at the Port of Kopmanholmen where a Briese Chartering vessel similarly was in town. Having 2 boys aged 7 and 12 made the trip long but enjoyable (1400 km in 3 days). Boys, although being active in school, do need to see something else besides books and get out into real life. I did enforce strict internet time limits for their gadgets during the trip, and we also did simple things like walking in the forest and throwing stones in the water. Here are a couple pictures from the environment we visited (this week’s featured video and photo are also from the trip). On the political front, the US foreign minister visited my native country of Denmark enroute to Iceland and Greenland and the Chinese managed to land on the planet of Mars. So it does seem that competition is heating up between the 2 giants in the ring. Judging from their rhetoric and easily offended attitude, we may be in for a rough ride—at least in the beginning, but let’s hope that once they realise that they do need each other, they will find a way. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Logisyn Advisors - Chicago, USA
Ron Lentz, Managing Partner at Logisyn Advisors was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: United Heavy Lift - Næstved, Denmark
Lars Bonnesen, CEO of United Heavy Lift was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
BBC Chartering – Leer, Germany
Interview with
Mr. Ulrich Ulrichs CEO 207
First of all, Mr. Ulrichs, could you tell our readers a little about your own career in shipping? Your name is known to me from the days of Rickmers Line, among others, but I believe that your career in shipping spans several decades. ‘Decades’… I start to feel old… My father came from a small island in the North Sea, Baltrum, and was a Master Mariner and surveyor in the Port of Hamburg. So, I grew up ‘around’ ships, and after one year in the German Navy, I studied Shipping Economics and Port Management at the Oldenburg Polytechnic in Germany and the University of Plymouth in the U.K. My shipping career started in the Operations Department of the container carrier Hanjin Shipping in Hamburg. After two years, I joined Austral Asia Line / Schoeller Group and was Chief Representative for AAL in China / Shanghai for two years before moving to the AAL Headquarters (at that time) in Brisbane where I held various positions: Commercial Manager, Line Manager and Managing Director. After four years I left AAL and joined Rickmers Line back in Hamburg at the end of 2005, initially heading the line management department before becoming Managing Director and CEO. Finally, I joined BBC Chartering in May 2019.
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Could you elaborate on the history of BBC Chartering? Although I believe many readers of this newsletter would know about BBC, it sometimes makes sense to look back into the history in order for newcomers to shipping to understand more. Who owns the vessels of BBC Chartering, and how is the company structured?” BBC Chartering was founded in 1997 in Bremen by the Owners / Operators Briese and B. Bischoff. In 1999, Briese took over 100% of the shares and moved the office to Leer, the home base of the Briese Group. From then on, BBC Chartering expanded from a regional player operating a handful of ships to a ‘global player’ who now operates 150 ships world-wide, managed by more than 300 employees based in 30 offices. BBC Chartering is 100% owned by the Briese Group and the Briese family. About half of the vessels operated by BBC Chartering are owned or controlled by the Briese Group; the other half is chartered from third party owners based all over the world.
These days, shipowners wish to be freight forwarders and freight forwarders wish to be shipowners—at least we have seen examples to this effect. What is the policy of BBC Chartering? Say that the shipper asks for a rate directly from BBC and at the same time asks via a freight forwarder. Would you quote the same in this case? Yes. There are pros and cons working cargoes directly with shippers or via forwarders, but the freight rate should not be why shippers decide for either channel. At this stage, we have no intention to ‘become’ a freight forwarder as well, but if clients ask us to provide extra services beyond the port to port transportation, we can offer tailor-made solutions together with partners. What are the strengths of BBC Chartering? BBC Chartering has the market coverage to work ‘any port, any cargo’ (our ‘APAC service’). We have the economies of scale due to our 150 ships world-wide and fleet diversity (4,000t dtw to 30,000 dtw vessel and crane capacity of up to 800mt combined) to match the service requirements of our clients and provide the flexibility they need. We have highly skilled and experienced employees based in 30 offices, being close to all key markets, and 209
having very close relationships with clients in those markets and countries. BBC Chartering is family-owned, with the shareholders being involved in the business, which gives us flexibility and speed to make quick and swift decisions with regards to any major topics. Furthermore, the Briese family continues to invest in the business, for example in newbuildings.
Are you working together with other h/l carriers worldwide or do you work with your own controlled fleet only? We have no ‘fixed’ cooperation with any other carrier, but we will certainly consider working with them for specific projects or cargoes if cooperation can service the clients better. We have a Vessel Sharing Agreement in place with Seaboard Marine for a service from the U.S. to the South America West Coast. COVID-19 is here and as far as one can judge, still for months to come. Has it affected the business of BBC Chartering? Yes, of course. The initial effects were uncertainties about the health of our employees and crew on board, cargo production delays, port closures, moving all staff into home office, etc. Furthermore, the COVID crisis put even more pressure on freight rates and cargo volumes. However, we also had the positive effect of reduced bunker prices to offset some of the negative factors. Today, most of the issues are under control, and we have adjusted to the ‘new normal’. Do you run any liner or semi-liner services currently with fixed or very regular departures for special areas of the world? Yes, we run various semi-liner services, mainly from the U.S. and Europe to the East and West Coast of South America. We also serve most of the East–West and West–East trades and Asia-Australia on an at least monthly basis. We also have various regular services to Russia, including inner-waterways / rivers utilizing pontoons and barges. 210
Our readers are located worldwide. Whom should they approach for a quote and more information about BBC Chartering if located in: North Asia, SE Asia, Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa? Any BBC Chartering office will be able to assist and answer inquiries. In general, we have decentralized our chartering activities and our regional Chartering Hubs are responsible for all sailings ‘outbound’ from their region. In Asia, our hub is in Singapore; in the Middle-East it is Dubai; for Northern Europe it is Leer; the Med and Africa are controlled in Genoa; Houston handles the U.S., the hub for the East Coast of South America is in Rio de Janeiro, and Lima handles the West Coast of South America. How do you view the future of heavylift shipping? We are optimistic about the future. The global MPP / Heavy-lift fleet is stable, if not even slightly shrinking, and we believe that the demand will start to come back as from 2021, driven by renewable energy-related cargo volumes but also delayed oil & gas and mining projects. BBC Chartering and its parent, the Briese Group are willing and able to invest again in new vessels. We have taken delivery of two F500 newbuildings this year, four additional F500 will be delivered in second half 2021, and we are optimizing and advancing ship designs to place additional newbuilding orders in the future to maintain our fleet size and market share in the years to come. How can you be reached by our readers in case of need? https://www.bbc-chartering.com/informations/contact/europe/leer-hq.html
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Featured Video Briese Chartering Vessel Mv Louis Discharging Wind Turbines at Port of Köpmanholmen, Sweden Editor’s Note: Visited the port of Köpmanholmen in Sweden last week. The place is beautiful and has some great islands just outside that are easily reachable. What better place to watch project cargo shipping in action? This time with the Briese Chartering vessel mv Louis on charter to DHL and their renewable energy customers.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: mv Pacific Harmony of BBC Chartering was in the port of Holmsund, Sweden last week with some 68 pcs of tower sections for the booming renewable industry in Sweden. An impressive project by DSV and their customer Vestas who seem to be keeping many a breakbulk ship owner very busy currently.
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Wise Words
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WEEK 21 – 2021 May 27, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 27th of May and the last issue of the month is here to be read. It reminds me to tell you that I shall be taking a summer break as editor of PCW between 10th of June and 12th of August. It is time for some family attention. Also, since I don’t really have a great number of staff for backup, research and interviews, it is time to recharge the batteries which certainly in these the “greenest” of times sounds politically correct, right ? Anyway, all joking aside, the break this year coincides with the kid’s school summer holidays, and we have plans to explore more of Scandinavia. In particular, we want to visit the North of Sweden and Norway where none of us really have been. That requires a lot of time as it covers a vast area. But if you feel depressed about not receiving PCW during these 8 weeks, we have a solution: do read up on former issues here or simply enjoy reading our latest yearbook 2020 which is a great compilation of interviews both written and online. The week past took me to Copenhagen. I had several appointments during the trip. Thus, in order to be fresh for a great lunch on arrival, I opted to take the fast train from Stockholm leaving at 06:16 arriving via Malmoe at 11:49. With good comfort, fast internet and a view, it is an excellent way to travel and combine work with pleasure. After some 20 minutes, I passed the great port of Södertälje – Stockholm Gateway as you can see from this video – if you need more input on the port and what it can do email to per.fredman@soeport.se he is a former Scandinavian Airlines employee who now turned into a marketing manager for the port. Visiting Copenhagen is always a pleasure, and whilst you sometimes need to watch your spending and ignore the blabbing that some people in the capital (any capital, I guess) are guilty of, it was an exquisite pleasure. First on the agenda was lunch at Restaurant Amalie, close to the Royal Palace with typical open sandwiches, aquavit and cold beers, discussing shipping and life overall with a couple of friends from United Heavylift. To this event, I also invited a personal friend of mine from my first stint in Beijing 1992-1996, Mr Steven Foster 214
who after a long career in the foreign service is now retired. Among the great memories he and I have together is a trip on the Trans-Siberian railway from Beijing to Moscow, with stops in Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk (and Lake Baikal) as we both departed China for other assignments. What a befitting way to return from Asia. Then, I had a sadder thing to do in Copenhagen, and that was to take a look at the ship from which my late brother’s ashes will be dispersed into the ocean on June 19th in Copenhagen. The ship is used for all kinds of events, including sad and sombre events like mine and is anchored in Nyhavn which is a famous part of Copenhagen not far from the Royal Palace, Maersk Line global HQ, Opera House and so on. The ship, mv Bjørnsholm, can be seen among the pictures taken in Copenhagen during my trip. So yes, it is the final goodbye to my brother who at the age of 50 left us late December last year. Now with eased corona restrictions, we are able to fulfill his final wish. This time in Copenhagen, I stayed at Hotel Bethel (for sailors) which has excellent, clean rooms straight downtown in Nyhavn. With rates some DKK 600 cheaper than say the Admiral, it certainly paid for a great part of the meals that I had. The next day, Saturday, before my departure back to Stockholm, I enjoyed another lunch at Nyhavnskroen Restaurant with a former BBC Chartering Singapore friend of mine and a guy specialised in marine insurance with a past in Nordana and Thorco. So, summarizing from this short trip report, you can imagine that shipping is indeed the cradle of networking, and this is one major contributing factor why I never considered (at least not for long) to leave this line of business. It is simply the best business there is, and no matter how many online solutions you can find or “smart ways” to book your cargo, it is still a people business and will remain so! Corona restrictions seem to be easing and travel restrictions are becoming a bit less as you all know, but again, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings and that we, worldwide, have got this pandemic under control. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Planck Marine Insurance – Copenhagen, Denmark
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Interview with
Mr. Søren V. Planck Owner
First of all, Søren, please tell us a bit about your shipping background. As I understand it, you have experience in working with several ship owners? My shipping background goes years back. I started my education in 1980 as shipbroker at Lehmann Junior in Copenhagen. I had an all-around education within chartering, operation and liner department. After ending my education, I continued working for five more years for the company. During this period, I got a very wide education within shipping and especially maritime law. In 1987, I was asked if I was interested in joining a newly established company, Greenland Trading, which was selling provisions of products to public and private health sectors in Greenland. I found that it could be a great challenge to try something new. I worked two years for the company, where I was tasked with the responsibility of arranging inland transportation in Denmark, booking cargo, preparing custom documentation and making the negotiations and contracts in connection with the purchasing and selling of various products. It was a very interesting time, working for Greenland Trading. However, there was not enough challenge for me and I also figured out that my roots were in shipping. An opportunity turned up for me to come back to shipping and, especially, into the legal side. In 1999, I was employed at Dannebrog Rederi/Nordana Line, who dealt with project cargo, Ro/Ro vessels and tanker divisions. During my employment, Nordana Project & Chartering was established and various new buildings were built for it. I took over responsibility for marine and corporate insurance, claims handling and the participated in the renewal of insurance covers. I was also assisting in the legal advice towards chartering and operations departments. In 2007, I was promoted in Dannebrog Rederi/Nordana Line and become manager for the insurance claims department with the overall responsibility. During my twenty-one years at Dannebrog Rederi/Nordana Line, I spent time abroad (particularly in Africa and the east Mediterranean) settling claims to avoid long outstanding guarantees etc. In 2012, I was contacted by Thorco Shipping and asked if I was interested in joining their team to assist on the legal side, taking care of claims handling and getting an overview of insurance and claims. In 2013, Thorco Shipping merged with Clipper Project and moved to Copenhagen. In 2014, I could once again move on and became employed at Nordic Tankers (Tank division) where I spend most of my time on the insurance and legal sides. The fleet of owned, chartered and commercial vessels numbered around 200, which means that I spent a lot of time on the insurance renewal of various marine insurance plans, legal advice and hull and machinery claims handling. Nordic Tankers was owned by a capital formation and the result was the company being split up in various 216
pieces and sold. Nordic Tankers ended up with five vessels and eight TC vessels. At the beginning of 2019, the company was sold to MOL Chemical in Singapore. I saw the opportunity to start up my own company as I’d noticed that a lot of ship owners do not have space for an insurance and claims person, mostly as there wouldn‘t be enough work for them during the day. However, as there are a lot of benefits (saving time in claims handling, better overview in insurance, security in the insurance covers etc.), I do believe that Planck Marine Insurance can assist with various inquires. The insurance world is a murky one to many of us. Can you tell us about your general experience with marine insurance? If you look at your own personal insurance, I am quite sure that many of the readers have not read their policies but simply trust their insurance broker. I had been working with a lot of insurance brokers and insurance companies and, generally speaking, it‘s a matter of trust and openness. Do not hide any information. If they trust you and you trust them you will always have a dialogue. There are grey zones in all insurance coverage and various discussions occur about whether there is coverage or not. If you have a good reputation and follow the applicable rules for insurance cover, I‘m rather convinced that your losses will be covered. A least an amicable settlement will be reached. The insurances marked are very tricky and it takes a lot of time to find out. Do not forget that insurance companies are businesses and they are living off selling insurance coverage! The main issue is that you’re taking out an insurance policy without reading it, then just placing it somewhere out of the way. It is a better idea to keep in contact with your insurance company/broker and keep them informed if there are any developments/ changes in your business. I’d recommend getting a policy through an insurance broker. I’m sure many know about fine print, the promises from the insurance companies etc. How can you, as an independent consultant, help out? When you need insurance coverage you should contact your insurance company and explain that you will need a policy for this business. Independent consultants can help in two ways: make sure the company takes out insurance with the right partner and find out if there are insurance companies who specialise or can do it better (price/coverage). If you decide to go to your insurance company and take out a policy, the independent consultant can go through it, check it out and discover whether it’s sufficient or if there is something that needs to be changed in order to avoid any misunderstandings in the event of an incident. An independent consultant works for and/ or on behalf of you. In your experience, what are the main problems relating to companies’ insurance policies? There are huge challenges when it comes to an insurance policy for a company. There are only very few companies who can afford to be self-insured. The main issues are what you need and what is compulsory for corporate insurance? I am located in Denmark and can assist Danish companies with what they need and what is compulsory in Denmark. If anyone from outside Denmark asks me what they need in insurance cover, I can recommend options, but I don’t always know which types of corporate cover are compulsory. However, if we’re looking at marine insurance coverage, I can step in and assist in taking out the correct insurance covers. Trust is key. Can insurance companies be trusted overall? Can you please explain to us how the world generally works regarding marine insurance?
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Overall, the majority of insurance companies can be trusted, but you‘ll always find some that are not trustworthy. Before dealing with an insurance company, I would look into their reputation and rating. It is easier to deal with insurance companies in Europa than it is to deal with them in the Far East. Marine Insurance covers various insurance covers from the P&I, hull and machinery, liability, cargo insurance etc. When we looked years back, P&I insurance covers were very difficult to deal with, as the thirteen international P&I clubs could not find a level for premiums etc. and ship owners were hit by huge supplementary calls. Today many of the P&I clubs are dealing with the individual member and members loss ratio, which I also find more reasonable. If you have an incident, you have to pay. The h&m market has been soft for many years and you can obtain reasonable premiums with highly rated insurance companies. Unfortunately, the London market has collapsed and various Lloyd‘s syndicates have closed down. The renewal of hull and machinery are more difficult now and it follows that they do not accept a high share anymore. So, it‘s more difficult when you are collecting outstanding funds after an incident. If you spend the (unfortunately long) time benchmarking your insurance covers, I‘m sure that it is possible to obtain better cover on a lower premium, but again, it all depends on your loss ratio. Marine insurance is something that companies don’t spend time on, but are also forgetting the saved premiums and better claims handling our money on the top of earnings. Project cargo is often delivered to inland destinations beyond the ports. Can places like Africa and parts of the Middle East with poor infrastructure be fully covered by insurance companies? What kind of good advice would you give to anyone with a project to deliver to such a place? According to my knowledge, there is only one thing for which you cannot take out an insurance cover and that’s fraud. There are a lot of aspects to consider when it comes to complicated inland transportations. When the seller of the project cargo makes the sale contract, it is very important that it is stipulated under which terms and conditions the cargo shall be delivered. Such contracts shall be incorporated in the letter of credit. Various ship owners accept cargo to inland destinations and a combined bill of lading can be issued. It is very important that the packing of the cargo are sufficient and suitable for the sea and inland transportation. Very often we see that cargo is being damaged due to insufficient packing and missing marks for where the cargo can be lifted. Make sure that you have a specified report with all the information which can be hand over to the various carriers. The most important issue is to take out an all-risk transportation insurance premium all depend on the shipping terms and if insurance companies can obtain recover in case of a claim. How is best to get in touch with you? Planck Marine Insurance Søren V. Planck Phone: +45 2148 9246 Skype ID: s-planck Mail: spl@planckmarineinsurance.com Web: www.planckmarineinsurance.com
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Video Interview: Catoni & Co. - Tblisi, Georgia
Tamar Melia, General Manager of Catoni & Co. Georgia at The Catoni Group of Companies was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Delpa Shipping & Transport Co. Ltd, in Athens, Greece
Interview with
Mr. Kostas Kritikos COO First of all Kostas tell us about the name Delpa does it have a special meaning? When was the company established and who owns it? 219
First of all I would like to thank you for this opportunity to present our company to the readers of the nice electronic bulletin “Project Cargo Weekly”. I will try, in a few worlds, to let you know the most important points of our long history which is almost one hundred years long now. The meaning of DEL. P.A. comes from the words “DELtio” (bulletin) of “Panos Athanasiades”. DELPA was established in November of 1920, by the late Panos Athanassiades, a pioneer in the development of sea and land transport. He was also the founder and publisher of the first shipping and economical bulletin in Greece which later developed into one of the most important financial newspapers in Greece: “Naftemporiki” (www.naftemporiki.gr).
It was in 1936 when DELPA started to deal directly with shipping business. In this year DELPA purchased the first motor ships in Greece which were named: “DELPA I”, “DELPA II” and “DELPA III”. In the beginning of 1950s the late Marios Sofianos, nephew of the founder, joined the DELPA group. During the same period and until the end of the 60’s DELPA’s activities included: • Started to act as agents of various shipping lines • Carried cargoes from the Far East, U.S.A. and Europe • Acted as the general representatives / agents in Greece of the maritime business of the Onassis shipping group, for which, DELPA is still acting as general agents • Involved in freight forwarding and haulages and became one of the founding members of greek forwarders’ association (now called IFFAG&L) • Expanded it’s area of business into ownership and management of vessels 220
• After several years at the founder’s side, Marios Sofianos took over the helm of the group. In that period from 1970 to 1980 DELPA established several affiliated companies dealing with ship’s management, real es- tate development, international transports and freight forwarding • At that time, George Sofianos and Despina (Deppy) Sofianou son and daughter of the late Marios Sofianos started to become more active in the business of DELPA and finally at the end of 80’s undertook the man- agement of the group
George and Deppy Sofianos are still the owners of DELPA.
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What are the main activities of your company today? Starting from the sector which has the most interest for your readers, I can give you the following points: Project cargo handling from A to Z (it doesn’t matter if we only need to get involved into “A”, “Z”, “A to G”, or just “Z”): • Project cargo transport study • Heavy lifting • Heavy & OOG haulage • Ship-broking MPP / Heavy lift / RoRo / General cargo / and several specialized ships • Ship agency • Loading / Discharging coordination and attendance • Supercargo and Marine surveyor services • Sea-fastening services • OOG / Heavy cargo handling by special means of container and RoRo liner ships
Seafreight Services: • LCL and FCL shipments from / to Greece / Worldwide • Our specialty is freight to/from the Americas • Delpa is acting as booking, receiving and delivery agents in Greece for one of the biggest NVOCC globally – Vanguard Logistics • Running a weekly LCL service from to the U.S., Canada and Latin America countries • An LCL service from / to Middle East, India, Far East and Oceania 222
Other Services: • Airfreight from / to Worldwide • Ship Agency services in all greek ports • Dry cargo chartering worldwide • Parceling of general cargo from Adriatic Sea to several greek ports • Road-freight services • 3PL services
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Are you focusing mainly on business in Greece or do you also handle international assignments such as cross trade, for example between countries not physically involving Greece? It is for sure our main goal to remain well-established within the local market, but I cannot say it is our primary one. I believe it is not that wise in terms of long-term sustainability and development of a company doing business in a small market like Greece (especially during such a difficult economical period) to be based on a limited “trading area”.
It is far more promising and reduces risk when seeking opportunities to spread out to wider area, e.g. abroad. This can be achieved is several manners, one of which is cross trading. In terms of turn-key solutions and / or simple freight forwarding needs, I am proud to say that Delpa has been involved in cross trading shipments since the 1950s. Initially carrying several products from Greece and other countries to West Africa for account of a big Trading group, by several means. We are still involved in such business, acting as agents of several trading, industrial, construction engineering companies and (of course) on behalf of our good agents worldwide. In terms of projects and freight forwarding, we are handling such assignments from / to: • The Black Sea to West Africa • North America to Middle East and PG • European countries, apart from Greece, to several destinations worldwide • North / Latin America and the Far East to the Balkans • And much more, according to each of our project needs 224
In our business, there are no geographical limits. I could say that our outward-looking policy creates the most appropriate and safe ground to base the development of our company, always with “boldness and prudence”; words, which the late Mr. Marios Sofianos used to say and which continue to inspire me.
Greece has a rich history, beautiful islands and more recently a tight economic situation. How is the situation today in Greece for shipping in your line of business and for regular people? The word “Greece” or “Hellas” (which is the real name of our country) is physically connected to the world’s history. The Greek heritage imparted human beings with important contributions in philosophy, science, arts and civilization in general. The geographical position, the morphology of the territory of Greece as well as the climate played an important role in the birth and development of the conditions, through which, this heritage was created. As for the tight economic situation, if you just look back in history there where periods of great prosperity and poverty for most countries all over the world. This is not our best season. Not only for Greeks, but also for Europe and the Global economy as well. Basically the last 30 years was a period of economic inwardness, without a policy of development. Several other factors affected the economy of our country but, if we look internally we can easily understand the reasons and the political mistakes that have resulted in this situation. Several steps have been made in recent years and we can say that the situation has started to become more stable now. Shipping business, as long as they are connected to the domestic market, are following the factors of a national economy. However, Greece and Greek’s involvement in the shipping industry goes far beyond the internal and always remains on top. 225
It is unfortunate that unemployment (which is currently at it’s highest level) since the beginning of this financial crisis in late 2008 led many young people and families to seek jobs and career opportunities abroad. However, it has been recorded that in the last period this phenomenon has reduced significantly. The main reasons are: • The situation abroad is not the best • The situation in Greece is still difficult, but is becoming more stable day by day
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The private sector is turning to outward-looking policies, research of foreign markets and seeking opportunities to promote manufactured and intangible products, directly or indirectly. As long as the government policies can support such efforts and simultaneously establish a fair and attractive environment for investments, situations can change. And the situation has started to change.
And to stay a bit in the “politics”, how to handle shipments to/from Cyprus? Which ports are preferred and are you able to handle shipments to/from Cyprus? It is mainly Attica ports, Piraeus and Lavrio, which have almost daily correspondence with Limassol port with containerized and RoRo shipments. Thessaloniki has a very good containerized service to/from Limassol port as well. Apart from the liners there are also some tramp liner services with general cargo vessels which connect several Greek ports with Limassol and Larnaca port as well. Several means are available, giving us the advantage of being able to arrange “tailor made” solutions of transport to/from Cyprus. With the location of Greece would it also be feasible to handle project cargoes into Albania via Greece? Has it been done before? Greece, being in this strategic geographical location, is the physical gateway of Europe for all cargoes coming from the Middle and Far East, india and North-Eastern Africa. In addition to the above, as for the Eastern European countries and the North-West Asia, the rest of Africa and America can be included. 227
It is for sure in our scope of business to serve cargo going to or coming from Albania and all the Balkans, mainly via Thessaloniki and Piraeus port but there are also some great transshipment possibilities. Project cargoes which can either arrive by liner utilized means of container and RoRo systems and / or project cargo ships in greek ports, can easily be transshipped onto several other means and forwarded to final destinations.
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Piraeus port has established a daily rail service to the Balkans with block trains departing directly from Piraeus Container Terminal. Piraeus port, having the biggest RoRo terminal in the Mediterranean Sea can accept (apart from rolling cargoes) static OOG cargoes onto roll-trailers (mafis). Piraeus port is a hub port for some of the biggest container lines, as well as Thessaloniki port, both accept OOG and heavy cargoes onto containers or container ships as break bulk. Thessaloniki port, which is the closest port to the south Balkan countries, has rail connection as well.
For instance, if we have cargoes coming from the Far East (OOG and heavy lifts) with destination the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and the river ports in the area, we can effectively arrange transshipment onto river-going ships within the port terminals. We have done shipments like this, apart from transshipments to/from Albania and other Balkan countries such as FYROM and Bulgaria. Recently, we have started discussions with the commercial and strategic marketing management departments of Piraeus port on these opportunities. Piraeus port management, shows great interest to support these services and invest further in infrastructure. Are you currently member of any international networks or shipping organisations? We are members of: BIMCO CLC Projects 229
FNC Group IFFAG&L which is official member of FIATA
Tell us about yourself Kostas. What made you choose a career in shipping? I can say it was my destiny… Being a member of a mariners’ family, coming from the sea side of Crete and Peloponnese and living all my life in Piraeus area, I have always been attracted to the sea.
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In my teenage years, just to get some experience of life, during summer break I decided to join the crew of 3 ferry boats serving the greek islands and worked as an assistant steward. After that, I studied data communication and telecommunications. Despite working for a big telecommunication group, when the chance presented itself I turned the helm 180 degrees and started my “passage” into the shipping sector. This “passage” started from scratch almost 20 years ago and has become more and more interesting by the day. This is the main reason I am happy with my choice, and especially to have joined the DELPA “crew”. I’m sure some of our readers would like to know which islands in Greece are not spoilt by tourism? Can you recommend a few to visit? There are many options. Hereunder you can find some more “isolated” greek islands: • Sikinos island, in Cyclades • Donossa and Koufonisia islands, in Cyclades close to Naxos island • Kythira island, south of Peleponnese • Paxoi island, in the Ionian sea close to Corfu island • Thassos and Samothraki island, in northern Aegan sea • Leros island in Dodecanese and Lipsi island south of Samos and to the north of Leros • Karpathos and Kastelorizo island in Dodecanese And finally Ithaca! The homeland of Odysseus. Full of smells coming from herbs and trees… When someones visits Ithaca once, he will desire to return back, like Odysseus.. It was not by luck that the famous greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy was inspired from Odysseus’ journey and wrote one of his great poems called “Ithaca” which can be found here:
Kostas Kritikos Chief Operating Officer kostas.kritikos@delpa.gr DELPA Shipping & Transport Co. Ltd http://www.delpa.gr 231
Featured Video How L.A.’s Container Ship Logjam Highlights Larger Pandemic Supply-Chain Issues | WSJ Editor’s Note: Traffic jams in California are normal on the freeways but seldom outside the coast of California. However, the recent disruption of the supply chain due to Covid-19 plus an enormous backlog of cargo caused a log jam outside the port of Los Angeles and others.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Paid my native country of Denmark and its capital, Copenhagen a visit. From a shipping, tourist, and culinary point of view, Copenhagen is always worth a visit and I managed to combine all that with meeting up for lunch with ship owner representatives of both United Heavy Lift (UHL) and COSCO Specialized Carriers Ltd. You will also note the global HQ of world leader Maersk Line as well on a couple of pictures! 232
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WEEK 22 – 2021 June 3, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 3rd of June and 2nd to last publication from Project Cargo Weekly before the summer break.
the week.
Summer is now here, and I have continued my visit to ports in Sweden. I visited the Port of Oskarshamn and you will find an interesting video from that trip below under our featured video of
Apart from that, I have kept myself busy in the wonderful capital city of Sweden, otherwise known as Stockholm. It is a great place to live and lies beautifully among hundreds of islands. It is what one might call a capital yet still a small city in the Nordic region, although it has grown immensely in recent years. My editorial this week is a kind of a tribute to the city where I have now lived for some 8 years since I returned from Beijing in 2012. Originally, I arrived here in 1986, only to depart for Asia in 1992. Thus, I was away for about 20 years before returning with the final choice of wife to settle here. Stockholm has given me a lot. Sweden has provided a lot of opportunities for both me and my family, and I wish to state that anyone stands a chance here in Sweden. For those who moan, complain, and cannot find their feet in the modern day welfare state of Sweden, they should consider whether or not to return to where they came from or choose to live elsewhere. The Swedes need to stand up more for themselves, be proud of what they have achieved, and stop accepting people who wish to change their way of life and disrupt the circle of trust for which Sweden and greater parts of Scandinavia is known. Why do we always immediately blame ourselves? Perhaps people arriving here do NOT ALWAYS have something to teach us. It should be a two-way street, not always one-way! I remind our readers that you don’t need to travel very far south in Europe to go back in time when it comes to 234
arrogance, old time ways of administration, cheques and telefaxes still in use, and a hierarchical system where no one has a chance to influence anything and all is covered up in a cloak of “style”, “history”, and “tradition”. In fact, come to think of it, the Nordic region is in many ways the most modern, versatile and friendly place to live in the world. It is a region in which everyone has a chance, if you take it that is! I only wish our politicians would show a bit more backbone to stand up for the country they are elected to protect instead of looking after their “party” and their own career. Politicians: you should NOT worry. There will always be a bone for you to bite into either in the EU or in one of the many embassies worldwide! But whilst you are here, the least you can do is to stand up, stand strong, and be counted! As a credit to Sweden which has given me so much, I share this relaxing video filmed during my short ferry ride from home to downtown for a meeting. Enjoy the nature and surroundings of this wonderful city.
I was also busy in Stockholm this week shipping-wise as the Hutchison Port of Stockholm/Norvik inaugurated the first ever inland waterway barge to cover regions in the Stockholm hinterland. The barge departed June 1st to the city of Västerås, and it is hoped that once fully developed, it will be able to remove hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks from the roads—good for the environment! See here the press release from the port and the footage that I made from my visit in port which, as the only one (almost) in the Baltic, has giant STS cranes and a draught of 17 meters alongside.
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All in all a fantastic week in Stockholm and a tribute to the Swedish capital. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Ad Transport Solutions – Panama
Interview with
Ms. Dorita de Bolaños Commercial Director When was your company established, Dorita? Who are the owners today and what is your main line of business? Our Company was established in March 2010, but it really was March 2012 when we started full operations. Our principals are general manager Dorita Miranda de Bolaños & Andres Bolaños, both founders well known in the local market with good experience in logistics services. Also we have an operations manager Linda Young who has extensive experience in the industry. Our main line of Business is related to Ocean, air and land transportation, including specialized cargo such as reefer and oversize cargo. We also offer value-added services such as customs brokerage & cargo insurance. As an additional service, we provide consultancy, for example training in subjects related to logistics among others.
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Panama is famous around the world for the Panama Canal. Tell us about your country it’s imports & exports and who are the major trading partners of Panama? Yes, Panama is well known because of its logistics development lead by the Panama Canal which opened the road for a successful integrated logistics platform. Panama’s strategic position provides a perfect spot for companies to settle their regional operations, taking advantage of the cargo capacity (different modes of transportation), frequencies and ample menu of destinations. Import and export operations in Panama are very easy to perform due to several factors. One of them is because of the different customs scenarios we manage that provide companies with the flexibility to perform logistics operations. For example, we have a Free Zone in which companies can store products without paying taxes and with no time limit, this, combined with flexible customs regulations, creates a winning environment. Our major trading partners are China & the USA, we also have some interesting volume coming from Europe.
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Can you give us more details about the ports of Panama, both on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts? Panama has an interesting port infrastructure capable of handling not only containers but also special cargo such as oversize project cargo, vehicles, reefers, LNG, DGR, and others. In addition, due to the strategic position, over 20 shipping lines are actually operating in Panama. This provides a good selection of alternatives in terms of capacity and convenient connectivity. In the Atlantic area, we have three ports: Manzanillo, Cristóbal and Colon Container Terminal. In the Pacific, we have three ports: Balboa, PSA, and PATSA. In addition to the port capabilities, we can add internal connectivity between the ports through a railroad system, road, and the Panama Canal.
How about customs clearance in Panama, is it difficult? No, Panama is not difficult to make imports and business. Customs regulations are not complex. Panama is always working and looking for ways to facilitate operations. For example: VUMPA (Ventanilla Unica Maritima de Panama) is a project that processes the arrival and departure of the ships in Panama, resulting in the verification of dual functions between entities, making the process for the shipping lines easy and agile due the large number of documents the captain must deliver to the ship when arriving at the port.
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A large MSC vessel passing through the new locks of the Panama Canal Does Panama offer free trade zones if someone would like to store goods for a shorter or a longer period of time waiting for it to be sold? Yes, in Panama there is a Free Zone and there is not a time restriction when using the free trade zone. You can store them and develop your business in your own time. In order to take advantage of this scenario, all customers must be registered with the free zone administration in order to be able to operate there. What types of projects or difficult shipments have you handled recently? We provide service and handle cargo to companies that are working for large scale country projects such as hospitals, metro transportation, and commercial malls. Why did you choose a career as a freight forwarder, Dorita? I chose freight forwarding because Panama’s natural logistic capabilities and connections offer the possibility to integrate solutions to develop the freight forwarding business. Also because I love logistics, every shipment has different solutions and makes you look at everything from another angle. Besides visiting the Panama Canal can you recommend any other places worth visiting in Panama? Yes, Panama is a Small county but have special areas: In the countryside, we have Chiriquí, our main productive agriculture land. We also have San Blas, with beautiful beaches. I am confident that some of our readers would like to get in touch with you to learn more, can you provide your contact details, please? Yes, with great pleasure to all our colleagues interested in doing business with Panama, we are available to help you. Dorita de Bolaños Directora Comercial dorita@corporaciondomi.com linda@corporaciondomi.com (operations manager) atencionacliente@corporaciondomi.com (customer service) 239
Hapag Lloyd - Global Special Cargo - Hamburg, Germany
David Piel of Hapag Lloyd / Global Special Cargo / Hamburg was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Liburnia Projects & Chartering – Prague, Czech Republic (and Slovakia)
Petronela Galambošova – Managing Director at Liburnia Projects & Chartering – Czech Republic and Borna Petrovic – Commercial Manager at Liburnia Maritime Agency were interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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Featured Video mv Monika at Port of Oskarshamn, Sweden 31st of May, 2021 Editor’s Note: Visited the Port of Oskarshamn in connection with the arrival of a breakbulk vessel with blades. Enjoy the video here:
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Close up of extremely long blades for wind turbines loaded on deck! You will see many such a view worldwide as the renewable industry continues to “heat up”.
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www.liburniamar.hr
RIJEKA, CROATIA HEAVYLIFT & PROJECT CHARTERING WORLDWIDE PROJECT FORWARDING AND TOTAL LOGISTICS WORLDWIDE FREIGHT FORWARDING PORT AGENCY IN ALL CROATIAN PORTS SLOVENIA AND MONTENEGRO
BREDA, THE NETHERLANDS
www.liburniamar.nl
WEEK 23 – 2021 June 10, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is June the 10th and we are here with the last issue of Project Cargo Weekly before the (in my own words, of course) well-deserved summer break. I did have some good news this week starting off with a message that I would get a tax refund. Following that, I was invited to book my 2nd injection against COVID-19 which will take place June 15th. So, in life, sometimes there are sunny spells too. Particularly, getting a tax refund comes close to the high point, short of winning the lottery or that the ex-wife’s alimony is no longer requested. Thus, it has turned out to be a good week. I have quite a lot to do on my bucket list, and since I am nearing 60, “that time” is continuously creeping up . My ability to travel is still unhindered; thus, let me share with you the places I have in mind. North America: Grand Canyon—since Thelma and Louise (the iconic movie years ago), I always wanted to visit but never got around to it. South America: the Iguazu Waterfalls in Brazil also need to be seen. Africa: the Rovos Rail journey and a visit to the country of Mauritania which for some reason has interested me. As for Mauritania, I did manage to get a kind of close up by doing an interview with a local shipping agent located in Nouakchott. See the interview here as they are a member in the CLC Projects Network that I chair, it was possible. Middle East/Central Asia: sail on the Caspian Sea. Australasia: visit Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia, and last but not least, make my way to the Pitcairn Islands. Apart from this, a trip North of Russia by freighter is high on the list, and that is something that I am currently working on. On the political front, there is not too much to say, except to remind you all that traveling over the Belarus air space may give you the opportunity to visit the country free of charge. The recent event of the Ryanair flight being forced to land shows that there really are some blank spots on the world map when it comes to the avail244
ability of democratic development and free and open speech. There is a global network that comes to mind where membership only requires holding degrees in ruthlessness, ignorance, and sheer stupidity. I think most of us can name a few long-standing members of that club! Before you are released from my observations of the world, I do provide you with some interesting and solid interviews for this week besides the one about Mauritania. We start off in a country that is known for beautiful women, great food, history but also something more sinister, and the country in question is Mexico. In a most revealing and interesting interview, Kensa Logistics tells us an interesting story about logistics and other “trades” in their country. We then visit the country famous for cars, engineering (still) and a bit of a sinister past, too, and that country is Germany. CargoCrew International, a reliable all-around project freight forwarder tells you what they can do also for cross trade worldwide. We finally stay in the land of the tulips, heavy lift shipowners, and even a checkered colonial past, here I refer to the Netherlands. Liburnia Projects & Chartering BV of Croatia opened an office there recently and increased their headcount with a person likely to be heard from also in the future on the chartering and brokerage front. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Kensa Logistics - Mexico City, Mexico
Justin Facey, CEO at Kensa Logistics was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: CargoCrew International GmbH - Hamburg, Germany
Axel Kaufmann, Managing Directory and Co-founder & Jawi Janssen, Project & Sales Manager at CargoCrew International GmbH were interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Liburnia Projects & Chartering B.V. - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Stephanie Van Ballaer, Customer Service – Sales at Liburnia Projects & Chartering B.V. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video A Great Trip Onboard Mv Viking Cinderella from Stockholm to Åland Islands and Back Editor’s Note: A great trip onboard mv Viking Cinderella during a 24 hr cruise Stockholm/Åland Islands and back. Enjoy one of these very seldomly seen days in the Baltic and the archipelago surrounding Stockholm.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: I took this photo during a wonderful trip in the Baltic via a Viking Line 24 hr cruise to the Åland Islands, and with these words, I wish you a great and happy summer!
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WEEK 32 – 2021 August 12, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 12th of August, 2021 and we are back again here at Project Cargo Weekly. I do hope that you have missed reading our weekly newsletter, and I shall do my utmost this week (and also in the future) to provide you with quality input which is worthwhile to read. I spent the summer mainly in Stockholm, Sweden where I reside, but I did manage to visit both Malta and Dubai for both private and business reasons. More about this first ever overseas trip since March 2020 further below in my travel report. Speaking of Sweden—where I have lived happily now since moving from China in 2012—something is about to happen in the country that seems to belittle the general reputation of a country that it is peaceful, safe, and tranquil. Yes, it is indeed still one of the best welfare states in the world. Everyone gets a chance. There are systems in place to take care of you if you’ve got a handicap. There is free healthcare, free schooling, and overall, a well-functioning civil service, rule of law and respect for the authorities. However, that last item is increasingly lacking in parts of the country. With a population of 10 (soon close to 11) million people compared with Germany’s roughly 83 million population and in a country 26% bigger than Germany geographically, our crime statistics stand out and horrifyingly so. See this from Wikipedia. The fact that it is not even completely updated to date makes it even worse. No one speaks about the elephant in the room, particularly not in Sweden where the mainstream media will call you a racist without hesitation (or worse) if you pinpoint some obvious problems in our society. Immigration without integration is always a recipe for disaster anywhere, and when I—being an immigrant myself (me from Denmark, wife from China) speak to other immigrants, even they also lament the development during the last few years in Sweden. In 2021 we are already up to 70 gun shooting episodes with about 25 shot dead and 41 wounded. These incidents are mostly gang-related in particular suburbs, but it is spilling over into other parts of the country. 249
Just 3 weeks ago, two children out playing in the yard were hit by bullets fired during a conflict between what the Swedish media call “different groups”. A country—whether democratic or dictatorship—has one major task: to guarantee safety for its citizens and to eradicate and lock up criminal elements that disrupt everyday lives. The signs are clear here and in other parts of Europe of an inability to take harder measures, protect the borders, integrate our new citizens properly and proactively, set demands, etc. Looking at the world, the EU is, as always, a toothless tiger run by rules and conventions dating back to the 1950’s when the world was different than it is now. That is also why a dictator in Belarus or Turkey can use the threat of opening their borders towards the EU because they know that the EU has no backbone whatsoever! The COVID-19 situation also has wreaked havoc on the supply chain, making some if not all shipowners very wealthy in no time due to lack of space and containers and pent up demand and other producers, factories, etc. in dire straits because freight rates have increased by as much as 1000% in less than a year. All in all, this pandemic is a wake up call for the world, and perhaps also a reminder to us all to slow down, travel less, and be happy where we are. Yet, how can we when so many countries depend on the world’s largest trade: tourism! It saddens this editor to see and hear first-hand accounts from people in Thailand, for example, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own but simply because no tourists can now visit. For millions around the world, here is no “safety net” to fall back on whilst the tiny few enjoy 7 minutes of fame in space at the same time. Inequality has shown its ugly face now without makeup, and I believe there will be a reckoning at some point when governments no longer can keep their printing presses hot with freshly-made denominations. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Westdijk Sweden AB – Gothenburg, Sweden
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Interview with
Mr. Roger Arvidsson Managing Director First of all, could you tell our readers about the history and current ownership of Westdijk? Why the name Westdijk? That’s a Netherlands family name [last name]. The name of the guy who started this firm many years ago was Nico Westdijk, but it’s owner today is Tom Sijpkes. It is he who has made the Westdijk Group what it is today, with branch offices in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Each of these are independent, juridical companies owned by Tom Sijpkes, and there is a managing direction in each country.
Am I correct in my understanding that you are specialised in moving oversized cargo around Scandinavia and other European countries by truck (mainly)? Correct. We only work with Oversize and Heavy cargo on road transport all over Europe.
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I heard from others in the market that EU policies concerning regulations and rules are messy in some countries. While in some countries it can take weeks for a permit, in others, it’s more efficient. Tell our readers about the current situation in the EU & Scandinavia regarding this, and if you’ve got some good rules of thumb for any potential customer. There is a big difference in permit time for different countries around Europe. Sweden is one of the easiest, roughly 1-3 days. In Germany, it takes 2-3 weeks. Italy usually has processing times of 5-6 weeks. The more southern the country is in Europe, the longer it takes.
In order to provide a quick quotation what do you need from a potential customer? Do you always need a drawing for example? It is always good to have a drawing at the start. Then, we are sure we are basing the offer on the correct equipment. We must have all dimensions, the weight, and the center of gravity.
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Can you elaborate on the equipment that you have or have access to? The Westdijk Group has all types of trailer equipment that are available on the market. We then choose the best type for each job.
Could you provide our readers with a few examples of noticeable projects that you have carried? All overdimensioned/heavy colli items are a project for us, and we do several each day soo…. There can be one load in a project, or it can be 50 loads.
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About yourself, Roger, how and when did you get into the shipping and transportation business? I started in my father’s company back in 1980. The company had its own excavators and trailers to move them. In 1988, it was split into two companies with the excavators in one and the transport equipment in the other. I became the owner of the transport company. This company mainly operates in the Scandinavian Countries. I sold it in 2002. While I owned the company, we had cooperated with Westdijk on transports out in Europe, so after I sold the company, I was asked by Westdijk to open a branch office in Sweden. I did this in 2005.
How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? Our mail for transport requests is info@westdijksweden.se These mails are mainly answered by Billy Sandren (billy.sandren@westdijksweden.se) and sometimes by myself. My mail is: roger.arvidsson@westdijksweden.se All planning is handled by Fredrik Jörning, and his mail is info@westdijksweden.se or Fredrik.jorning@ westdijksweden.se Website: https://westdijksweden.se/
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Travel Report – July, 2021
17-21 July – MALTA As mentioned in my editorial, I am happy to say that I did manage to do a bit of traveling during the several weeks off for summer break in PCW. First of all, I visited the island of Malta for 4 days and then spent 9 days in Dubai. Malta is a nice island, located centrally in the Mediterranean. Besides meeting with some personal friends from the time when I lived there (2003-2006), I also met with the www.clcprojects.com network member, Carmelo Caruana and the CMA CGM local General Manager.
I met with Mr. Darin Zahra of Carmelo Caruana Company Ltd in Malta Naturally, much of the talk was focused on the current COVID-19 situation—which in Malta is no different. It is difficult to do any planning. The infection rate goes up/down, and generally speaking, you need to check almost on a weekly—if not daily—basis about the situation. Business, however, according to both Carmelo Caruana and the CMA CGM hasn’t suffered too much, and as we all know in the case of the shipowners, side 255
things have NEVER been better. Certainly anyone should soon be able to pay off any debts left over from the pre-pandemic times.
I met with Mr. Christian Cauchi, General Manager of CMA CGM Malta After an enjoyable time in Malta, I flew Emirates for the first time in 18 months down to Dubai with a short stopover in Larnaca, Cyprus—although you do remain onboard if you are a transit passenger. Face masks, of course, must be worn onboard, but somehow face masks or not, Emirates do manage to provide the superb service for which they are known—even in Economy class. This is no mean feat and something that many airlines find impossible to do. 21-30 July – DUBAI Arrived 0120am into Dubai and was rather quickly through the arrival formalities. After a quick corona test before exiting and passport control, I was through. Amazingly, it only took 45 minutes. I had previously downloaded the DXB app, and there I received the result of the COVID-19 test the next day in the hotel. Thus, I was free to roam around. The heat was stifling though at 43-46 degrees during the day and 37-39 during the evening. As usual, I stayed at the Radisson Blu Deira Creek which, although being low-rise and old style, is a cozy hotel just by the Deira Creek. I managed to take a walk on occasion either very early morning or late evening.
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Deira Creek, Dubai at Night I felt kind of elated during the trip because after Malta, it was kind of the first time that I really had had a chance to meet contacts face to face again. Just when corona started, say early March 2020, was exactly my last overseas flight BACK from Dubai to Stockholm, so it was a kind of “virgin” arrival, so to speak. I managed to have about 12-14 meetings during my stay there. I also managed to become a landlord, i.e., buying a small condo for renting out. So, yes, overall it was a very efficient trip with enjoyable food. Yet, above all, the meeting with contacts, network members, shipowners and friends was really the gold, and it reminded me again about the fact that Teams/Zoom cannot, will not, be able to replace the real thing! Here are some pictures from the meetings that I had during my days in Dubai.
A selection of photos from Dubai
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A selection of photos from Dubai I left out the names and logos of those I met since the main reason for sharing these pictures overall is to show you that the real deal of meeting people to people is—at least for me—what makes me tick and makes me happy doing the business. I returned back safe and sound to Stockholm and had a good 14 days trip. I also managed to make the wife happy by buying the cosmetics that she said could only be found at the Dubai Airport—that alone is reason enough for traveling again soon! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen Editor in Chief bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com 258
ISS Palumbo – Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Interview with
Mr. Jan-Hein Dissel Vice President Global Tell us a bit about the history of ISS-Palumbo to the naked eye the name looks like 2 companies that have been joining into one? Who are the actual owners of your company today? The Palumbo Group was founded in Italy in 1974 by its current Chairman Mr. Andrea Palumbo. Since then, Palumbo has grown rapidly and increased its market presence around the globe, ranking among the top five project and logistics service providers within the Italian oil and gas energy sector. Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) and Palumbo formed a joint venture in October 2012 establishing ISS Palumbo Srl, to provide a combination of marine agency, project logistics, and project freight forwarding solutions to customers globally.
FOB operations at Porto Marghera – a boiler convective module (93 tons) and structures. 259
Where are your offices located around the world and is Rotterdam your head office? ISS Palumbo’s head office is located in Livorno, Italy. Other Italian offices are situated in Genoa, Milan, and Rome. Globally, we have our own offices in Rotterdam (NL), Newcastle (UK), Dubai (UAE), Houston (US), Capetown (SA), Baku (AZ), Istanbul (Turkey), and Cairo (Egypt). Our teams with experienced, knowledgeable and motivated people, with a 24/7 attitude, are capable of handling all aspects of project freight forwarding and are always looking for the best possible solutions to our customers’ challenges.
Two steam generators weighing 80 tons each from north Italy to Oman via river barge and subsequent loading onto ocean vessel. I understand that you are strong in the oil/gas sector, but the as the prices go up and down can you elaborate on whether you can also provide other kinds of logistics services to customers outside of oil & gas? Although ISS Palumbo’s main focus is on customers operating in the Oil & Gas sector, we do provide a full range of services to customers in other sectors as well, such as automotive, renewable energy, engineering and various industrial sectors. The majority of our customers work in the Oil & Gas and Energy sectors globally, with projects and consequently transportation requirements fluctuating with market conditions. We constantly try to adapt to these fluctuations and changing market environments, which keeps ISS Palumbo competitive on cost as well as pro-active towards our client’s needs. Could you provide us with some examples (pictures and description) of projects that you have handled recently? Within this interview, you will see some examples, for more you can visit www.iss-palumbo.com or our LinkedIn page at ISS Palumbo SRL. Could you tell us whether you generally work with customers (shippers) direct, or do you also provide services to other freight forwarders? 260
ISS Palumbo generally works for the shippers that control the cargo/shipments, but of course, we also work with other freight forwarders across the globe. Through years of experience, we have built up strong relations with other forwarders in many countries, regions or for specific projects or shipments that will reach out to us and visa versa.
7,100 cbm / 2,700 tons of offshore rig equipment, safely loaded at Crotone (Italy) destined for Singapore. Are you currently part of any freight forwarding networks and/or associations and if so why do you think it is important to be part of such? We have a number of local associations where involvement and contributions are important for the country and our office. From a global perspective, we don’t have any network memberships or associations, other than our recent association and membership with CLC Projects Network through our Netherlands office in Rotterdam.
5,150 cbm of prefabricated modularized buIldings, successfully loaded in Crotone (Italy) destined for Shuaiba (Kuwait). How do you view the oil/gas sector in the coming year that has just about started? Do you feel that business is picking up? We have seen an uptick in business since the second half of last year. Our customers have more cargo to move, and the time of shipment is nowadays within weeks, rather than months as it was during 2016. This is proof 261
of the fact that investments in new projects and/or maintenance projects are being signed off, and that our customers are able to secure mid to longer terms contracts again. We foresee market growth, although marginal in 2018 and 2019, and that investors’ confidence in the O&G and Energy sector will continue to strengthen. Oil prices are likely to remain in the $60-$70 range for this year, but time will tell. There’s still pressure on operating cost in general, and with regards to transportation budgets, this is no different. Adapting to this environment with continuous pressure on margins is something every business needs to do, to continue to be competitive as well as ensuring high standards of quality and service. It comes down to having the right people on your team. And as ISS Palumbo, we believe we have!
3 hydraulic hammers. Total weight : 819,250 kg. Total volume: 2,070.7 m3 – POL: Schiedam, Netherlands, POD: Karimun, Indonesia Now in order to provide services to the oil/gas industry, you need to have a lot of accreditations and you need to work according to certain tough standards – tell our readers a bit about the hard (some would say excessive) demands that the O&G companies place on their vendors. Working for customers in the Oil & Gas Industry has its price. ISS Palumbo must operate at the highest quality standards and has therefore been properly certified since 1997. This is mainly due to our understanding of customer’s requirements and implementation of Global Health, Safety, Security and Environmental programmes together with the adoption of global ethical and behavioral codes. We have an integrated quality management system certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, and we are also members of the following associations: TRACE, FPAL, FIATA, IATA, BIFA.
Urgent mobilization for a project. Total weight: 152,600 kg. Total volume: 1,091 m3 – POL: Schiedam, Netherlands, POD: Cape Town, SA 262
Describe if you will what “integrated logistics” means to ISS-Palumbo? ISS Palumbo has acted as a logistics provider for several prestigious industrial businesses for over 20 years, such as Bialetti, Ansaldobreda/Hiyachi, ENI/Agip, ExxonMobil to name a few. Our integrated logistics solution (3PL/4PL) assures the efficiency and effectiveness of each step of the logistic supply chain. Our customers are provided with a plan and standard operating procedure that is specifically tailored to their individual needs and closely monitored through our specially designed IT-platform, enabling us to provide them with the best service possible.
How to get in touch with your group if you are a aa/ potential shipper or customer wanting to move some project cargo or bb/ shipowner needing an agent in port? All kinds of inquiries for ISS Palumbo are best routed to myself and David den Broeder for further internal distribution to the relevant country, office or specific department for the quickest response to any inquiry or information request. We will ensure a professional and timely response at all times. Contact details: Jan-Hein Dissel Vice President Global Jan-Hein.Dissel@iss-palumbo.com David den Broeder Managing Director david.denbroeder@iss-palumbo.com ISS Palumbo Netherlands http://www.iss-palumbo.com/ 263
Featured Video A Quick Look at the Dredging and Other Activities in Port of Raahe, Finland Editor’s Note: Staying in the Port of Raahe, Finland you can see that they are dredging the port and are incredibly busy not only with renewable energy projects coming endlessly, but also with the new nuclear power plant that is being built nearby by Rosatom. All told, it will involve huge project cargo deliveries through this not so well known Finnish port.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Green revolution—or as some might call it the green religion—is here to stay. Seen in the Port of Raahe this week, two gas-powered ships alongside. Quite a nice sight! 264
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WEEK 33 – 2021 August 19, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 19th of August, week 33, and we are here again hopefully in your inbox and NOT your spam folder, but do remember to check your spam folder regularly as you never know what ends up there. It has escaped no one what has happened in the week past, and what I am talking about is Afghanistan. The government which was propped up by the Western powers was toppled in less than 2 weeks, and what was supposed to be a 300,000-strong army turned out to be an apparent illusion. There are many losers in the 20-year or so engagement with Afghanistan, not least the civil population but also the dead and wounded from the war and many around the world now have to ask themselves: “Was it worth it?” Bush’s war on terror and “either you are with us or against us” has lead nowhere, and we don’t seem to be much safer now than 20 years ago, frankly. However, where there are losers there are also winners. The weapons industry is the big winner, and it remains to be seen where the next conflict will happen in order to feed the military industrial complex animal. If we look at Libya after the bombing of the country and toppling of Ghaddafi, it seems that country, too, was in dire straits and now has been for years. Perhaps in the West, we need to learn in the NOT to impose our so-called values of freedom down other people’s throats or at least, we should be less naive about the values and traditions of other countries. This newsletter pays its respects to all who lost something during the 20 years of engagement, and time will tell whether or not an inch of difference was achieved when the smoke clears from the Kabul Airport runway. Here in Sweden where I am located—and with reference to my editorial of last week—we only had shootings in 3 cities in the week past: Stockholm, Linkoping and Gothenburg. Two were shot dead in Stockholm with others 266
wounded, so from our perspective, it’s been a quiet week here…. let’s see for how long. The prime minister of our country claimed: “We didn’t see it coming.” Along with the chancellor of Germany who said: ”Wir schaffen dass – we will overcome this.”, these two statements have got to be some of the most naive proclamations or confirmations of ignorance by modern day leaders in recent times. This past week I visited several places in Finland and Sweden (mainly ports). I took 2 ferries, namely from Stockholm to Turku, then drove to Mikkeli to meet my daughter who is studying there. Next, I drove 7 hrs to Kemi and visited also Raahe, Kokkola before boarding the ferry Vaasa to Umeå across the Baltic. After that, I visited the Port of Umeå and with a stopover in Gävle, arriving in Stockholm 7 days, 6 hotel nights and 1800 km later. See the video, pictures, and a map here of the trip I took along with my 12-year-old son in the passenger seat.
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Summer is now over, schools are open, business is gradually grinding into gear again, and the rat race to make ends meet, pay the taxes, bring up your children, etc. has started, so I turn now to business this week. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Danbrit Shipping Limited – Goole, United Kingdom
Interview with
Interview with
Mr. Jan Kroll
Mr. Pieter Fourie
Director
Logistics Manager
For starters, would you please explain a bit about the history of Danbrit. The name would imply, I think, that there is a Danish/British connection here, right?
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Yes. Danbrit Shipping Limited was founded in 1988 by Peter Aarosin (Danish) as a shipping business mainly concentrating on vessel / cargo chartering and agency business. Jan Kroll (also Danish) joined the business in 1989 as chartering broker. Over the years, the business has developed into a company offering the following services: • Vessel and cargo chartering • Vessel agency services • International freight forwarding services • European haulage road services • Warehousing • Stevedoring services throughout the UK, especially for project and out of gauge cargoes
Do you have experience in handling project cargoes, and if so, could you provide our readers with a few examples of cargoes that you have looked after? Absolutely. Project logistics is one of our key strengths and one of the verticals we target the most. The renewable industry is an important out of gauge / project sector, and in recent times, with the global focus on renewable energy and the Humber area of East Yorkshire becoming a hub for such cargoes, we’ve been involved with a few such projects. Besides this we are also actively involved in the construction, forest products, heavy engineering, mining and extraction, oil, gas and petrochemicals, military, defence, steel, and scrap metal areas, as well as the waste and recycling sectors. 269
The UK is now no longer a part of the EU. Tell us what that means for you in both the short-term and the long-term views? The UK leaving the EU resulted in more paperwork and frustrations for our customers. The single market will be greatly missed. We can only hope that common sense will prevail and see that the UK and mainland Europe again will get back to close cooperation for mutual benefit.
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Has the COVID-19 situation affected your business? There was an initial decline in business, but this stabilised, and we’ve seen an increase in business over the last 6 months. The biggest challenge was in not being able to visit customers, but luckily, we are now in a position to visit them again. How would you summarize the services of Danbrit, and why would you say that you are a good choice for any would be customer? Danbrit is a boutique logistics provider specializing in project logistics, shipment of bulk cargoes like aggregates, cement, steel, scrap, and waste cargo as well as agribulks. Our strength lies in the handling of out of gauge cargo, vessel chartering, port agency, port storage and stevedoring. We’ve also become a very active player in the air freight market in the UK. Together with our sister companies such as East Trans (trucking company with 50 owned lorries and warehousing facilities in the Humber area) and TDL Wind (a JV between Thor Shipping & Transport UK Ltd and Danbrit Holdings Ltd focusing on logistics for the renewable energy sector in the UK), we are geared to handle any projects, no matter how big or small. We leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we deliver what we have promised our customers. Danbrit Shipping has developed a reputation as being a one-stop, logistics provider for cargoes coming in and out of the UK, and many of the larger project forwarders are utilising our services such as chartering, port agency and stevedoring. Trusting us to handle their cargo, they see us as an extension of their service offering to their clients, rather than a competitor, and we’ve built valuable relationships through this approach.
Are you currently part of any freight forwarding networks? Do you find it useful? Yes, we are a member of the Cross Ocean Network. The members are very active, and all seem to be hungry for business which is a great fit for us. Besides this, the support from Cross Ocean’s management, as well as the weekly sales leads we receive, makes this a great network to be part of and to grow our business. How is it best for our subscribers to get in touch with you? Our full contact details are on www.danbrit.co.uk. We can also be contacted directly at jan.kroll@danbrit. co.uk and pieter@danbrit.co.uk.
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Video Interview: SEA.O.G Offshore – Hamburg, Germany & Houston, USA
Dominik Schäfer, Managing Director at SEA.O.G. Offshore GmbH was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Martin Bencher Poland - Gdańsk, Poland
Maciek Grabowski, Chief Manager / Chartering Manager at Martin Bencher Poland was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Windturbine Tower Being Transported from the Port of Raahe, Finland to the Interior for a Wind Park Editor’s Note: Footage up close of a wind turbine tower being transported from the Port of Raahe, Finland to the interior for a wind park. Sizes of the wind turbines have been increasing steadily over the years and now constitute a huge part of the global project cargo industry, although one might consider the cost of production and pollution in China or Vietnam, then transportation around the world, and trucking to final destination. If we could produce closer to home, it would be ideal….from an environmental standpoint.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Seen in Stockholm last week, the past and the present following each other into the interior lakes in Stockholm. There ought to be a certain difference in running costs. Strangely enough, the “older version” hasn’t been painted green yet…that is politically incorrect!
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SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRIES WITH
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS Martin Bencher Group offers innovative engineering solutions, providing a full-scale turnkey solution for our clients.
LOGISTICS MADE EASY www.martin-bencher.com
WEEK 34 – 2021 August 26, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, Bo H. DrewsenIt is week 34, it is Thursday, and Project Cargo Weekly is back again. Seems whenever I am writing this editorial, I am on the move. Right now I am in Denmark visiting my parents, and although it is always a pleasure, it is also with a sad background as I am here on today, 26th of August, which also happens to be the birthday of my late brother who left our family, now 9 months ago. We are having a meeting with the executor of his will, and since many jurisdictions are involved, it is time for an update on the matter not least to hear about how many hours the lawyers so far have spent……and yes everything legal takes time and must be right, but one cannot seem to wonder whether some of the hours billed are over the top. My advice from all of this as we learn from both good and bad things in life is to be as crystal clear and transparent as you ever can be when it is time to make your will, and to be clear about jurisdictions, especially if you are an international businessperson with property and holdings in several countries. There is no doubt that the tax authorities, in particular here in Europe in order to finance the ever bloated welfare state, will do what it takes to INSIST that you are liable just in their country. Still money or not, lawyers or not, the hole that a loss in one’s family leaves behind can never really be filled up completely; it is always there. On the shipping front, things are NOT improving, and forecasts from some of the major lines I have spoken to tell me that things will not be better until at least mid next year… if even then. Almost 40 ships are waiting to be discharged outside Los Angeles, and that also means they will be late in returning to Asia to collect the next batch of China exports, creating yet another bottle neck. I just wonder what is it that we all need since we are buying this much stuff ? And why didn’t we learn in time to have at least some production at “home” and not only overseas, staring ourselves blind at cheaper production 276
costs? Time will tell I suppose, and we will see what happens in the future. Chairing a network meeting yesterday for www.clcprojects.com, it was evident too that concerning the COVID-19 situation, many countries are still in dire lack of proper management on this score after months of it happening!! I made this trip by car, first driving Stockholm to Gothenburg, and there having a few meetings in town with: Transatlantic Container (part of Xpress Feeder)
and TSA Agency Sweden
I then took the ferry for 3 1/2 hrs to Frederikshavn which also happens to be the place where I was born many kilos ago. See here some pictures from the ferry trip and departure/arrival. 277
I will have several more meetings face-to-face in the coming week before returning to Stockholm on September 3 and will visit Aarhus/Copenhagen/Norrköping/Södertälje. There is clearly an urge / satisfaction from people when they meet you again personally instead of via Zoom, etc. Now turning to the interviews at hand… Today we start off in a place famous for James Bond (I guess somehow), yachts, and the good life, and it is Monaco. We speak to R-Logistic. It turns out they are part of a bigger group and have big interests and capabilities in Africa. Then we turn north and meet up with a company owning some very special and suitable ships for high/heavy and oversized cargo, and the company is Meriaura Group, Finland. I was told by them that Turku, in fact, used to be the capital, NOT Helsinki…. Finally, we visit the country famous for fashion, food, wine, scenery, but also for a bloated bureaucracy in the extreme, and it is France. C.E.R.L. in Lyon tells us a story about how a middle-sized project forwarder can solve many things for their clients. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews R-Logistics – Monaco
Interview with
Mr. Joaquin Gomez Yanci Group Deputy CEO
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First of all, Joaquin please tell us about the history of R-Logistic and the current ownership of the company? Where is your head office located with regard to business in Africa, and how do you coordinate it all? R-Logistic is a subsidiary of R-Logitech – the infrastructure & logistics division of Monaco Resources Group, an international specialist in natural resources with a strong presence on the African continent. R-Logistic saw its beginnings at the end of 2017 with the acquisition of some agencies resulting from the fall of Necotrans Group. This was a strategic action which consisted of stepping into a strategic group of countries from which we launched our solid expansion, already being present in 12 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo. R-Logitech also adds a presence in the domain of port activities via NECTAR, which is present in many African countries. This is a combination that is very attractive for an offer of complementary services with high added value. Likewise, our sister company EUROPORTS, specialized in port management in Europe and China with more than 40 terminals under concession, has complemented our multimodal services force since 2019. Regarding our internal organization, we have articulated a genuine model little seen in the sector, consisting of two Co-CEOs based in the West (Senegal) and Centre (Togo) regions, so that decision-making power remains very close to where the bulk of our activities are carried out. This allows us to not only give an immediate response from TOP MANAGEMENT but also provides a very close identification with our teams. My role is subject to the deputy General Directorate with the pilotage of a team of support functions distributed between Paris and Monaco. We believe in a structure based on local potential. Our more than 600 employees are massively local personnel that we carefully select and take care of for a dynamization of the potential that this continent brings to the world.
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I understand from the market that you are active on the African continent. How come, and what prompted your activity in this huge continent? Are there any countries that you feel especially competent in handling cargoes to and from? The experience acquired thanks to the presence of the Group on the African continent allowed R-Logistic to set up innovative and integrated systems in terms of multimodal transport solutions, by supporting its customers in their core businesses. R-Logistic operates through a network of agencies on the African continent to establish innovative and integrated multimodal transport solutions, supporting its clients in their core businesses, including mining oil and gas, industrial, agricultural, commodity trading and military logistics support. The company provides services to diverse organisations including NGOs, retail, and energy sector businesses. The domination of Asian origins in terms of PROJECT CARGO is and will be predominant, with China, South Korea and India being the most common countries of origin for this type of cargo, especially in the field of infrastructure, energy or mining. However, cargo from Turkey, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Spain is highly present. It should be noted, as a result of the events that occurred after COVID-19, that there is an increasingly present demand for goods from closer countries such as those in Europe due to the explosion in maritime freight prices, an opportunity that our European partners are taking full advantage of. Let’s see for how long the feast will continue to be served!
Do you have experience in handling project cargoes, and if so could you elaborate for our readers by giving them a few examples of projects you have handled. After the acquisition of the aforementioned EX NECOTRANS agencies, the divisions of both PROJECTS and FREIGHT FORWARDING were dissolved. Our strategy did not follow the same steps as NECOTRANS in this regard, giving rise to a new organization located only in Africa and only for Africa, and turning our development plans to strategic partnerships not only with end customers but especially to intermediaries such as large international logistics firms not present in Africa as well as companies established in Africa, providing logistical support for the development of their activities. 280
In its recent history, R-LOGISTIC is becoming a standard in project management in Africa, supporting not only end customers but especially large logistics firms not present on the continent. Some projects that we can cite are: 1. Project for the rehabilitation of hydraulic channels in Bamako (Mali), management of container and bulk traffic from Nouakchott (Mauritania) to Bamako (Mali). 2018-2019. 2. Malicounda (Senegal) 130 MW Power Plant Project, vessel agency and stevedoring for heavy lift pieces and machinery up to 250 tons/piece. 2020. 3. Project for the rehabilitation of hydraulic channels in Niamey (Niger), management of container traffic from Cotonou (Benin) to Bamako (Mali). 2019-2020. 4. Electrification project in Bougouni (Mali), bulk and containerized cargo from India going thru Dakar and Abidjan up to final destination up country in the south of the country with the use of own transport means covering shipping, customs, and last mile deliveries including unloading on site. 2020-2021. 5. Millenium Challenge Account power project in Cotonou (Benin), being awarded 2 out of 3 phases of the logistics on the ground including vessel agency, stevedoring, customs and delivery of bulk and container- ized cargo, as well as 14 transformers up to foundation. 2020-2021. 6. Several demobilisations (bulk, roro, containers) for different contingents (confidential please) with merit distinctions in Mauritania, Niger (from Cotonou (Benin) and from Lomé (Togo), Mali (from Dakar (Sene gal), from Abidjan (Ivory Coast), from Cotonou (Benin) and from Lome (Togo) as well as Chad and Cen- tral African Republic (from Douala and Kribi (Cameroun). 2018-2021. 7. Grant Tortue project in Mauritania as main marine agent for main BP subcontractors. 2020-2021.
There has been talk about a customs union in Africa for some time. How far is the continent in having uniform rules or is it more talk than real action and progress? Despite being, without any doubt, an initiative with great value for the entire African continent, I personally believe that it will be more difficult to build than what has been tried to communicate for some time. Africa is a continent of opportunities, one in which there is still room for inventiveness and ideas. Unfortunately, administrative processes continue to pose the greatest obstacle due to a lack of automated processes, the different languages used, and government systems that are still very young or lacking certain stability. It should be remembered that the “EUROPE of the 27” began only with a handful of states that had already gathered enough socio-economic ties to allow this link. I have implemented many processes throughout my professional life, and I believe that an exercise with a smaller number of countries could be the trigger for the addition of other states as the project evolves. As it happens in process implementations, it is necessary to go through a test phase. Trying to reach an agreement between more than 50 countries seems, to me, an exercise 281
that will not give good results in the short term. However, I am convinced that a smaller number, with the political and economic support of great economies, would open a great opportunity for this project.
Of all the countries in Africa that you have worked with, which one presents the most challenges and why? For me there is really no better or worse. In each country, there are particularities, and if you propose to adapt, there will be no great challenges. Everything resides in your power of adaptability and management of expectations.
There are several companies both France-based and also UK-based that claim to be experts in Africa. What makes R-Logistic stand out in your opinion? Why choose you? R-LOGISTIC is positioned as the true alternative, with a widespread presence and with a firm intention to always remain faithful to its vision: in Africa and for Africa. It is vitally important to mention again that R-LO282
GISTIC does not intend to be present in countries historically positioned in decision-making as far as projects are concerned. Thus we will be a trusted partner for those companies that not only seek a faithful and efficient partner in the African continent, but also a partner that will never betray you by taking advantage of the information coming from the decision-making centres. I believe that many international groups have failed on this point. it is true that today they are large multinationals, but it has revealed a focus on short-term benefits and less on long-term partnerships. We believe that great stories are not written with just one hand and that unity is strength. Why choose us? We are developing a new project, giving opportunities to African potential, growing exponentially against many adversities. The nucleus resists and the more difficult a project is, the more aggressive we become commercially. The fact of not being widely supported by agencies outside of Africa or of not counting with unlimited financial means has forged a way of working only focused on giving the best of each of ourselves until the last consequence.
Has COVID-19 affected your business? We have seen a slowdown in maritime volumes caused by the exacerbated rise in freight rates, but this has not affected us for several reasons. Firstly because we are a new group and the rapid growth since before COVID-19 has only added new projects to our portfolio. When you start from almost zero, this effect is less visible. Secondly, due to our authentic positioning on the concept “the alternative” (since customers asked for something new and genuine, people with courage and new ideas) which has had a very positive impact on the conquest of saturated markets. Finally, but not least due to our rapid growth in projects related to peacekeeping or humanitarian aid, as we work in areas with growing needs in both fields. 283
Do you also face space and equipment problems when it comes to shipments to/from the African continent? Of course, the infrastructures have become very small with the exponential growth of large African cities and capitals. The investment is still far from what the continent really needs. Something similar happens with the material, and it is still very common to see special transport material being imported from time to time for the execution of projects. However, R-LOGISTIC believes in Africa and already has a fleet of material and reliable partners that allow us flexibility in this regard to respond to the most demanding projects.
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How did you start your career in shipping and logistics, and what made you choose this career? I started very early, in 2003 at the age of 18. I was already loading trucks and organizing stocks and orders for SALTOKI SA, a leading company in Spain in the construction materials market, a great school for what would come later. It gave me the opportunity to understand about the effort and dedication—a big help when later, I was studying fpr my university and master’s degrees at the same time. In 2007, I had the great pride and privilege to start working for Maersk, undoubtedly the best logistics school in the world, to which I owe everything I am today. Since I was a child, my dream was always to know the world, and with Maersk, I was able to work in places such as Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Morocco, Mauritania, India, Senegal, Burkina Faso and some other African countries, becoming a logistics specialist in Africa over time. In 2018, R-LOGISTIC proposed to me the great adventure of my life: the restructuring and implementation of what they hoped would be the NEW ALTERNATIVE to African logistics. It was very hard to leave the MAERSK family, and in fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop being “BLUE” in my heart. Yet, in life, you have to have courage and follow your dreams. When you work in a large multinational, you live within highly and detailed defined parameters. Being able to work on a smaller scale gives a person the opportunity to explore many more facets and be closer to the centre of decisions. The adventure continues!
When our readers need your services, how is it best to get in touch with you? My email is j.gomezyanci@r-logisticgroup.com and I am quite reachable as many people around me know by now. Don’t hesitate to reach out whether it is business or other. https://r-logisticgroup.com/
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Video Interview: Meriaura Group – Turku, Finland
Mathias Mattsson, Chartering Coordinator, Projects at Meriaura Ltd was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: C.E.R.L. – Lyon, France
Nouveau Maria, Network & Project Manager at C.E.R.L. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Departing early morning from Fremantle, WA to Sydney, NSW mv CMA CGM Georgia Editor’s Note: Leaving Port of Fremantle at 6am in June 2 years ago was a fantastic experience – next stop was Sydney. Sailing south of Australia where there is almost nothing to the starboard except Antarctica means you are often subject to a lot of rolling and pitching!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Took this great picture a couple of years ago when I paid a visit to Rhenus Project Logistics terminal in Rotterdam. What a view to the terminal where some giants are alongside. 287
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WEEK 35 – 2021 September 2, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday of week 35 and that means we are back with this week’s issue of PCW. The world has not ceased to be amazed at just how quickly the Western so-called powers have left the country of Afghanistan. There has been an exodus that we haven’t seen in years, and I fail to find a similar comparison in recent decades. The pictures of the amounts of aircraft, leftover tanks, and military hardware is a terrifying sight and in the wrong hands. Whether or not damaged by the power that left them behind, still they represent a waste of astronomical proportions. Perhaps it teaches us in the West a valuable lesson once again NOT to impose our way of life on other countries. There have been many losers and few winners if any in this conflict, but as mentioned before, the military hardware suppliers have had a field day. Now, I have no doubt that the Middle Kingdom will be sweeping in to make “great friends” with the new rulers to get access to what is both above and below the ground in Afghanistan. My country, Denmark, was in there with the US 20 years ago as we pride ourselves on following our NATO allies. There is a big line at the washbasin for some politicians now to wash their hands and to claim partial success, but then again, politicians can always “spin it”. For that purpose, they have professionals to teach them how to make a defeat sound like a victory. I am still in Denmark this week but have already left today by car from Grenå via Copenhagen and Helsingor/ Helsingborg towards Stockholm. Enroute will have a few stops in order to meet some people face-to-face. I am thankful indeed for Scandinavia. At the moment, at least in Denmark and Sweden, we have come so far in our vaccination of citizens that we will soon be fully “protected” or at least that is the general hope. There is also an increased optimism in the entertainment and leisure industry, and it is now virtually impossible to find “working hands” to assist in restaurants, bars, hotels and so on. We even talk about having to take in further immigrants to cover the shortfall. It seems to me that the Nobel peace prize should be given to the people who figure out HOW to match the people without a job (nor not wanting to work) with the jobs that are really available. 289
You will see some beautiful shots from the port city of Grenå in both today’s featured picture and video (below), and it has reminded me to try to get up early once in a while to enjoy the peace and quiet of very early mornings! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews FTGV Transport Logistics Cargo S.A. DE C.V – Mexico City, Mexico
Interview with
Mr. Cesar Santiago Orozco Owner and CEO
Can you tell us about the history and ownership of FTGV in Mexico? The company was created in 2012 by my wife, Yadira Galindo, and myself, so it is a family company. We started as freight forwarders, but we have also developed some other trade branches such as project cargo, show business cargo, fairs and exhibitions,, fine arts,, food and beverages, and sport events. We have offices in main 290
ports and borders of the country like Veracruz, Altamira, Manzanillo, Ensenada, Cancun, and Nuevo Laredo.
There are many seaports in Mexico. Can you tell us more about the ports available and widely used for project cargoes? Mexico has some ports available for project cargo, but the main ones are Veracruz (which is the most important, handling 28 millions tons of cargo), Altamira (for cargo coming from Europe), and Manzanillo (for cargo coming from the Far East).
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Could you provide us with some examples of project cargoes that you have handled? We have handled a cement plant/factory from Europe to Mexico, an automobile factory, and museum exhibitions among others.
There is a lot of competition in Mexico, as in many other countries, in the field of logistics. How do you make sure that you stand out? Which regions do you have the strongest sales? Our efficiency lies in our dedication and commitment, as well as in the delivery times we offer to our clients throughout the 365 days of the year. Mexico will soon renew the foreign trade agreement with the US and Canada, which is why our strongest sales are with these countries.
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Do you belong to any networks currently? Is it useful to FTGV to be part of international freight forwarding networks? Yes, just like we belong to the Project Cargo Network, we also belong to more networks; each one focusing on different kinds of shipments, such as freight forwarding, fine arts logistics, fairs and exhibitions, etc. We think belonging to networks widens our working possibilities worldwide.
Mexico being a large country with many ports also means there is a lot of inland point logistics. Can you organise inland transport in Mexico, and are you also familiar with customs clearance? Is customs clearance in Mexico normally difficult? Yes, we handle any domestic service to any part of the country, and we perform customs clearance on request. Customs clearance in Mexico is not difficult as long as the final consignee has all the necessary documentation.
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What plans do you have for the future, and how is the current COVID-19 situation in your country? Our plans for the future are to keep growing our projects despite the current situation with the COVID-19 outbreak, which has badly hit the Mexican economy to limits still uncertain at the present time. We believe overcoming tough times can lead to new opportunities. If people would like to get in touch with you, what is the best way for them to do that?People can get in touch with me by email and through my mobile number, which is available 24/7. Email: direccion@fttransport.com.mx Mobile: +(52) 55 4336 8619 Mobile: +(52) 55 4336 8620 Website: http://fttransport.com.mx/
Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers Inc — New York, USA
Interview with
Mr. Rick Shannon Board Member
First of all, Rick, tell our readers a bit about ARRC and yourself. In particular, how did you get into shipping in the first place? I also believe that you set out a couple of clear demands before joining originally. Tell us more.
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Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers, Inc. was incorporated in New Jersey in 1995. We started the service using two small vessels with ro-ro capability. Over the past three years, we have upgraded our vessels to carry more variants of cargo. This was in order to keep up with the changing cargo needs of the trade. Newer, larger, multi-purpose vessels were brought on to the service to accommodate cargo demands as well as increased ports of call. As for myself, I have more than 40 years in the transport industry, holding senior positions in world-wide shipping companies. My career covers most of the major trade lanes in the world, including South-Central America, Europe, the Far East, and Africa. I have extensive experience in the Middle East including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, and Turkey. I have headed up logistics projects and shipping for the building of ports, airports, and buildings, with complete turn-key responsibility throughout the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. I lived and handled services between the USA, Puerto Rico, and the surrounding islands from 1967-1970. I entered the Soviet Union as US General Agent for all 17 Soviet Union ocean shipping companies in 1991. In the early 1990’s, the Soviet Union was going through the turbulent times of privatization, and the basic infrastructure in the USSR was not compatible with western systems. This was the period of private entrepreneurs taking over State-owned properties, and a period of mayhem followed. A new group formed in 1995—Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers, Inc., and I was approached to come on board as their first president. During negotiations, I was told they had an idea to do something that had not been done since the USSR breakup in 1991—to create a company in the Russian trade that was completely compliant with US regulations as well as those in Russia and any other ports they would expand into. This was not an easy task to achieve as that philosophy would eliminate their access to major cargo moves. Also, it would be a liner service versus the usual tramp operations that traded there or transshipped over an EU port. ARRC also had staff that I classified as “maritime families”, and I knew many from my earlier exposure in Russia. During the negotiations, ARRC also agreed to use the same accounting and legal firms I had used since 1986. After one day of negotiations, I came on board as their first president.
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I understand that your main trade lane is between Russia, North West Europe, and the U.S. East & Gulf Coasts but that your group also runs a regular service into the Levant and between the US and South Africa. I have seen your impressive leaflet, (there will be a link to it here) but can you elaborate about how the services originally came about? ARRC key personnel had a background in this area from the Soviet times. As a result, they had heavy exposure to almost every trade lane in the world as the Soviet Fleet was the largest in the world with over 2,500 vessels of all types. So, they had relations with all of the trade lanes we added onto our ARRC services beyond Russia. As sanctions started to impose greater restrictions to US-Russian cargo, we simply expanded into regular port calls in Antwerp/EU as well as in Africa, areas that we knew quite well from previous activity for many years. When trade lane cargo gets reduced, many larger companies (having 100+ vessels) run into financial difficulty, usually leading to collapse. With our smaller vessel fleet, we usually just added another port on route to our normal destinations.
Breakbulk shipping has seen hard times as it seems to fluctuate according to trade deals, embargoes, and friendships between countries that come and go. In the case of your link with the Baltic states and Russia, would you say that recent times have been difficult in the US/RUSSIA trade? How is the situation at the moment? Regarding the port situation in Russia, does your group have priority when coming to port? We hear from others that they sometimes face trouble, in particular in St Petersburg. Certainly, recent US-Russian trade has been difficult. You mentioned sanctions (such as embargoes) being a major issue. True, but since we are a liner service with dedicated vessels calling at St. Petersburg and not transshipping over an EU port, we are a preferred carrier for certain clients and specific cargoes. Our main competition would be tramp operations with charters demanding minimum cargo per shipment. With ARRC, we can, and do, take any volume of breakbulk/project cargo, be it 100 Revenue Tons (RTs) or 20,000 Metric Tons (MTs). This means that shippers do not have to accumulate cargo to make certain minimums. While shippers may get a lower ocean rate for moving, say, 20,000 tons, such quantities also tie up funds for long periods of accumulation, terminal space, storage charges, etc. 296
This can be a critical point. Shippers who must accumulate the larger minimum cargo, risk having their contracts restricted due to increased sanctions during their accumulation time. They also risk drayage to a terminal, then having to remove their cargo if the USA, for example, implements a new sanction on their product or receiver. Some letters of credit also restrict moving cargo over a transshipment port where EU Customs may hold cargo already released by US Customs once discharged at their port. ARRC does not discharge cargo destined for St. Petersburg if we call at an EU port on route to STP.
You also asked about issues with the Port of St. Petersburg. ARRC has been calling at St. Petersburg for the last 25 years on a regular liner basis, and we have had no major delays. Although we cannot say we have preferential berthing, the 25 year relationship and familiarity with our staff also goes back many years before ARRC. However, in Houston, ARRC does have preferential berthing, and our ships are always given priority berthing. That gives us and our shipper/receivers substantial savings and, most importantly for our accounts, no delays on release of cargo.
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Which types of containers can you accept on board? IMO? SOC? Your own? A mixture of several? We absolutely accept IMO and SOC containers. Actually, ARRC is the only carrier that is licensed to carry HEU-LEU to the US Eastern Gulf Coast from Russia. This was an agreement between the U.S. and Russian governments which signed off on a 20-year contract in 1993. Since that time, there has never been one accident or incident. This is a product that is responsible for supplying 10% of the electricity for the US lighting system and nuclear plants. For the last 25 years, we have had special agreements with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and terminals to handle this cargo, and our crews are trained on an ongoing basis to meet all standards. Note page 15 of the CISN outline of our services: we own/operate a fleet of over 3,000 TEU’s and are licensed to carry all dangerous cargoes. We also accept SOC, and our vessels have a lifting capacity of 195 metric tons.
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Many shipowners opt to have their “own” agencies representing them abroad. What is your policy concerning this, and how do you generally cooperate with project freight forwarders? We have seen in recent years that some breakbulk shipowners now opt to “go direct” almost all the time when it comes to the bigger shippers. I believe many of our readers would like to know your stand on this. While it is not directly or specifically outlined, as mentioned earlier, our agents have been with us long term due to agreements worked out a long time ago. Our agent in Chicago has been with us for the last 25+ years, and I believe Protos, also. You mention that some of the breakbulk shipowners now opt “to go direct” when it comes to the bigger shippers/forwarders. Quite true, and I see now that many of the major lines, container operators especially, are offering many of the services that forwarders had always performed. As we all know, some of the major carriers and large forwarders have adapted “one stop shopping” that allows shippers/forwarders to call a single party for the booking, warehousing, trucking, costs, receiving cargo, inland transportation, certificate of origin, payments, etc. Basically, they seem to have the ability to absorb all the functions that smaller forwarders always performed. In addition, due to the requirements of the carrier/terminals, many of the large ocean carriers will also supply the technology interface that is required. Again, the carrier may replace a forwarder/broker, and this seems to be happening. Forwarders have always been part of our base cargo for many years, and our philosophy is to be neutral in those areas. With agency agreements we try to accomplish a few things that work for both agent & principal as often both parties have established relations with the same clients. While being in a restrictive market such as Russia, naturally we have relations for long periods of time but we also realize that although we have good relations with major clients, we cannot always service with a physical face/face relationship. Also on certain moves even if they were House A accounts there are still services an agent would have to perform and be paid for. We normally will first review our active accounts like “A” House accounts. Second we establish an account list by name, analyze our activity or inactivity with that client and come up with a commission that works for the agent and principal. So far, we really don’t wind up with many disputes or different opinions as, having been an agent in many trade routes ourselves, we realize if the agent does not make a reasonable profit it will not work and we both have lost time and a chance to form an agent relationship. As I said earlier, we try to come up often, not with just a general percentage on everything, Russia is a good example where a relationship, when established, you want to keep on stable footing. Also, it is common that based on Terms of Sale, control could be in Russia, where we have our own staff, mostly long term employees. We secured an account last year for about 7,000 RT where they had been moving the freight Russia-Houston then inland USA. However, the Russian shipper, who had control, would not make any moves without approval by their Miami receiver that arranged the release from the pier, trucking etc. The receiver estimated to maintain his present costs ARRC would have to drop our rates which, overall was about $10 higher than his overall cost STP-final destination USA with his present costs. The cargo, based on existing rates would not be worth-while for us to take that kind of a hit on. We worked with our stevedore and Terminal and at the end of the day we dropped our ocean rate $5/mt, the terminal dropped their cost (to us) $3 per ton, and the stevedore dropped his rates $2 a ton. Working jointly we were able to come up with rates/service that made us competitive and win the cargo. We 299
are flexible on dropping our rates or increasing them to accommodate forwarders-shippers or agents. This is just an overview with a few circumstances of our trade lane being a little different than most, and it cannot only be done by territorial designation. We, as I said, have no problem paying a commission wherever it makes sense. We don’t hesitate to give percentages on cargo we may already be handling but do not go with a blanket territorial commission. Some of the clients we have already tied in with s/c usually tied in to December 31 to make all commitments like minimum volume etc. As we progress can refine some of the issues as needed. ARRC maintains our own staff in most ports. We have about 40 of our own staff in St. Petersburg, five in Moscow, 10 in Odessa, 25 in Montreal, eight in New Jersey, and five people in Houston.
Who owns ARRC? ARRC has been a private USA company since our inception in 1995, and we have had the same owners since our start. Looking into your own crystal ball, what do you see with regards to breakbulk shipping in/out of the markets you serve, and could you envisage opening new routes, too? Russia-USA: While import from Russia is still holding strong, export is down. There is a strong indication that the export will pick up after the November 3rd Presidential election. Most indications are positive . We attend many of the Department of State & Commerce activities in Washington, and this is what we hear. Despite media comments, no doubt both Russia and the U.S. want trade to be normalized and strengthened. Trade is a powerful tool for political pressure, but we have seen the sanctions take a toll on relations. As a result, many of the sanctions put in are either shortly thereafter taken off the overall sanction list or continually extended under pre-sanction provisions. We are always open for new trade routes, but as with all breakbulk operations, we look for a base cargo to allow a new route to have some financial stability. How is it best to get in touch with you? Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers Inc., 95 River Street, 3rd Floor Hoboken, NJ 07030 Tel: 201-356-2300 Direct: 201-356-2310 Fax: 201-356-2299 Email: ricks@arrcm.com Web site: www.arrcm.com 300
Lastly, where are the shipping rates, etc. being decided or would local offices/agents have their own decision-making power? Each local office does have the ability to quote directly based on a matrix we give them. Otherwise, central pricing would be unable to cope with the volume. However, should a local office run into an issue, Central Pricing or the senior person in the office of origin will call ARRC Headquarters to see if any flexibility is possible for the original quote. Please keep in mind that we often get as many as 10 forwarders/NVO-OTI all calling/bidding on the same cargo, and according to our U.S. rules, we must be uniform in our quotes. However, upon a firm commitment from whoever is awarded the cargo (forwarder, etc.), we can adjust the quote for the firm booking or Service Contract. Freight payments/receivables are controlled by our central financial programs that allow us to monitor all payments or receivables before the release of the cargo. (as per our FMC Tariff) We have strict Compliance Policies and a Code of Conduct. This is also one of the reasons we did not use agents in Russia but went the route of our OWN personnel. We preferred not to farm out those requirements to an outside entity where we would not have total control of the activity. Additional resources: A bit about the history of ARRC Line CISN Shipping Group Introduction
Video Interview: Höegh Autoliners - Oslo, Norway
Oskar Orstadius - Chief of Sales at Höegh Autoliners AS was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Sunrise in Grenå, Denmark Editor’s Note: To stay in the sunrise Denmark mode, please see here what I have chosen as this week’s featured video, enjoy!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Martin Bencher Group has handled the transportation of several units of cargo – in total 16,632 CBM. Due to great cooperation between Martin Bencher Sweden and Martin Bencher China, 1,505 tons of cargo is now on the way from China to Finland. Tuesday this week, the ship passed the Bund of Shanghai – and luckily Martin Bencher staff in China were able to catch the moment on camera. www.martin-bencher.com
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WEEK 36 – 2021 September 9, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is week 36 and Thursday the 9th of September. This date leads your memory back to a most terrifying event, i.e., the terror attack against the US some 20 years ago. I recall that day vividly. I was then living in Shanghai, and that very evening Chinese time, we were sitting and talking—me, Heidi and Cody. Suddenly, Cody got a phone call (he is American) and said: “What!!”. Then he jumped over the table and turned on the television set where we saw the planes hitting the twin towers in New York. One can certainly say that the world has never been the same since, and with terror attacks “available” anytime and anywhere, vigilance is advised even to this day 20 years later. On top of this, we have the failure in Afghanistan where the West now has left a country in a mess, and the corrupt government that was propped up by the western taxpayers has left as well, leaving the people of Afghanistan to face an uncertain future. Indeed, it is by no means a pretty sight, but PCW do agree with President Biden that there was never a good time to leave Afghanistan and that lessons learnt from this intervention may signal an overall change in policy towards this kind of “nation building”. Looking at what Nato, supported by the US (didn’t) achieve (d) in Libya should indicate that it is the right move. Let us stop interfering elsewhere and think that we can try to change things from the ground up. I will visit Dubai hopefully in October. Who knows, perhaps I will bump into the former Afghan president there, languishing in his no doubt palatial residence…..thanks to the western taxpayer. Last week saw me taking another drive from Denmark back to Stockholm via Copenhagen. I crossed the Great Belt Bridge. Then after meeting with the COSCO Specialized Carriers Representative in Copenhagen made my way via the Helsingør/Helsingborg ferry to Stockholm with a stopover for the night in Jönköping by Lake Vättern which at 1900 sq km is pretty large . Driving my Czech limousine ☺ (a Škoda Kodiaq) is a pleasure, and I have now found pure enjoyment in listening to a variety of podcasts whilst driving, be it documentary, politics or even Project Cargo Weekly podcasts which you also can find, listen to and enjoy freely via the app (download here). 304
On the business front we have 2 interesting video interviews and 1 written interview in store for you. We first visit the country known for Fawlty Towers, Princess Diana and now also Prince Harry, and Premier League football, and it is of course England. We talk to a representative of Easyfairs and one of their specialities is arranging events around the globe, not least the ANTWERP XL now finally due in “physical form” in early December at the cradle of breakbulk, i.e., Antwerp, Belgium. It is a must attend event, and you can read more about it here. Then we visit a country of Vikings—or at least we had such strong people in the past, now it is more vegans and people of equality roaming the streets, and I am talking about Denmark. My native country has a strong tradition for shipowning and freight forwarding, and we interview a versatile, newly-started but highly experienced freight forwarding company called Air & Ocean Worldwide. The MD tells us how it is possible to rule the world from his living room. We finally turn 180 degrees and fly 12 hours south to visit a very long country indeed, the home of great wines, beautiful women, and rugged coastline in parts, and a country of very diverse nature, and here we are talking about Chile. Manuport Logistics in Chile tells a compelling story and introduces to us logistics in their corner of the world. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: AntwerpXL - London, UK
Sophie McKimm, Event Manager, AntwerpXL at Easyfairs UK & Global was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: Air & Ocean Worldwide ApS - Copenhagen, Denmark
Rene Moer, CEO & Founder at Air & Ocean Worldwide ApS was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Manuport Logistics – Santiago, Chile
Interview with
Ms. Marisa Helena Lopes de Oliveira Branch Manager 306
First of all Marisa, could you tell our readers a little about your own career in logistics. What makes a woman in Chile choose a career in logistics in the first place? I am Brazilian and started my career in logistics long ago when I was young at Zim Israeli Lines in Santos, Sao Paulo. From there, I worked with some other shipping lines till I finally moved to a freight forwarder and discovered a whole world of new service possibilities including project cargo. The first project cargo shipment I participated in was the shipment of an asphalt plant from the south of Brazil to an internal location in Ghana – such an awesome experience. Then 13 years ago, I moved to Chile and joined a freight forwarder specialized in wine shipments on flexitanks. Later on, I moved to logistics of ISO tanks (haz and non-haz chemicals haz), and finally I arrived at Manuport Logistics, Chile in January 2021. Now turning to Manuport, what can you tell us about the company? I believe your office is part of a larger group. Is that right? That is correct – Manuport Logistics belongs to the EUROPORTS GROUP. It is always a pleasure to talk about Manuport Logistics. It all started in 1926 when Northern Shipping was established. Since then with mergers, new offices, and acquisitions of other companies, we now have 19 offices worldwide with more than 400 full time employees and a turnover of Eur300,000,000. This enables us to offer the market the services of ocean freight (conventional and bulk), barging solutions, road transport, project cargo, warehousing & re-packing, 4PL services, air freight, liquid services, customs, control tower, and rail transport. However, in my opinion, you can find the best part of Manuport Logistics in the people who work here– they have the mindset of people who look beyond, with fast thinking, but never forgetting humanity.
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Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? If so could you elaborate a bit and give us a few examples? Sure, one of the projects I participated in was the shipment of an asphalt plant on a BB vessel, shipped parts of an Airbus turbine engine on an Antonov, shipped yachts, drilling machines. Chile is a very, shall we say, extremely long country although narrow. This must mean logistical challenges. Do you also provide inland logistics services in Chile? Please tell our readers about the variety of your countryside and the length of your country? You are correct. Chile is 4.200 kms long, and the width varies from 15-445km. It has a population of 19 mill people with 9 million concentrated in the Metropolitan área of Santiago and the remaining 10 million spread along the country. There is just 1 international airport in the country located here in Santiago. All of that summed up contributes to a particular condition which is the limited availability of logistics resources in the north and south of the country since the majority of the companies are concentrated in the area of Santiago, and the ports we have are in the Region Central: Valparaiso and San Antonio. However, with the passing of the years and with the companies which were installed mainly in the north (mining and solar industry) and some in the south (solar industry), some terminals were built, and many trucking companies opened branches in other cities to attend to this new demand. So now, it is easier to move any equipment one might need inside of the country from the north to the south.
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How about customs clearance? Is it easy? Difficult? Chilean Customs are very friendly and restrictive at the same time. You have to do things according to the law. Yet, the majority of the procedures are done online, so this usually makes things easy.
What are the main ports used in Chile for the offloading of project and general cargoes? Are there some ports that you recommend in particular? The ports, in general, have good infrastructure, so choosing a port will depend mainly on where the cargo will be taken to in the first place. We have the ports in the north (Antofagasta, Mejillones, Iquique), the center of the country (Valparaiso and San Antonio), the south (Talcahuano, San Vicente, Coronel, Lirquen), and the far south (Puerto Montt – although it is usually not used for containers). In Chile, the most important thing to know is the cargo’s final destination. With that, we can define the optimal POD. How is the current economic condition in Chile, also in light of the COVID crisis situation? This county has an amazing ability to recover. We had a 18.2% economic growth rate during the past 3 months, and 35% of the people who lost their jobs due to the Pandemic are already employed. So, we can only expect the best. How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? My email is m.deoliveira@manuport-logistics.cl and my cell phone is +569 97377880. https://www.manuport-logistics.com/
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Featured Video The Swedish Ship Götheborg Editor’s Note: Received this from well-renowned GAC Gulf Agency Company who, besides being a global player in agency, apparently is also involved in handling “ships from history”.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Returning from Denmark to Sweden via Helsingør-Helsingborg. On the Denmark side, the heritage castle of KRONBORG and on the Helsingborg side 15 min. away, the Eimskip container vessel Bruarfoss loading for Greenland. A wonderful crossing indeed!
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WEEK 37 – 2021 September 16, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 16th of September, week 37 and since it is Thursday, it also means that PCW are back again. This past week has seen me staying here at home in Stockholm, and as I have done over the years since perhaps the change of the millennium, I have been working from home wherever that has been and otherwise working whilst on the road. I am embarking today on another grand tour of Finland going east, then north and across the Bay of Bothnia again, and then south to the West Coast to attend a COSCO vessel in the port of Uddevalla before returning to the “dragon” at home that still needs explanations about why trips are necessary. Perhaps, as a wise man once said, “Traveling is living” or “Life is a journey, travel it well”. (I think the latter was an airline commercial.) Speaking of airlines, it seems that the US is facing an unprecedented rise in unruly passengers, and with tempers flying high, there seems to be little or no patience around. An overall level aggression seems to be rising generally. See this video clip or this one. But, of course, as normally is the case, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Let’s not forget that the vast majority of flights which are pleasant, comfortable, and a wonderful experience overall. But then again, Americans have always been loud. I have always been able to hear them in hotel lobbies all over the world arguing about their bonus points or asking for the supervisor….Heard it before ?? I have just booked my next overseas flight to Qatar and Dubai in November. Qatar Airways is an airline that I really like to fly with from a customer service perspective—food and drinks and ambience onboard. Cathay Pa312
cific is another favourite, but it has been, alas, too long since I was in Asia. Yes, it does seem that the Middle East/ Turkey and Asia is host to the most service-minded of the airlines around and from where us in the “old world” could learn a lot. Here in Europe, there are currently arguments going on between Poland and Lithuania (both EU members) and Belarus, the one man state squeezed in close to Russia where it is alleged that immigrants are now stuck at the border once again. Belarus, no doubt, is letting them pass through in order to “punish the EU” for sanctions and the EU, as usual, with their impotent border agency Frontex has still NOT been able to get their borders protected properly. I recall 2015 when the politically-correct Macron and Merkel chastised Victor Orban of Hungary for erecting a fence. What is happening now is that Poland, Greece, Spain, and other sensible nations are scrambling to do exactly that. Yet, it would be a gigantic loss of face for the 2M (Not Maersk/MSC) but Macron/Merkel to admit that they were wrong. That, in fact, the EU crisis in immigration, and disintegration, and the leaving of the UK from the union was to a great extent caused by this inability to take hard and necessary decisions. Sweden, where I reside for now, is now # 1 in gun shootings in Europe, and if you look at this map compiled by the Swedish Television, you will find a scary reminder that nowhere is safe and that the Pippi Long-stocking country is in parts no more!
For those who don’t read Swedish it says: ”Since 2018, 1272 shootings, 450 wounded and 168 dead.” I leave it to you to speculate on why this increase in violence since 2015 began gradually. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com 313
Interviews Hillebrand Kenya Limited – Nairobi, Kenya
Interview with
Mr. Christian Fazekas Regional Manager East Africa
First of all, Christian, tell us a bit about your own logistics career leading up to your stationing now in Kenya. My journey in Logistics started 33 years ago in Austria and did a stopover at the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City 2002. It continued to the Middle East (Dubai) for 10 years where I had already been in charge of East Africa for a few years. Due to the fact that my wife is Kenyan and Hillebrand needed some groundwork to do in East Africa, it was a good mix for both parties. We service 13 countries in East Africa, and apart from alcohol, we have quite a unique product with our self-produced Flexitanks which can carry up to 24,000 liters of bulk liquid in a standard 20’ Container. Tell us about how life is in Nairobi and tell us about logistics in Kenya in general. Is it difficult? As always, there are good and not so good parts about life anywhere, but it’s quite amazing living next to the 314
Nairobi National Park, and looking—thanks to COVID-19 and working from my home office—directly into the park from my balcony during “office hours”.
The view of Nairobi National Park from my home-office Logistics, in general, is not rocket science, but the problem comes in when there are several government offices involved in the importing of containers, and it’s not streamlined. Even if, theoretically, everything is online, there is still the need to run around with physical papers and stamps & seals. I think over time we are getting there. The goal for well-organized businesses to flourish because, if bureaucracy kicks in too much, it can kill businesses unnecessarily. What is the main line of business for Hillebrand? If memory serves me right, then you are heavily involved in “liquid” logistics? In short, our niche has been Food & Beverage for 175 years, with a strong focus on alcoholic beverages and bulk liquids in FlexiTanks. 315
Although it is technically not project or heavy cargo, there are still special rules governing these kinds of transports, right? Elaborate if you can a bit further,please. Yes, as you can imagine, alcohol is a special topic everywhere. It needs special care and has lots of restrictions. As a result, not everyone can import these items. Wine, for example, does not need to be transported in a reefer container. However, temperature spikes can kill the taste of wine and reduce the quality. We produce Vinliners which protect the cargo from temperature spikes. Apart from that, we have weather statistics from which we know the average temperatures during the past years. For example, if we bring a container of French wine to Kenya in April, we have an idea of the average temperatures during April over the past few years. So, we can decide if a Vinliner is good enough to protect the cargo or if we need a Reefer.
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How about customs clearance in Kenya. Is that difficult? It is not an easy task, and we start 10 days before the container hits the Mombasa port in order to have all the documents lined up and all pre-approvals in hand. In general, in our industry, we can avoid 80% of the headaches when we pre-plan properly what we do. If the importer here is an Authorized Economic Operator, it “fast forwards” the process, and we get into the “green channel” and can clear everything much faster.
Tell us about the main ports of the country. In our region, we have Djibouti which serves as a port for Djibouti & Ethiopia. Mombasa would be the port serving Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, & DRC Congo. The Dar Es Salaam port is best for Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
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Please let people know how to reach you. They can be in touch as follows: c.fazekas@hillebrand.com / +34734972758 on WhatsApp / LinkedIn
Afrilog – Germiston, Gauteng, South Africa
Interview with
Mr. Basil L.S. Pietersen Executive Director
First of all, could you elaborate a bit on the history of Afrilog, its ownership, and your main line of business currently? One cannot talk about Afrilog without making reference to the parent company, namely CSTT Afrique De L’Quest, commonly known as CSTT-AO. What started out as a Senegalese customs clearing business in 1949 has, under the leadership of its Chairman and Owner, Mr Mamadou Lamine Gueye, developed into what is today referred to as a supply chain business. That said, I must hasten to mention that a number of legal entities emerged from within CSTT AO while some were acquired. The need to establish business across borders necessitated the need for a “universal /African” name which would be accepted across the African Continent. Afrilog was therefore born in the year 2000. Shortly thereafter, Afrilog South Africa was registered. Again, this was as a result of the demands and challenges placed upon 318
the company by both our clients and the marketplace. The main reason for the establishment of Afrilog SA was to fulfil the Supply Chain Management requirements for our clients and by so doing, streamlining operations and reducing inventory cost while simultaneously improving service levels. The many years of operational experience across the “Group” companies enabled Afrilog to design supply chains. As a Group, our vision is to build long-term, sustainable supply chain solutions, incorporating ongoing improvements.
Today, the term “Supply Chain” is commonly used in our industry, but there are only a few companies who can actually claim to offer such a holistic solution. Afrilog’s offering starts with sourcing and procurement, and covers all freight forwarding, customs clearance, transport, warehousing, and delivery to the final destination… irrespective of the mode of transport.
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Africa is a huge continent, and I suppose no one can cover it all. In your opinion, which countries besides South Africa can you handle from a logistics point of view? Do you have offices elsewhere on the continent, and/or do you work with local agents/partners where you don’t have your own branch? You are correct. The continent of Africa is huge with the total number of countries totalling 53, including the Indian Ocean Islands. In southern Africa, we have offices in Namibia, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mauritius. In countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, we have long-established relationships, and we, for the moment, have no intention of establishing our own offices in these countries. With our parent company situated in Senegal, it stands to reason that our West African footprint is strong and wide. We have our own offices in Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinee, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. Again in countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, Togo, Niger, and Mauritania, we have excellent partnerships with reputable like-minded logistic and freight forwarding companies.
It is a well-know fact that without an established network on the African Continent, it would almost be impossible to deliver a professional service. That said, we are able to meet the needs of our clients across the continent. We have successfully completed work in countries other than those mentioned. These include Ethiopia, Cameroun, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda, Sudan, and we can also include Saudi Arabia and Jeddah to be exact. In the main, we handle and manage exports from South Africa and elsewhere in the world directly to African destinations. Being responsible for the strategic sourcing and procurement allows us to dictate the purchase terms, and in this way, we control the entire movement of the cargo by sea, land, and air, utilizing the most cost-effective means of transport, including both air and sea charters. 320
Do you have experience handling project and oversized cargoes? Could you provide us with a few examples? Within the group structure resides a legal entity, namely Multimodal Logistics Solutions (Pty) Ltd., trading as Multilog Solutions. Multilog is known as a projects logistics company. That said, we have within the Group secured the services of skilled project managers who have over the years delivered abnormal and out of gauge cargo from South Africa and globally to challenging destinations on the African Continent. Specializing in the mining industry, we would be responsible for the movement of cargo from the exploration to the construction stage, and finally when the mine has been constructed, we take management of what is known as the supply stage.
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The construction phase is where we move complete Bore Mills weighing from 90 tons to 180 tons, measuring up to 12 meters in length and 6 meters in diameter. The movement of every piece of equipment needed for the construction of a mine is handle and managed by the Group – some include, Girth Gears, Transformers, Cranes and counterweights, Wire Screens (diameters of 4 to 6 m), Crushers and ship loads of steel pipes in lengths of between 12-15 meters. We are also involved in the construction industry, and here we move various items, pylons, concrete beams, structured steel of all shapes and sizes, diesel generation plants, etc., not forgetting the beverage industry where we have moved complete bottling washers/plants on the continent, construction vehicles of all sizes as well as busses.
I have been approached by many people who claim to be “Africa experts”. What is your view on that? Does anyone hold all the answers? Is the continent operating differently from a logistics standpoint? Is there any EU style alignment in the movement of goods and services coming up? Are there initiatives on the way to make the world’s biggest free trade zone? Please tell our readers what is happening in Africa if possible. As previously stated, the African continent is huge with more than 50 countries all emerging and being at different stages of development. It can almost be confirmed that the unique challenge in moving cargo on the continent is infrastructure. That being said, I must hasten to state that much is being done to rectify the situation. However, it is going to take many more years before we will get to an acceptable situation. Development includes not only road infrastructure, but also new sea ports are being constructed, and more and more we have seen the creation of new airports. All this augers well for the future of the continent. Much attention is needed in terms of border crossings. Bureaucracy is what hampers the flow of cargo across borders, especially to the so-called landlocked countries. We have seen a number of initiatives emerging, and yes, it must be acknowledged that some have been in the making for years without much in the form of positive results, but the example recently seen in East Africa is definitely a positive one. 322
Today, a total of 20 odd countries, in the main from East and Central Africa, have embarked on an exercise to ease the movement of goods and people across borders. Obviously, this is the first set, and secondly, there is the question of documentation for imports and/or export. To achieve the first, they must seek uniformity in the documentation. This, I might add, is well-documented, and a number of countries have signed the necessary approvals – obviously pending certain approvals from the authorities. COMESA and other Agencies within the African Union are hard at work in this regard. While we cannot talk about an EU style alignment today, we can however state that given the time, it will be a reality. As for the so-called “African experts”, all I can say is that I have not met a company who on its own can claim to be experts. Afrilog, though being truly African with only African share-holders, and understanding the challenges of the environment as we are based and operating out of Africa is possibly the closest you will get to being truly African. 323
When did you start your own career in logistics, and what made you choose this career path? This is a question which has been asked so many times and to be truthful, I must admit that it was definitely not by design but rather by chance. The story of how this happened is a rather lengthy one. Safe to say that it happened 50 years ago. No doubt the story is the same from both those who have retired and those still active: once you enter the Freight Forwarding and or Logistics Industry, you never leave. Needless to say, it did not take long for me to realize that the freight forwarding industry is where I belong. It started with an old English man who had a vision to establish the first freight forwarding management company. We managed all facets of importers and exporters shipping departments. From a two-man business, within a short period, we had a head count of 30 plus people. After eight years, he retired, and a few of us (employees) took over the business. Soon, the other two partners sold out to one of the then biggest logistics companies. I now had a new boss. After a few years of me successfully managing the business, the majority shareholder decided that it had bigger things for me to do. I’ve spent more years than I can count managing various departments and businesses within the Group, also holding many directorships. Life has taught us that nothing lasts forever. The business was bought out, and again, I had a new boss who really did not understand the business. It was not long before I decided to move on. That did not last long. I soon found the bureaucracy too much and decided it was time to do my own thing, so to speak. With a colleague and the Senegalese partners, we started Multilog and Afrilog in South Africa. The rest is history. My career has taken many wonderful turns. Here’s one of them: for the past 14 years, I’ve chaired the South African Association of Freight Forwarders, known as SAAFF and became FIATA President in 2019. In dealing with logistics into South Africa and beyond, what rule of thumb would you say works? As mentioned previously, countries on the continent are all in different stages of development. This means each requires a different approach in doing business. It is definitely not a case of “one size fits all.” And unless there is an appreciation for these unwritten rules, one will not succeed. The advice to all new entrants is “do your homework first and respect the rules, the people, and the country in which you find yourself.” South Africa, on the other hand, unlike the rest of the continent, is more developed and enjoys a first world infrastructure with operations for the movement of cargo, both imports and exports. Let us not forget that South 324
African is still used as a gateway to its northern neighbours. The South African Customs Clearing procedures are well-developed and are continually being improved to international standards. How efficient are the customs authorities for both shipments in/out of South Africa but also beyond? Continually, regulations and systems are improved to meet international standards and World Customs Organization rules and procedures. SAAFF, acting on behalf of the industry in South Africa has a strong relationship with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), giving SAAFF the ability to negotiate and influence decisions which will benefit the freight forwarding community, their customers (the importers and exporters) and ultimately you, the consumer. The efficiency is derived from the inclusion of all stakeholders in the supply chain to meet regularly with the view to robustly debate and negotiate with the law makers. This is encouraged, and the results are evident. The challenge though is the ability to maintain such relationships.
South Africa is known for beauty and once when COVID-19 has been eradicated, where would you recommend would be visitors to visit. Can you recommend some lesser-known spots that are worthwhile visiting? South Africa is a vast country with great beauty no matter where you find yourself. Obviously, you chose to go to places which will cater to your interest, and this is what makes South Africa unique. Whatever your fancy, your needs can be met. There are the game parks which are always the number one attraction when planning a trip to SA. Talking about the game parks, these too can differ considerably and caters to all needs – from the extremely luxurious to “regular” luxurious to first class, etc. Also consider which area or part of the country you wish to visit. More importantly, how much time do you have to spend in the country? Is your thing the beaches or the city lights, the mountains or the Bushveld? Then, there is your preference of climate conditions. You can have the tropics, the cooler mountains, the breezy beaches or those areas which remain hot throughout the year. 325
Not forgetting the history of the country – would you be interested in the Zulu and/or Boer wars or the more recent uprising of people during Apartheid rule? Oh, I almost forgot – would you be interested in whale and or dolphin watching, and there are also places for surfers, hikers and/or mountaineers. If people would like to get in touch with you, how is it best for them to do that? I prefer contact through email: basil.pietersen@afrilog.com
Agence Maritime Mohab – Tunis, Tunisia
Interview with
Mr. Hatem Bouricha Vice President
First of all, Hatem, please tell us about the history of your company, and can you tell us who the owners are? Agence Maritime Mohab is owned by Mr. Abderrazek Bouricha, CEO who took over the company from his father. This makes Mohab a family-owned company created in 1972. Mohab started as a shipping agency in Sfax and performed some of the most challenging project cargo ship326
ment for various multinationals in Tunisia. When Mr. Abderrazek took over the company in 1983, he developed Mohab to be one of the top 5 freight forwarders in the country. First, he expanded the company and opened offices in different areas in Tunisia such as our office within Tunis Carthage Airport « TUN » since we were nominated to IATA in 1995. He also constructed both bonded and private warehouses for logistics and supply chain management. Being a freight forwarder in Tunisia did not stop the company from also representing shipowners. Mohab was representing Andrew Weir shipping before they were absorbed by HSUD, which we still represent through Tunisia Intership as a shareholder. Since I joined the company in 2014 as BDM, the main interest that has fascinated me was project cargo logistics. I have dealt with many breakbulk shipments in different continents such as Tunisia – Libya – Algeria and met important, key persons in the project cargo field with whom I have been supporting since that time.
Tunisia has several ports. Could you elaborate a bit on the different ports available and the ones mainly used for project cargo? Below, you can find the main ports used for project cargo along with the nature of equipment to be used and the final destination: La Goulette: RORO carriers (Mafi equipment needed for the job). Rades/Tunis: Actually, Rades and Tunis are the same port and the main port in Tunisia. This port would be used if needing special equipment containers for project cargo. Gabes / Zarzis: Mainly used for project cargo going to Algeria or Libya. Other ports to be considered: Bizerte Port / Sousse Port Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? Could you perhaps provide our readers with a few examples of projects you have handled?
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Yes, of course. Project cargo is the cherry on the cake for freight forwarders, and I have always admired the way we can arrange for perfect coordination and solve multiple issues in order to have a smooth movement of goods.
Here below I can name few projects and provide some photos as well: • Arabsat Station (NEC) • Cement project at Jebel El Ouest • Siemens (Sidi Salem Barrage) • Tool Manufactory in Jerissa • Water Plant in Zaghouan • Huawei Equipement (3G project implementation) • Halliburton in gauge and out of gauge material (Import/Export) North Africa • 15 years of supporting Oil & Gas companies for their import/export within Hassi Messaoud – Algeria • Rades Bridge performed in cooperation with Taisei Corporation & STFA Yatırım Holding A.Ş • Power Plant in Sousse with Siemens & Kraftwerk Union // Capacity of the Project – 153 MWe
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Is customs clearance a problem in Tunisia? Customs clearance in Tunisia is a very easy process if all documents and involved parties are in full regulations. The standard lead time is 3 to 4 days from arrival of goods to accomplish customs formalities. On the first day, you submit the declaration within the customs system. On the second day, you arrange a customs visit, and on the third day, you pay duties & taxes and pick up the goods.
Are there floating cranes available in Tunisian ports generally? Unfortunately, there are no floating cranes in Tunisia.
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Tunisia, as a country, is kind of sandwiched in between Libya and Algeria. Could you tell our readers a bit about the relationship of Tunisia with both countries? Is there a good business relationship with both? How about transhipment via Tunisia into both countries—is that possible and is it being done actually? Yes, Tunisia is a great partner for Libyan and Algerian neighborhood. This partnership is both related to economic and business relationships and also to friendship and social interactions and activities that are more or less common in the North Africa Region, including Morocco, Egypt & Mauritania. Transhipment of heavy and OOG cargo using Tunisia as a transit country till final destination in Algeria or Libya is very common and has supported many refineries in the south of Algeria. The reason is that the northern area in Tunisia and Algeria is mountainous and moving big pieces becomes a real challenge. We’ve made a small study for a special project in south Algeria which shows that by going through Algerian port, the civil work would be more expensive than the transportation itself (although we cannot assess exactly the final amount). However, by using a southern Tunisian port like Gabes or Zarzis, this would significantly improve the cost effectiveness of the project and make it much easier to perform.
What made you start your own career in shipping and logistics? When I actually knew most of the shipping glossary at the age of 15 years old ☺. You know, when your father has been into shipping & logistics his whole life and you are there to learn from his experience, this gave me plenty of confidence to keep on running the family business with him. Having my Masters degree from Plymouth University has also helped me a lot in my professional career. How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? Please feel free to contact me at the below email / mobile number: Email: hatem@am-mohab.com Mob: +21629900135 https://www.am-mohab.com/
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Featured Video A Video Introduction to PCW Editor’s Note: It is time for a bit of self promotion. Although we only allow 4 banner ads in each online newsletter so you will be seen, that doesn’t mean that we are not keen to attract new advertisers to PCW. Hope you will enjoy this video we have made about Project Cargo Weekly.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Visited the Port of Södertālje near Stockholm recently, and in port I spotted a Con-Ro vessel from Holmen. On the weather deck, some Den Hartogh tank containers were loaded. Nice day and good to be out and about in port whenever possible. Seeing is believing!
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CROSS OCEAN AIR & SEA PROJECT LOGISTICS NETWORK www.cross-ocean.com
Cross Ocean is a network belonging to the CLC Projects group. The network was established on April 1, 2018 and has currently around 104 members in 82 countries around the world. Cross Ocean also provides trips around the world enabling anyone to buy a ticket and travel, mainly by commercial container ships. The Cross Ocean Network supports their members with sales leads, trade intelligence and general help for members to interact and find the right connections worldwide. Cross Ocean is a project cargo network that is young, strong and up and coming, and it has grown tremendously since its inception in 2018. As part of the CLC Projects group, the total strength of being part of the Cross Ocean network should not be underestimated. We invite you to contact us for further information and to join our expanding project freight forwarding network now!
WEEK 38 – 2021 September 23, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 23rd of September, Week 38, and we are here, hopefully, in your inbox. I had another great trip, combining two ferry rides with a lot of driving. I visited Turku, Helsinki, Kotka, Jyvaskyla, Kokkola, Vaasa, and then across the Bay of Bothnia to Umeå, Köpmanholmen, and finally Stockholm. In the featured picture of the week further down, you can see a few pictures from my travels. However, I do wish to share a video from the brand new LNG-operated ferry mv Aurora Bothnia coming straight from the yard at Rauma, Finland. See this video of mv Aurora Bothnia arriving and departing Vaasa. In the video you can also see a lot of heavy machinery from the Finnish producer Wärtsila ready for export on the pier! What a pleasant experience—not least because I had the pleasure of Mr. Marko Stampehl of BBC Chartering joining me. We know each other from before, and he also has roots in Finland. For more about BBC Chartering take a look here: www.bbc-chartering.com Driving in Finland is nice, and whoever makes the speed cameras must have good business as they are everywhere — even in the countryside! At the Port of Kotka I met with Steveco (https://www.steveco.fi), a huge port and stevedoring company in Finland. The port visit was impressive as was my visit to the Port of Kokkola courtesy of Rauanheimo — part of KWH Logistics (https://www.rauanheimo.com) — which is being used a lot for Russian bulk transit goods such as iron ore and other metals and minerals they can dig out of the ground there. Speaking of Russia, I believe that the president won the election again (surprise, surprise) and as with the president of Belarus and the leader of North Korea, I doubt that there ever was a question of the end-result after “voting”. Finland has the longest border of any EU country with Russia and they, if any, know whether or not they can be trusted. I discussed at length with some of the people that I met in Finland their relationship to normal Russians, and it does seem that there is a middle class now who are able to buy summer houses in Finland and who are anything BUT the oligarchs and wealthy Russians that roam the streets and property market of London, Cyprus 334
and Nice. I travelled through Russia several times by rail. Seeing the real country outside the big cities is certainly an experience. Here you can talk about a whole population that has taken a beating for centuries at the mercy of whoever was the ruler in the Kremlin. Still, it is 2021, and perhaps there is a light shining even there — at least they have been able for some years to travel abroad without the NKVD, KGB or FSB following their every move. In the European sphere politically there has been a big argument about the botched attempt by France to sell their submarine technology to Australia after the latter decided to follow the US and UK into making a grand alliance in the Pacific in order to counter the Chinese influence. The EU, of course, backs the French position which is hardly surprising since the way of working in Brussels is by default “done the French way” — meaning the huge expensive bureaucracy and related inflated costs of everything done. Germany is going to the polls, and stability is key for this country, but this editor hopes that some of the scandals — including the VW Dieselgate and the lack of high quality internet across the country (to mention a few) — can be rectified and fast. This is after all 2021, and hopefully, a leader with more vision and boldness in dealing with current problems can be found. Finally, DON’T forget to take a look at our new PCW Media Kit Video. By only allowing 4, repeat 4 banner ads in each issue of PCW, you don’t drown in ads and you do get noticed! Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Project One Logistics – Houston, Texas, USA
Interview with
Ms. Anne Schaeddel Owner & Managing Director
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Can you tell us a little about the history, background, and ownership of Project One. I founded Project One over 2 years ago, and I am the Owner & Managing Director of the company. My idea is to focus on the customer and their project needs with tailor-made supply chains. I have been working in logistics basically my whole life and have experience from the ship owner side as well as freight forwarding. Our area gives so many opportunities, and I love to put the entire project together – turnkey or door to door.
Where can we find examples of projects you are/were/will be involved in? Our favorite tool for showing our project portfolio and the work we do is LinkedIn, where we share not only videos and pictures, but also informative links about the logistics industry. 336
We currently work with several sectors: construction, oil & gas, and power & energy. We are working with several steel plants in the US importing heavy parts for their new plants and exporting coils worldwide. We also do Oil & Gas projects and transport LNG tanks, compressors, and steel structures for rigs. We are in the process of several upcoming projects this year, but they are still confidential, and we cannot share any information. Please follow us on LinkedIn to follow our current and upcoming projects: https:// www.linkedin.com/company/project-one-logistics
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Has the Corona pandemic had an effect on your business? If so, could you give us a few details. Covid has affected all of us, of course. I wrote an article about the situation Covid and the Supply Chain – how it changed the world and what’s to come. Dealing with ship owners is different now, as they do not care about negotiations or any co-loading cargo. It is basically first come, first serve. Either who pays the most gets the space or it’s via contracts and having a good network within the carriers. This is not sustainable, and hopefully, this will change next year.
Why did you choose to locate in Houston, Texas (USA)? Houston, especially, is a hub for project freight forwarding and surely, we have many great clients and vendors in town. 338
What is special about Project One? In other words, why choose your company? We stand out for our exceptional customer service, extensive knowledge, and the ability to find solutions on the spot. Our customers know we are very reliable and that what we say is what we do. We always stick to our word and ensure everything runs smoothly from A-Z.
Tell us a bit about your global contacts. Do you belong to any specialized networks? We do not find it particularly difficult to reach different partners worldwide as a big portion of our customers are in different countries. We belong to the CLC and OOG Network, both of which have great worldwide networks, and we are happy to be a part of them. We do know a lot of companies personally due our long-term, established relationships before joining these networks. 339
In your opinion, what is the biggest key to successful project logistics? The biggest key to project logistics is preplanning, and we love to do it. Having the accurate dimensions, weight, drawings, TOS, lifting points, and sometimes pictures in hand, can give us the chance to plan as accurately as possible. We currently are experiencing a lack of trucks, and often, this has resulted in cancellations, but we solve problems first and look immediately at options for the best solutions to ensure there are not any headaches for our customers and that we are not leaving them in the dark. In the end, that’s our job, too. For oversized cargo, we pre-plan so much that usually the trucks, permits and any escorts we need to perform the job are already in place when the cargo is ready to move.
Why did you choose to work in this industry? From a young age, I was fascinated with different cultures and exploring the world. I love to travel, meet new people and learn about their culture. I knew I could live anywhere in the world with this job, and every day is a different but exciting challenge. It never gets boring. When our readers would like to contact Project One, what is the best way for them to do this? The best way to contact us is by email – one@projectonelogistics.com Website: www.projectonelogistics.com
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Video Interview: Port of Umeå / Kvarken Ports - Sweden
Patrik Rudolfsson, Harbour Master på Kvarken Ports Ltd and Christer Nederstedt, Sales and Marketing Manager på Kvarken Ports Ltd were interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Mainstream – Auckland, New Zealand
Interview with
Mr. Matt Pearson Special Projects Manager 341
First off Matt, can you please tell us about the history of Mainstream, New Zealand? Mainstream started in the domestic transport market in 1993. It branched into international freight in 2006 and 3PL at around the same time, and we are now one of the largest domestic and distribution forwarders in New Zealand, with sixteen offices and over 370 staff.
Elaborate, if you will, on the major ports of New Zealand. Which ones are mainly used for project cargo on both the north and south islands? That’s a tough one. It depends where the destination is. New Zealand has some fairly narrow roads and strict trucking weight limits, which can make transport of larger items (+100TN) difficult. Certainly, the main ports are Auckland, Taurang and Lyttelton, however for heavy/large project cargo, we often have to use Timaru on the south island, as it has better road access than Lyttelton. Basically, it depends on the cargo type, weight, dimensions etc. and the final destination. New Zealand is located quite remotely, but you are certainly close to many of the Pacific islands. Does this proximity to some of the Pacific countries mean project cargo business for Mainstream as well? Yes, it does, we often handle projects to the islands and often New Zealand is the easiest origin for the islands to source from. A lot of old machinery that is not fit for purpose (or won’t pass the regulatory requirements) in New Zealand is still fine for the islands too, so we often work there for project cargo.
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Could you provide us with a few examples of cargo that you have handled? Sure, I have worked with many large cranes from Europe to New Zealand, also Australia to New Zealand and I’m currently dealing with a crawler crane from Fremantle which is 742m3 and 295TN. It’s coming over as a mix of MAFI (11 x MAFI trailers), ro-ro and static load. That’s a tricky one because the client needs it on site three days after arrival, so we have some serious time restraints to try get it cleared through MPI (quarantine) in time to meet the clients’ deadlines.
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I’m also involved in a project into North Australia for four 72TN dryer units which require specialised inline floats for delivery and full onsite crane hire for positioning. I am just waiting to hear about a new wind farm in New Zealand, which should also be confirmed in October and will involve vessel charters, 100 + containers and complex inland laydown areas. This is the type of project we like to work with as it demonstrates the point of difference between us and most forwarders in New Zealand. It takes a lot of planning with Gantt charts and understanding the clients’ critical pathways to be able to perform to their expectations. The BMSB (brown marmorated stink bug) season doesn’t help with this type of cargo coming often from Europe. Competition is a reality for all in shipping nowadays. What do you think makes you stand out? I would say it’s a combination of several points: 1) There are not that many companies in New Zealand that specialise in project cargo and know how to handle it effectively. 2) Our brand; we sponsor local teams and have a reputable brand within New Zealand. 3) Flexibility; all decisions are made in our office in Auckland and so decisions around services, resources etc. are made very quickly, with no red tape, which our clients and partners really like.
When did you start your career in shipping and logistics? What prompted you to choose a career in this field? I started working in freight forwarding in 2007, as my father started Mainstream Global (though he’s long since retired now) and he needed some help with filing etc. It was just a part-time job before I started university. That was twelve years ago and I’m still enjoying the industry. I first began project work shortly after starting organising a few factory relocations and handling heavy machinery movements, then went full-time project in 2016. 344
How to get in touch with you? It’s best to contact me via: matt.pearson@mainstream.co.nz M: +64 21 274 1322
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Featured Video Departing the Port of Stockholm on mv Amorella of Viking Line Editor’s Note: Departing the Port of Stockholm on mv Amorella of Viking Line to sail to Finland is wonderful, especially now when it gets darker earlier. See here some footage that I took last week when passing a giant passenger vessel mv AIDA enroute out from Stockholm downtown. Glad to see that cruise traffic is getting ignited again.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Had another road trip to Finland/Sweden last week that took me to Turku, Helsinki, Kotka, Jyvaskyla, Kokkola, Kallajoki, Vaasa, a ferry across to Umeå, Harnösand, and then Stockholm. Took a lot of pictures, and you will find a nice collection of them here. 346
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WEEK 39 – 2021 September 30, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is week 39 and the last issue before the golden week in China, their National Day (国庆节 Guó qìng jié). Perhaps if they stop exporting for a week, and we stop buying from China for a week, we can clear some of the backlog now clogging their ports and in particular US ports. The global supply chain is out of whack, the global debt has reached astronomical heights, and one of many (no doubt) real estate developers (this time, the Chinese developer Evergrande) is about to default on massive debts almost the size of the Swedish BNP. What is going on? Do we need all the stuff from China? What is it we import particularly to the west that we don’t already have? To my mind, we should spend more time being happy with what we’ve already got and take a moment to reflect on life: We may have everything we need materially (particularly in the west), but we’ve also got an enormous bunch of unhappy and lonely people out there that for some reason cannot find happiness or are living in pain. Living in pain and being prescribed medication by big pharma (and their doctors in tow) is another one of the scandals besides the global debt crisis that I have looked into in during the past week. I saw a very scary documentary on HBO called “The Crime of the Century” which mainly focused on the opioid disaster in the US. It reported that the total number of deaths from prescription drugs has surpassed by far the number of deaths from wars in which the US has participated. I ask again: ”What is going on?” Indeed, what kind of democracy or system of society is it exactly that some of our leaders feel we should “export” to others? The US debt ceiling needs to be raised yet again (see here), so overall, for how long can we continue to keep on printing money? I am no economist and not an alarmist either, but I do feel that something ain’t right, and let us see if I am right about it in the near future. 348
I have embarked on a trip, and since I am “green”, I am taking the train from Stockholm to Copenhagen – Hamburg – Gdansk – Rostock – Aarhus before finally flying back. Each train ride is between 5-10 hours, but it’s a pleasant way of being transported and with wifi (not wife) onboard, you can get work done, watch a movie, or listen to your favourite music. Before I turn to what’s in store today, let me share some pictures from a great Sunday last I had when visiting the Port of Södertālje – Stockholm gateway where a seldom seen Swire vessel (mv NEWCHANG) in the Baltic was present discharging housing modules from Malaysia.
Today, we start off by visiting the land of many governments since WWII, great food, & design, and also a place where you will find the headquarters of ALN or Africa Logistics Network & Logimar. They tell us why you should consider joining their club. We then remind you of 2 interviews we had with a couple of major shipowners starting with SAL Heavy Lift in Hamburg, a provider of very specialized heavylift tonnage, and finally, with COSCO Shipping in Hamburg who, as you know, offer both container and breakbulk services particularly to Asia. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com 349
Interviews Logimar Srl / Africa Logistics Network (ALN) / Exclusive Project Network (EPN) - Milan, Italy
Interview with
Mr. Marcello Saponaro CEO of Logimar Srl and founder of ALN and EPN networks
First of all Marcello, please tell our readers about your own shipping and logistics background. When did you start in this line of business, and what is your current role(s) in shipping & networking? I always say that despite suffering from the Peter Pan Syndrome, I have been in this business for a little less than 30 years. More than 10 years ago, in Logimar, we decided to focus the company on Project Cargo, and 6 years ago we founded Africa Logistics Network. A few months ago, together with a partner, Juergen Weyhausen, CEO of 7WL, we also founded Exclusive Project Network. I think these are the huge niches in which we had to specialize, and we did. Africa is, shall we say, the last continent that still needs development, and I understand that you established a network of freight forwarders interested in Africa. Tell our readers more. How many members 350
do you have; what are the advantages of belonging to a network like yours? Yes, indeed. I founded Africa Logistics Network together with my father, the first Chairman, because we wanted to be able to handle any kind of shipment to / from any place in Africa. After having been robbed by a criminal forwarder, in 2015 we established ALN. Not to bill membership fees as the only mission, but to have a professional network of partners in every country of the black continent. Now, we have 240 members in the World, 85 of them in Africa, 100% of the continent well covered, and a sister network growing day by day, Airfreight Logistics Network for Africa (ALNA).
There are, as you know, a lot of networks out there, and not a week goes by when it seems that a new network is not popping up. How do you ensure that you stand out among the networks out there? Why choose you? I think we work in the same way, targeting the quality. ALN members know that first I want a strong network, and this is the reason why the founder members in 2015 are still proud ALN members. Just one example…. For two years, we have not been able to organize the annual meeting. But we organized one virtual meeting every year, investing money to make a big event with special guests, one week of one-to-one meetings and a special closure. One week completely free of charge for our members… The Opening was open to everybody! All because we care about the network. The next virtual meeting is scheduled for October 26th to November 5th 2021.
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Your main base is in Italy which traditionally has been active particularly in North Africa and East Africa if my history lessons are learnt. How do you go about getting in touch with members around the continent, given that there are quite a few countries also in the interior? 50% world of mouth, 50% marketing—including newsletter, magazines and ads. If you would say it in a few words, then WHY is it a good idea to join a network like ALN, and what benefits do you feel that it brings to the members? Networks are the only way for small and medium companies to expand their business in the most difficult markets; the only markets that will be left to them in the future; Project Cargo and Africa. Has COVID-19 impacted your business as well? I suppose that network meetings in physical form are still out of the question or what are your plans in this regard going forward? Next meeting, not virtual but face-to-face and drink to drink, has been scheduled in Muscat, Oman, for February 2022, just a few months after the virtual one. I feel so strongly that all our partners want to come back to meet again. I think Muscat 2022 is going to be the best meeting of ALN… and EPN!
Exactly! Please tell our readers something more about EPN. The main feature of Exclusive Project Network(EPN) is written in its name. It’s Exclusive, just one member per country. Also, only really professional members. The membership fee is related to the GPN of each Country. EPN is having the first meeting in Muscat as well, in the same days, in the same location of ALN. It’s growing very fast. I think that when you have a project, people understand whether you want to make an extraordinary network or you are just a machine billing membership fees. You have the same philosophy. We have an active and proactive approach… that makes all the difference. How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you? Here is my contact information: Logimar Srl Marcello Saponaro, CEO marcello.saponaro@logimar.it marcello@africalogisticsnetwork.com info@epnetwork.net https://www.logimar.it/ https://www.africalogisticsnetwork.com/ https://www.epnetwork.net/ 352
Video Interview: SAL Heavy Lift – Hamburg, Germany
Juergen Kuntz – Senior Manager Chartering & Projects at SAL Heavy Lift was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: COSCO Shipping Lines - Hamburg, Germany
Dennis von Gogh, Deputy Manager, Special Traffic / Project Department – COSCO Shipping Lines (Germany) GmbH was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video Discharging Wind Turbine Blades at Port of Oskarshamn, East Coast of Sweden Editor’s Note: Being in port and close up to see the discharging of mega long blades for the wind turbine industry is always a sight and an impressive one at that. Enjoy this footage that I took not many months ago in the Port of Oskarshamn, East Coast of Sweden courtesy of TSA Agency Sweden.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A Swire bulk carrier with project cargo (prefab housing modules) seen on a beautiful day here in Port of Södertälje, Stockholm Gate last week. Impressive to say the last and whilst TSA Agency Sweden were acting as vessels agents, the charterer Frontlog both liked to use the Port of Södertälje, Sweden for their efficiency in handling.
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WEEK 40 – 2021 October 7, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 7th of October and we are back again. Since Tuesday the 28th of September, I have, in fact, been on a major trip here in the northern part of Europe — meaning mainly Denmark, Germany, and Poland. I’ve been traveling the whole route by train and returning today to visit my parents in DK-Grenå before flying back to Stockholm on October 11. I suppose I am wanted back home in order to help out with the kids, but let us see if I am let back in 😃. The trip has taught me a lot, especially being reminded about how the beauty of traveling, meeting people face to face, listening to them, hearing them out, and sharing both family and business experiences is what really enriches—that is if you are open to it. It is not for everyone, and as a wise man once said, it does cost money to earn money and the same goes for networking—not everyone can do it, and those who are lousy at it long-term only contact you when they need something. Yet it would be good for them to realize that they need to keep in touch when they don’t. That is a good lesson once the Corona season is finally over: take stock of your “friends” and your “business partners”, and clean up where applicable I first took the SJ Swedish railways from Stockholm to Copenhagen. It is a 6-hr journey with excellent internet onboard, comfortable cabins, and only one change at Malmö. In Copenhagen, I had 2 tasks. One was a lunch with the head of Maersk Special Cargo.
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The second was joining a working group on the development of Baltic ports, in particular the South East Baltic for both project cargo and Silk Road connections via the Ports of Mukran and Karlshamn. Lots is happening in the Baltic, and new solutions are popping up frequently with ports overall being active in thinking new. See the presentations here. After dinner in the evening with some long-term friends of mine from my China days in the early 90’s, I took the early morning train with DSB to Hamburg. It was 5 hrs in what can be described mainly as cattle class. Although traveling in 1st class, in Denmark, there is, per se, no difference between 1st or 2nd class. Now I am not a snob, but if you pay extra to sit well, have peace to work, and a bit of space for your legs, then DSB simply hasn’t got the product you want. Add to that some simple breakfast rolls that virtually were thrown your way and instant coffee that you also had to make yourself, of course. Not an impressive experience overall, and from a country that produced someone like Maersk, we should do better with our railways, particularly when considering how small the country really is. Still, better not complain because remember the world does revolve around Denmark ☺. Made it to Hamburg pretty much on time, and oh, forgot to say that internet onboard was excellent which was a major plus, so no worries there. Made some friends on the way as usual. In Hamburg, I started with meetings straight away after my arrival at 12:10 (noon) on September 29. I met with Coli Shipping, CMA CGM who also joined, and then SAL the heavy lift carrier.
Project Cargo Weekly with COLI Logistics GmbH
Project Cargo Weekly with CMA CGM
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Project Cargo Weekly with SAL Heavy Lift Finally I was collected from downtown by my old friend Mr. Olaf Proes who I have known since he worked in Sinotrans / Rickmers in the mid-eighties. He is now retired and makes model ships. You may take a look at www. model-art.biz and email Olaf at: modelart@t-online.de – when I left Martin Bencher I bought a nice model ship of a breakbulk ship from him as a gift to my partner so I can vouch for the quality and finish. The next day, after a private dinner in Olaf’s house outside Hamburg and being allowed to use the guest room (which was, as always, cozier than any hotel room), I was whisked to downtown Hamburg again and met up with: MSC, COSCO, HMM and ONE and had a final dinner with VTG Logistics coming from Berlin. So indeed a long day of networking.
Project Cargo Weekly with COSCO Shipping 358
Project Cargo Weekly with HMM
Project Cargo Weekly with Ocean Network Express (ONE)
Project Cargo Weekly with VTG AG On Friday, October 1st, I visited first the renowned German shipowner Hapag Lloyd that seems to be doing very well nowadays and their Niche Product Manager that includes OOG and Project Cargo.
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Project Cargo Weekly with Hapag-Lloyd AG Once done, I grabbed a cab to United Heavy Lift and enjoyed a lunch together with them.
Project Cargo Weekly with United Heavy Lift GmbH After that, I had booked a private charter for a Hamburg harbour tour because seeing ships close up and being on a “roadtrip” in port is always impressive. Here you will find selected pictures from this great Friday afternoon. Welcome to view the Hamburg Harbour Tour photo album. After the port harbour tour, I visited 2 terminals: first Eurogate Terminal which is one of the major container terminals of the port of Hamburg: www.eurogate.eu, and then the Wallmann Terminal which is one of the last remaining breakbulk terminals in Hamburg, able to handle breakbulk and project cargo efficiently. See more here: www.wallmann-hamburg.de So, Friday October 1st was not lacking until the end, and I was “home” after a long day at about 8pm. The next morning (October 2), I again boarded a train. This time it was DB (German Railways) via Berlin to Gdansk in Poland which is a 9-hr journey. DB did well with the ICE train: nice seats, fast internet, and clean wagons. In Berlin, which also seemed like a pretty new central station, we changed to the more traditional Polish trains that also were nice. Although it was more cabin style, the big advantage was a proper, open, restaurant car with a solid menu, good service, and no vegan / sustainable / plastic-wrapped food that we nowadays get in many railway companies running their so-called “cafe menu”. So 10 zlotys (or points) to Poland for that. Here are a few pictures from Hamburg – Berlin – Gdansk via trains which may tell you more. 360
I arrived around 8pm to the Radisson Hotel in Sopot by the Polish Baltic Coast which is part of the tri-city area comprising Gdynia, Gdansk, and Sopot. It is clearly the Eastern part of Europe but has developed immensely over the decades, making it a really beautiful spot to visit if you ever plan a holiday. See the Sopot photos here. Gdansk has a huge port, and Gdynia is the location for the office of Chipolbrok (the oldest joint venture in shipping between China / Poland). We had, of course, a solid discussion over dinner, and I can confirm that you eat well in Poland too.
Project Cargo Weekly with Chipolbrok (CP) Before meeting CP, I also met with the branch manager and former colleague of Martin Bencher Poland who is also a successful, local project freight forwarder. Just that coming week, they were to be loading cranes to Australia in Gdansk I believe. I also had lunch with Logfret’s representative in Warsaw.
They are part of CLC Projects www.clcprojects.com a network of project freight forwarders that I am chairing besides PCW. Then finally, after a day’s rest, I departed on October 5th to Rostock in Germany, again via Berlin. I arrived there late in the same evening due to some delay in crossing the border, etc. As a result, I missed the connection and had 361
the pleasure of the DB regional train which, similar to DSB in Denmark, was cattle class with a solid stowage of people to say the least. Anyway, I made some good friends there and had a discussion with a retired mechanical engineer. He bluntly told me that German manufacturing is NOT following modern times and that compared to the very slow rollout of both fast internet countrywide and top/down management in many traditional places, this meant (for him) that Germany was lagging. Come to think of it, it was one of the topics I heard through the grapevine, i.e., that too many local or other governmental bodies in between have a habit of delaying decision making, so it is difficult to get anything done. Frankly speaking, it is a wider problem of our democracies in the West. We are now seemingly unable to do anything fast either because there is a green sustainable lobby using their ideology to press their goals, irrespective of costs or other reasons so that voting is unclear. Still, what to do? Let us just hope for Europe’s sake that the EU and Germany have a plan, and moreover a vision for something, and above all can act FASTER.I arrived safely into Rostock — a place which I never visited before and only heard about due to ferry connections to Scandinavia and the former seat of DSR Deutsche Seereederei from the old DDR days in Germany. I had a very nice day and port tour organised by the Rostock Port www.rostock-port.de and Euroports www.euroports.com and I also took quite a few pictures that you can see here.
Project Cargo Weekly with ROSTOCK PORT GmbH & Euroports Rostock is not a big place but a very cozy and old historical city with some centuries of history to its credit, beautifully located by the coast. The main attraction in the port are the factories which produce mono-piles for the offshore wind industry, as well as the giant Austrian producer of mobile and port cranes, Liebherr. I also saw their latest mammoth. I think it could lift 1600 tons – a mobile crane, the believe it or not!
Project Cargo Weekly with HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT GmbH 362
I had an excellent dinner in a great, local, seafood restaurant with the line manager of Stinnes Lines and his colleague. Now, it’s very early in the morning publishing day when I am writing this editorial, before getting up before sunrise to catch the earliest train via Hamburg to Århus / Grenå for a private visit and finally a few days without shipping ☺. Generally, I always allow some political observations, but I won’t elaborate on that this week. This editorial was more like a travel report, so if you can find some use from the intel that it contains, I would be pleased. You could take the opportunity to remind your sales people that just because vessels are full doesn’t mean that complacency is allowed. It is always when the going is great that more sales must be done—downturns are inevitably coming. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Modern Freight S.A – Piraeus, Greece
Interview with
Mr. Socrates Zorbas Business Development Manager
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First of all Socrates, what can you tell us about Modern Freight? When was it established? What is the main kind of logistics business that you are involved with? I understand that you have a strong ownership background. Modern Freight S.A was established in 2003 in Greece. Our company is part of the GAC Group. The head office is in Piraeus, while we have branch offices in Thessaloniki and Athens Intl airport. We are an international freight forwarder with a strong presence in sea freight (containerized cargo) as well as air freight and road freight. We are also active in project logistics and have our own in-house customs clearance dept. Modern Freight LTD was established in 2002 in Cyprus. It has the same activities as the Greece entity, offering services through its offices in Limassol (Head Office), Nicosia, and Larnaca airport.
How is the current logistics market in Greece? The location of the country should indicate that it is a good place to use as a hub and transhipment to countries in the north and also the Black Sea. Is that a correct assumption? Our market is very competitive – similar to other countries as well. We have good and bad competition between freight forwarders, and we also have aggressive carriers that are after a piece of the pie. Indeed, our country is strategically located in the Southeastern part of continental Europe, so it can be – and is – a gateway to Europe. We are gradually improving our rail infrastructure so that we can connect more frequently to Central and North European destinations. Athens Intl airport (ATH) is the biggest and busiest in the Balkan peninsula, so we have cargoes destined or originating from other Balkan countries routed via ATH. At the same time, Thessaloniki port serves as the natural gateway to North Macedonia and also handles the majority of the containerized business to/fm Bulgaria. Our Thessaloniki office has been successfully handling business to and from the neighboring Balkan countries since its establishment.
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Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? Could you provide us with a few examples of project cargoes that you have handled before? Project cargo is my favorite activity! During the past years, we have handled wind turbine parts, metal structures for energy plants, various OOG flat racks or MAFI trailers with equipment, to name a few. We have good knowledge and experience in handling such cargoes and provide a dedicated service, tailor-made to the project needs.
Are you currently a member of any networks? If so, why do you find that important? Throughout the years we have been members of some networks – others being better than others, and this has helped us in doing business with professional and reliable agents across the globe.
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In what ways has the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your business in Greece, and speaking of Greece, is the country now out of the previous crisis that everyone talked about a couple of years ago? COVID-19 had an impact on our business in the beginning, when imports slowed down as most shops were closed and e-shopping was not that familiar in Greece. Gradually, this changed, and e-shopping started to boom, which led to imports picking up again. For the past 4 months, all sectors of the economy are working almost as they were before COVID-19, while tourism (which is the biggest industry in Greece) has a very good season / year. As for the previous crisis, our economy had picked up a lot during the past 2-3 years. Our banking system is strong, and through a lot of reforms that took place in our economy as well as in the public sector, we are well on our way to growth.
The Chinese are investing heavily in ports and terminals around the world, and I believe Greece is no exception. What can you tell our readers about that? Back in 2009, Cosco Ports won the international tender for the container terminal of Piraeus port, and this was for a period of 35 years. The terminal was then handling less than 1 million TEUS in 1 pier. After 12 years and heavy investment in infrastructure and a lot of work, the terminal is now handling 5,5 million TEUS through its 3 piers, while there are talks about building a 4th pier which would launch the annual capacity to 10 million teus! This has been a very successful investment of the Chinese in Greece.
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Are renewable energy and wind power projects also a big thing in Greece and on the Greek Islands? Also, Greece is known to be a country famous for many shipowners. Is that still so? Renewable energy, especially wind power, has grown a lot in Greece for the past 10-15 years. You can see wind parks in a lot of mountains in the mainland and more recently in some islands. Greek shipowners have had a very strong presence– I would dare say a pioneering role – in global shipping for the last few decades. They control approx. 18% of the world dead weight capacity, and have always been very proactive and able to see opportunities ahead of others.
What are the advantages for customers by dealing with Modern Freight in Greece? We are a medium-sized, freight forwarder, with vast experience and knowledge of the market, backed by a very well-known Group. We offer personalized service, and our customers consider us more as their associate and advisor rather than a supplier. We invest time in understanding the needs of our customers and presenting them with a reliable and quality solution that would work to their advantage. We take care of their supply chain so that they can focus on their core business. How would it be best for our readers to get in touch with you? Following are our full contact details. We look forward to being of service to you! Modern Freight SA 3, K. Paleologou Str 18535 Piraeus, Greece Tel: +30 210 4140500 Fax: +30 210 4180367 mgtmf@modernfreights.gr http://modernfreight.gr/ 367
Video Interview: Mr. Richard Holgate Retired Director of Marine Operations at CMA CGM - Marseille, France
Mr. Richard Holgate – Retired Director of Marine Operations at CMA CGM was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
VTG Project Logistics - Moscow, Russia
Interview with
Mr. Sergey Nikitin Managing Director
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First of all tell us about VTG Moscow. When was the office established, and if I understand correctly, you are part of a German company, right? VTG is a reliable 3PL Provider in worldwide Project Logistics. Our office in Moscow was established at the beginning of 2019. We are part of one of Europe’s leading wagon hire and rail logistics companies, with a fleet consisting of more than 94,000 railcars, tanks, and platforms. The headquarters of VTG is in Hamburg, Germany. What is the main function of the office in Moscow? The main aim is to obtain forwarding in Russia and the C.I.S. The head office of VTG Project Logistics, Russia is located in Moscow. The management and administration employees work hard there. The operational parts are located in Astrakhan, Vladivostok, Blagoveschensk, and Svobodniy. A new office is going to be opened in May 2020 in St. Petersburg. Russia is a huge country and railways are obviously used almost all the time. Yet, who controls the railway operation, and how can you ensure good “customer service” on the railways since you are depending on the same railway network as everyone else? What makes VTG special? While the railway network in Russia and the locomotives are owned by RZD, all the individual cars are privately owned. VTG is not only a forwarder but also an owner of more than 4,000 wagons in Russia. As a result, the VTG team has a huge amount of practical experience in forwarding different kinds of project goods by railway, but VTG Project Logistics is a completely new chapter in the Eastern hemisphere. VTG Project Logistics, Russia operates in all transport sectors between Europe, America, and Asia. With systematic organization and innovative solutions, VTG Project Logistics, Russia offers optimum project logistics. These include multiple cargo handling, customs clearance, and technical and engineered solutions, including totally customized transfers of plant and machinery, and managing multimodal movement of over-dimensional and heavy equipment for clients in the mining, energy, construction, and oil and gas industries.
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Tell us a bit about the distances of your country. What is the furthest Russian locale to which you have delivered cargo? Can you describe the obstacles you may face due to the winter? The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. The distance between our offices is more than 9,000 km, comprising 7 time zones!
The 11 time zones of Russia Our Oil and Gas and mining customer factories are located in the most remote corners of Russia, such as Chukotka, Yakutia, and the north of Sakhalin. In these areas, winter weather brings heavy snow, freezing rain, flooding, and bitterly cold temperatures that can all wreak havoc on road conditions and cause a lot of delivery problems. For example, we managed a big project which began in Svobodniy where temperatures drop to minus 45 degrees Celsius. This means that navigation along the Northern Sea Route is possible only in the summer. On the other hand, there are advantages. The winter period allows delivery of cargoes to hard-to-reach areas. We forward equipment to drilling sites and mines in such ways. How about customs clearance in Russia? It was always “world famous” for being tricky, unpredictable, and difficult. Is that still the case today? All that is in the dim and distant past. Today, electronic workflows are implemented in all customs procedures. If you are well prepared with information and documentation, you would not have to be in contact with people in person. All goods would be released within a few hours according to the electronic application process. Specialists in the Customs Department of VTG Project Logistics, Russia carry out comprehensive analyses of their clients’ foreign trade contracts and offer coherent logistic schemes with well-organized transport to save their customers time and money. The procedures for passing through customs clearance are agreed upon with regard to the start and end dates of the equipment being manufactured and the installation of the equipment on the site. This takes into account the seasonality of delivery and groups it according to the Customs Codes and Classification Decisions of the Federal Customs Service of Russia.
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VTG also carries out the procedure of Internal Customs Transit at transfer points for the goods. Besides Moscow and St. Petersburg, where would you say that business takes place in Russia, or is it almost all centered in and around Moscow? We would say that for common consumer goods, business is mostly centered in Moscow and St. Petersburg because almost 65% of the population is concentrated in the European part of the country. However, project logistics are slightly different. The headquarters of our project clients are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the businesses themselves are located in Siberia and the Far East, where the main investment projects are being implemented. A stronger, local presence of VTG there puts us closer to new businesses that can benefit specifically from our project logistics expertise.
Are you a member of any overseas networks? Has it been useful to you so far? At the moment, we are only a member of CLC Projects. How is it best to reach you? Please contact our office by phone on +7(495)1174515 or send us an email at infopl@vtg.com. You can also be in touch with our Business Development Manager, Mr. Danil Kamyshov on +79170848089 or by email at Danil.Kamyshov@vtg.com.
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Featured Video Private Boat Charter Tour of the Port of Hamburg Editor’s Note: Visited the Port of Hamburg, and being a good friend since 1986 of Mr. Olaf Proes, who has a long history in working with various shipowners in Germany, he organised a private boat charter to take me really up close to various ships in this great and centrally-located port in Europe.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: During the port tour of Hamburg, we managed to get really close up to a Grimaldi roro vessel destined for West Africa and to see how the ramp is placed when lowered onto the pier.
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CLC PROJECTS NETWORK SINCE 2012
www.clcprojects.com
CLC Projects Network was established on April 1, 2012 and is today owned by 3 partners; Mr. Bo H. Drewsen, Mr. Cody Abram and Mrs. Heidi Kennedy. The partners, located in Sweden, the Philippines and Austria respectively, have a combined total of over 90 years of experience in project freight forwarding, air & sea, rail, chartering, liner business and surveying. The primary business of the CLC Projects Network is to provide a platform where companies, but more accurately, people, from all walks of freight forwarding and shipping can meet each other, develop contacts, do business with each other and meet regularly at conferences held twice yearly at different locations worldwide. The CLC Projects network aims to be an efficient network: trustworthy, reliable and with fees that are reasonable. Currently, the network has about 158 members active in more than 130 countries the world over, as well as a group of 23 carefully selected service providers who assist the freight forwarders in finding solutions.
WEEK 41 – 2021 October 14, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 14th of October and we are back again. I was reminded about something serious last week. What happened was that my father who had been complaining about serious pains for 6-8 weeks, particularly to his own local doctor, had a kind of a breakdown during my visit there last Friday. I decided that it was time for a 2nd opinion and, after some urgent effort, found him an appointment in a private hospital to have him checked with fresh eyes – so to speak. A proper diagnosis was established and it seems that things are now finally moving in the right direction. What angers me, especially in a highly acclaimed western society where we applaud ourselves in having the best medical care standards, is that capabilities are diminishing and once you are caught in a bureaucratic system you have little to no say. There is seldom less than a month of waiting for the next treatment, test or analysis after each time you visit your local doctor and so the circus keeps on running, keeps people (particular older ones who have a higher degree of belief in “authority”) at bay and ultimately it leads to a much poorer quality of life in your final years! Embarrassing for my country Denmark, but I have heard the same song from a few other western “civilized societies”. That is not to say that stating the arriving at the correct diagnosis is an easy thing to do, far from it, but at the very least parts of the medical profession could perhaps learn to look inward, be less arrogant and listen a bit more to their patients. My father got prescribed so much penicillin and “painkillers” that he was almost seriously injured. Incompetence, arrogance and pride of a profession comes to mind – it wouldn’t hurt once in a while to take a look at what you are doing no matter how long and expensive your education was. 375
On a global scale I am quite confident that Scandinavia still ranks pretty high but in order to stay there it also requires following the times and paying more than lip service to the older generation who actually built the affluent society that we are now enjoying the fruits of! I returned by flight back to Stockholm after a long trip to various VIP’s in shipping in Denmark, Germany and Poland (see last week’s Editorial). It was a pleasant experience to fly out of Aarhus, Denmark again and landing via Copenhagen in Stockholm which had turned into autumn colours. See some travel pictures here. Finally before I turn to the interviews this week I would recommend you to see a most interesting documentary on HBO called: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. What it describes is how a business woman could entice some of the worlds most “clever” investors to put massive funds into something that turns out to be fraud and where suddenly the value of a company can go from 1 billion US dollars to zero. It leads me to think about which other companies out there are bloated and over-valued by “analysts”, based on which shareholders are betting on investing… perhaps we are going to have a major bubble bursting soon also in real estate…!
Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Access World - Singapore
Mr. Corne du Toit, Project Forwarding & Freight Commercial Manager at Access World – Singapore was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: CargoGulf Inc. – Dubai, U.A.E.
Hans-Henrik Nielsen, Global Development Director at CargoGulf Inc – UAE was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview: Royal Arctic Line A/S - Aarhus, Denmark
Esper Boel, Team Leader, Agency & Projects at Royal Arctic Lines A/S was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video HMM Le Havre – 24000 TEU Container Vessel – Up-close Editor’s Note: A 24000 teu container ship up close is huge, and frankly, you can only believe it when you are close up. While in Hamburg recently, I passed 13,000, 20,000, 23,000 and 24,000 containers and considering that when I started in 1980 the largest was about 3000 teu, it does tell you that size has also increased in world trade!
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: First time ever I paid a visit to Rostock, a German seaport that used to be the HQ of DSR (Deutsche Seereederei), they often had break bulk ships in Denmark and Sweden load aid cargo for Vietnam and cement plants also to Vietnam. Nowadays, it is the HQ for Stinnes Line. By all means, Rostock is a nice place to visit! 378
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WEEK 42 – 2021 October 21, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 21st of October and week 42. Winter is approaching fast here in Stockholm. The daylight time is getting shorter, and the weather is getting colder. To me, it always signals a time for reflection. People start to hide themselves in warm clothes, and soon it will be close to dark when you get up as well as when you return from the office. Reflecting on life is a great part of being able to appreciate what you’ve got and also what you have achieved. We spend most of our lives running in order to get this or that. Then, for the last quarter of our lives, we often (I think) forget to enjoy, relax, and contemplate the life we have had. For me personally, I am kind of “kept young”: with my oldest (son) being 32 and my youngest (daughter) being 5, I have made myself a promise to try and stay healthy, alert, and in good spirits ☺ until my youngest turns 18. If my calculations are correct, this means until I am 71. Traveling too is living, and thus, I have slowly started to embark on both European and overseas trips again. What a pleasure it is to meet with contacts, friends, and family face-to-face again. Over the next few months I am planning several trips, first a follow-up trip to see my parents in Grenå, Denmark, followed by a quick trip to Finland, then two weeks in the Åland Islands (between Sweden and Finland) for their annual Maritime Day and finally a week in Qatar and the U.A.E. Fighting at home and explaining why the trips are necessary are, of course, for some business people (including the undersigned) a part of life. I have no doubt that most of you know what I mean, i.e., finding the balance between family and work is always difficult, and if you are a believer in doing things properly, you cannot cut corners. Yes, you may still be able to get away with some zooming but NOT for long if you mean business long-term. Here in Sweden right now there is a paradoxical state of having high unemployment whilst also having thou380
sands of jobs that are impossible to fill, particularly in the hotel / restaurant sector. I dare say that a rather large part of our unemployment also is due in part to benefits being overly generous. Thus, people are unwilling to leave their comfort zones and take the jobs that ARE available because the gap between the income while on benefits versus the income gained by working can be minuscule. We leave this to our politicians who always, at the end of their tenure, are busy to “position” themselves for another gravy train departure either in Brussels or at one of the many embassies we’ve got worldwide, overlapping each other with the local EU embassy. I haven’t checked recently whether the transportation circus between Brussels and Strasbourg is on again, but I have no doubt as too many businesses depend on it, and I guess Strasbourg would become a banlieu [i.e., city on the outskirts] without it. On the political front, nothing much to comment from the week passed. The supply chain situation, overall, is still in dire straits, and now, due to the energy crunch and massive price hikes, it may turn into a cold winter. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Asian Tiger Shipping LLC – Dubai, U.A.E.
Srinivas, CEO and Deepesh Rajan, Dep. GM at Asian Tiger Shipping LLC, Dubai, UAE was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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HABA-SPED Logistics Japan K.K. – Tokyo, Japan
Interview with
Mr. Gian-Andrea Silvani Owner
First of all Gian-Andrea, when did you arrive in Japan, and when was the company established? HABA-SPED Logistics Japan K.K. was established early 2014. I settled in Tokyo during the summer of 2014 and started operating the office.
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We always hear that Japan is a market that is very traditional, also in logistics. What is your view about the logistics market in Japan overall? Correct. Like most businesses in Japan, the logistics sector is very traditional in the sense that long-term relations are important and treasured. It’s a very mature market, same as we find in most developed countries. Apart from the worldwide known brands such as Toyota, Sony, Honda, etc., there are a wide range of lesser known companies, manufacturing goods from simple daily items to high end tech items for use in Japan and around the world. Due to the size of the country, there is also a large import market for any kind of goods from around the world. Many companies are tied up with a domestic logistics provider and have a very close cooperation which extends to the international shipping part. That’s one of the reasons we often hear that Japanese companies work only with the Japanese, which is true to a certain extent. Also, the decision-making processes in Japan are somewhat mysterious.
What is the main focus of HABA-SPED in logistics? We have two focuses. First is to control business for our small and medium size Japanese customers—currently, mostly imports from Europe. The second focus is to assist our partners around the world in arranging their nomination shipments in the smoothest possible way. We often hear that dealing with Japan is difficult, and communication is slow. We try our best to make the Japan experience for our partners a positive one. Could you provide us with a few examples of cargoes that you have organised to / from or within Japan? We mainly arrange General Cargo shipments. Our current percentage is about 50/50 for both air and ocean FCL / LCL. We handle a wide range of goods from beer & wine, to furniture, to high tech medical equipment to literally every corner of the world. Lately, we arranged the first shipment of frozen vaccines from a Laboratory in Japan to Russia which took us some time to set up. The following shipments now run smoothly.
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Are you currently a member of any networks or do you work with overseas offices within your own group? Since early 2017, we have been an independent entity. We have recently joined Cross Ocean Air & Sea Project Logistics Network and are also members in 5SLN, Interconnex, MIFFA, UFN, North Star, & Easyfresh. Could you provide our readers with a “rule of thumb” when it comes to logistics to or from Japan, keeping in mind the traditional nature of the Japanese market? Time—you need time in Japan. First (initial) set-ups are usually time-consuming. Once contacts are made and the first shipment has been arranged, any following shipments move very smoothly.
When our readers need your services, how is it best to get in touch with you? The best way is to send me an email at gian.silvani@habasped.org Website: www.habasped.co.jp
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Smart Cargo Solutions – Warsaw, Poland
Interview with
Mr. Piotr Iwaniuk CEO
Piotr, first of all tell our readers about yourself. When did you start your career in logistics, and why did you choose this career? I started my forwarding experience in 1995 in a regional forwarding company named Cargoline, which belonged to an Austrian group and owner and was an agent of several multinational forwarding companies. It would be an overstatement to say I have chosen this career. Like most probably many of our colleagues, after finishing my education, I simply tried to find a job and working for a company with international connections seemed like an interesting and eye-opening experience. In those days, logistics education did not really exist in Poland on an academic level, so we all had to learn on the job. I look at those days with a lot of sentiment – although many mistakes were made, the learning experience of getting to know different markets, trades, and local conditions around the world was a very exciting and intriguing experience.
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Moving along with the development of the industry, professionalizing along the way, I have passed a few mergers, entered a corporate world as a result of the process, managed some other countries as well as global projects, lived abroad, and traveled to all the corners of the world. All that to decide at some point of time that I can truly be faithful to how I want to do business only if I manage my own business. That is how Smart Cargo Solutions was brought to life in 2015.
Who are the owners of Smart Cargo? Smart Cargo is a fully, privately-owned enterprise, with sole ownership resting with me personally and my family. Established and financed from our own funds from the beginning, we managed to grow the team of true professionals to 20+, dealing with all aspects of forwarding.
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Poland is a huge country, and you have both maritime and land borders. Tell us about the main ports used in Poland for project cargo, and tell us about the main border crossings for transport into Eastern Europe? Poland’s access to the sea is realized through several access points – the main of those being Gdynia and Gdansk (which are both part of an entity called “Tricity” The third one being Sopot, more of a holiday destination. Since they are so close to each other, driving through them, an outsider would not know in which city he actually is at the moment. However, at the western corner of Poland, bordering with Germany, there is also the port of Szczecin. In all those ports, with different capabilities, project cargo can be handled through several terminals, varying in terms of handling equipment and capabilities. In terms of land transportation from or to those ports, there are many options, including rail and barge transportation – the latter being tricky in some seasons of the year due to the depths of the rivers for sailing. There are many border connections with all the neighboring countries, so it is hard to say which ones are “main”. This all depends on the type of cargo that is being moved, which is connected with needed road/bridge infrastructure. The element that can not be forgotten is customs formalities and regulations, if we are talking about movements to, from or through non-EU neighboring countries (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia).
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You are a member of CLC Projects Network, I believe, and this means you have project cargo experience right? Could you provide us with a few examples of cargoes you have handled? In our relatively short history, we managed to handle several projects and project-type movements—be it a ship crane from Gdansk to Brazil, which was about 62 tons in one piece, and was supposed to be moved by air charter, but finally, due to exorbitant costs, was moved via sea part charter, single inland movements within Poland and to other EU countries. We also managed to handle 2 large complete projects – one being a complex transportation of a complete greenhouse infrastructure from 10+ countries to a landlocked Kazakhstan, which was a huge challenge in terms of logistics as well as customs and documentation. The second one was the transportation of a complete infrastructure to build a biorefinery in North Dakota in the USA – oversized and containerized shipments from different parts of the world – Poland, India, Brazil and several others. Here again, the challenge of coordination of logistics combined with cost cautiousness was huge, adding time sensitivity and irregular dimensions of oversized equipment.
Poland has a central location in Europe and is part of the EU, but would you say that Poland also is a part of Eastern Europe given the history in economic terms or are your main trading partners nowadays in the west? Poland is part of Eastern Europe – geographically, historically and culturally, bringing also Eastern Europe and Western Europe to a meeting point in all those aspects. However, in terms of economy, the vast majority of Polish trade and business is Western Europe. Germany is our largest trading partner by far, followed by other EU countries, with Russia representing an increasingly smaller part of our economical activity.
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Railway transport to and from Asia also involves several routes stopping in Poland and then distribution from there. Can you tell us more whether that is a business that SMART Cargo is involved in? Rail from China, in particular, has become a very fast growing transport mode, almost exclusively for the containerized cargo. The “belt and road” project of Chinese government, with heavy subsidies poured into it, has created a very significant transport option for imports and exporters. On the backs of large multinationals operating their own block trains with factory supplies and production, a lot of businesses are realizing their transportation needs, be it as FCL or more and more popular LCL rail cargo. Smart is heavily involved in this, operating own direct boxes from several terminals in China and de-consolidating them in our own warehouse facility close to Warsaw. This allows us to be quite well ahead of many competitors through control of our won costs as well as operational management of all shipments directly with our agent in China with direct bookings with the rail operator. It is a very efficient and effective solution, especially in the current very unpredictable and volatile air and ocean market. We observe that rail has become the most cost reliable and stable solution for shipping from China. It also has become the first choice of transport mode for our customers, who in the past were choosing economical air freight solutions. Nowadays, with air freight rates fluctuating almost daily, issues with space on ocean vessels as well as changing costs, rail is becoming the first solution that our customers ask for. This, of course, starts creating capacity and congestion issues for rail as well, but so far, this seems to be addressed on an ongoing basis quite effectively – although not perfectly of course.
When our readers would like to reach you, how is it best for them to do so? Your readers are invited to use the following contact information: email: piotr.iwaniuk@smart-cargo.eu headquarters: +48 22 644 22 14 website: http://smart-cargo.eu/ 389
Featured Video Close-up of a Greek-owned Ship Chartered-out to Evergreen Alongside Burchardkai Editor’s Note: Some footage again here from the port of Hamburg tour that I took recently. A closeup of what seems to be a Greek-owned ship chartered out to Evergreen alongside Burchardkai.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Yang Ming Line, owned by the Taiwanese government, are also having larger tonnages in play—at least relatively so. As the smaller of the Taiwan owned megacarriers, a YML vessel is seen here alongside in Hamburg during a recent port tour. 390
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WEEK 43 – 2021 October 28, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is week 43, Thursday the 28th of October and we are here again. Before I become too long-winded about last week’s events, let me just quickly remind you of the weeks that we will take a break here in PCW due to excessive, upcoming traveling. The first 3 weeks of November I shall be off the PCW grid, starting again on November 25th again with a fresh perspective on things after some overseas travel that includes Scandinavia, Europe and the Middle East. I was briefly in Denmark last week, and whilst walking to the tram to go to the local Stockholm airport of Bromma, I passed a police officer that was standing guard nearby some blue and white tape. You know the kind of tape you see in the movies in various colours depending on the country but basically “Police Line – Do Not Cross”. It turned out that just a 2 minute walk from my home, yet another, what seems to be gang-related, shooting had taken place that very evening before 11pm. Sweden is again at the top of the European league when it comes to shootings and gang-related crime. I mentioned in my editorial once before about these shootings (that now number about 8 per week), and about how it is NOT only in the bigger cities, it is also the smaller ones around this large and beautiful country. How did my home country end up so deep in this downward spiral? To me, it is a combination of an inability to call a spade a spade, and continuing a penal system that hardcore criminals laugh at. Sweden is now looking to Denmark where both the left and right wings in government came together in order to fight this problem that affects the whole society. The problem in Sweden is due to an old style ideology and a risk-averse attitude that is clearly ingrained in the powers-that-be which makes it a very dangerous cocktail for the country. In so many ways Sweden has taken care of everyone and generally has a good reputation for fairness and order around the world but now the country is on a slide that some people here believe is next to irreversible. The local 392
politicians are always on TV exclaiming that their thoughts are with the victims — but we also need to be clear about one fact, where are the parents? Are they all absent? I’ve have six children of my own, of which, three are already grown-up. I wouldn’t leave a stone unturned to find out what they were up to, who they were “hanging with” and so on. Parents also need to look inward in-order to help eradicate this problem. I am actually leaving for Finland shortly and again in a month’s time to check on schools and property there as they have Swedish-speaking schools and are mostly work from home anyway. What does it matter whether we live in Stockholm, Turku, Helsinki, Malta, KL or even the UAE, they are all in play, so let’s see…. Safety is paramount and if you cannot offer your children safety in growing-up or the mere feeling of it, then what is the point of living in a “fancy and better neighbourhood”? The jury is out on the culprits in the shooting but the “investigations” are on-going. We are also making it to the news. See this clip from YouTube. The shipping world is still, as mentioned earlier, upside down, and after I attended a conference this week, I learned that some of the major carriers still believe this situation will not abate and will hold at least until the middle of 2022. So there are certainly hefty profits for the people with the right ships in the right place currently — that is if you can find any tonnage….. Rail freight has come into its own after years of “talking about it”, and there will be some interesting sea and rail shipping expos such as Antwerp XL and European Silk Road Summit taking place early December in Antwerp and Amsterdam respectively. Before I take my 3-week travel break, let me also remind you that Project Cargo Weekly is indeed part of the CLC Projects Group which was established in Hong Kong in 2012. It comprises 2 networks, linking project freight forwarders with each other and with project related service providers, as well as this newsletter that reaches many thousands worldwide every Thursday. If you are interested to know more about PCW, what we can offer you, and more about our two networks, (www. clcprojects.com and www.cross-ocean.com), then do take a look at this recently compiled group video that we made.
Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com 393
Interviews Hansa Meyer Global Transport GmbH & Co. KG – Hamburg, Germany
Interview with
Mr. Henrique Wohltmann Managing Director
Henrique, first, please tell our readers a little about yourself. When did you start your career in freight forwarding? I started in freight forwarding back in 1989 as an apprentice at Richard Boas GmbH in Bremen, Germany., starting with international project logistics in 1992 at Panalpina. What made you choose that kind of career? Well since my youth I always wanted to somehow get into trading. My getting into logistics was more of a coincidence. After I handled my first projects as junior, I was more than sure that international project logistics is something I like a lot, and for which my heart beats. What is your main responsibility in Hansa Meyer? 394
Besides intensive sales activities, my focus is to ensure that Hansa Meyer always delivers the best possible logistics services to our valuable customers and partners around the globe, while my MD colleague Mr. Marc-Oliver Hauswald is mainly focused on developing new business for the Hansa Meyer Group. Within our network, I am the contact person for Asia, Europe and Africa and Mr. Hauswald is the same for the Americas and the Middle East.
Hansa Meyer is well known as a project cargo specialist. Please elaborate a bit on the history of the company and can you tell us who the owners are? The company was founded in 1986 as a pure project logistics specialist, or as we call it, a logistics architect. Today Hansa Meyer Global is still majorly owned by two of the founding members and we serve clients with total twenty-four global offices, providing solutions for various well-known international customers from the oil/gas and project industries.
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Competition is fierce in Germany and many forwarders claim to provide quality. How do you ensure that you’ll stand out? We always try to provide the right solution at the right price for our clients’ and partners’ needs. Customers and partners are not just a ‘number’ at Hansa Meyer and are treated personally with the highest and best possible level of attention. Could you provide our readers with a few examples of projects that you have handled and that you are proud of having been part of? Well first, there’s the AN-225 project from Chile to Bolivia, for which we just received the award Best Airfreight Solution of the Year award from Heavy Lift Magazine. But to be honest, we are proud of every single project, big or small, that we have successfully realized to the satisfaction of our clients.
You belong to a global organisation. Can you tell us about the locations of your own overseas offices? Today Hansa Meyer has twenty-four of its own offices in, as we say, the most strategic locations (for Hansa Meyer) in the world. With these and the help of our global partners, we ensure that Hansa Meyer can always create the best possible logistics solutions for our valuable customers. Do you feel that shipping has changed? Is it more difficult these days to secure business than it used to be, or is it business as usual? The business has always been challenging. However, the present global political situation makes it more difficult to identify potential markets. Also, of course, the competition gets stiffer every day, which makes it even more important that you have highly-qualified partners and join a good network, such as CLC Projects, of which we are a member.
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How to get in touch with you? You can always reach me at h.wohltmann@hansameyer-de.com https://www.hansameyer.com/
Energy International Logistics SRL – Milan, Italy
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Interview with
Mr. Trevor Norrish Co-Founder & Partner
Trevor, firstly can you please tell us about the history of Energy International? When was the company established, who owns it and what kind of logistics business are you mainly involved in? Personally, I am British and my family came to live in Genoa after World War II, taking over a shipping agency. I was involved very early on in first hand port activity, as agents for Delmas to West Africa and Rickmers with their conventional service to China (before HL took over). Fast forward to today and I have lived in Milan for over thirty-five years. Energy Intl. Logistics started as we teamed up with partners coming from multinationals, such as Geodis, K&N, Fagioli, JAS etc. and we decided to start our own business in February 2011, combining our common knowledge in the road transport, sea freight and projects sectors. Our CEO is Maurizio Curone, who, today with another three shareholders, manages Energy, TSI (national distributer) and Sintesi (Engineering). Franco Faini (ex Fagioli, JAS Projects) and I head projects and OOG cargo and the rest of the business is in European road services and air-freight.
Italy (in particular) is well known for having many customers that often ask for a very long credit time. How do you manage that as a project freight forwarder nowadays?
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Indeed, this is an ‘Italian problem’. Many if not all clients request sixty to ninety-day credit terms and as a result this requires substantial cash flow to pay owners, or the use of banks at a very high cost. We try and split the FOB costs with long credit and sea-freight with shorter terms, but very few respond well to this proposal. Do you have experience in handling project cargo in and out of Italy? If so, could you please provide us with some examples? Yes, we have a combined experience that puts us in a privileged position in working with many large clients and we are able to give them the ‘personal touch’, which is often lost on the multinationals. We follow clients twenty-four-seven and many of them realize that this value-added service has faded away for many reasons that everyone knows. Some of our clients are major players in helicopters and cockpits, engines and electric generators, port and offshore cranes and many others. We also have many clients abroad in the Middle East, Indonesia and Mexico.
Competition amongst forwarders is fierce. What are you doing in order to stand out as first among equals? Truly, the market is full of forwarders who also sell project cargo services. We find ourselves quoting for, let’s say, a part charter project involving FOB delivery of a 4/500-ton crane, organizing all the l/s/d, loading, the actual fixing of the vessel up to FAS port of discharge and then at the end we find we are negotiating a 1000euro difference on a freight of over $250/300K because someone quoted less. We can only bring our long-term experience (my ex-Fagioli colleague in projects is a true architect in this industry) and very few can match. Clients often understand this and appreciate it.
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How do you find the level of customer service from the major shipping lines, both in container and breakbulk, nowadays? Are there any shipowners that you’d recommend as having excellent customer service, or any whom you’d similarly refrain from using? It varies. We have good relationships with some major carriers, but with others we are measured by TEU volume rather than OOG and get treated consequently. In projects, we work with Big Lift and Splithoff, who follow us very well through their Italian brokers and occasional visits. Most booking, even with OOG, is done online and with some container operators there are coordinating problems in terms of documentation. Sometimes it’s a nightmare and we try to stick with a couple of good operators if we can.
Do you currently belong to any international networks? If so, why and how do you find it useful? Yes, we joined Cross-Ocean after rather a lengthy research period. We get good feedback and good sales leads that help us to quote new business. With trusted members around the world, we feel confident that we’re building good and healthy relationships with new partners. Italy has many ports. Could you elaborate for our readers on which ports in Italy are mainly used for handling project cargo? Being a smallish company, we mainly concentrate on northern Italian ports as Venice or Genoa/La Spezia. We are currently involved in moving a ninety-ton transformer to Russia and will be working with Chioggia to Novorossiysk (a very small but cheap port for this trade).
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What’s the best way to get in touch with you? You can contact me at: Trevor Norrish Energy International Logistics t.norrish@eilsrl.com Tel. +39 02 99265929 Mobile: +39 333 1159266
Ulog – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interview with
Mr. Dardo Van Megroot Head of International Logistics & Project Cargo
First, can you tell us about the history of Ulog? Ulog is part of Ultramar, an enterprise group with three business lanes; agency services and integral solutions (DAIS), industrial logistics (KAPTAN) and ports (NELTUME PORTS). Ulog began operations in Chile in 1999 to provide logistics solutions to various customers of Ultramar. In 2001, Ulog started operations in Argentina and that was the beginning of its international expansion.
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In 2007, the leadership and presence of Ulog were consolidated by expanding its network of international agents on a worldwide scale. Currently, the logistics division of Ultramar has consolidated its regional presence with offices in eleven countries within the Americas.
Who are the owners of the company, and for how many years have you worked there? Ultramar has over sixty-five years of experience in the American continent, acquired by working with over fifty companies, many of them leaders in their respective markets. Ultramar is a partner you can trust that provides a complete platform of innovative, sustainable and integrated services and solutions, to support the foreign trade in the Americas. Agency services, integrated solutions, industrial logistics, port operations and stowage are part of its main activities. Efficiency, excellence and quality of service are part of Ultramar’s hallmark. When it comes to our partner companies, we strive to be strategic partners for our customers by contributing to their logistics chains and generating economic dynamism in America’s most important markets, having much respect for the environments in which we develop our activities. 402
What is your background in shipping and logistics, and how come you chose this career? I had been working in Ultramar for the previous eleven years and during my career, I worked in different divisions. I started on shipping lines represented by our group (among them MOL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Yang Ming Line) in the documentation and customer service department at first, and then moved on to the commercial department. After several years, I moved to the chartering division and, as a senior shipbroker for five years, I was responsible at first for dry markets (project cargo, steel and grains) and then became responsible for the wet markets (oil and chemicals). For the past two years, I’ve been head of international logistics and projects for Ulog. The rotation that I’ve had within the company has allowed me to learn about several different markets and to understand logistics from different perspectives, such as those of shipping lines, shipbrokers and freight forwarders. Argentina is a big country that borders with neighbours in South America. As you’ve said you have experience in project cargo, could you provide us with some examples of projects you’ve handled in/out of Argentina? Yes, Argentina has been developing several big projects over the past decade, mainly in the energy market (oil and gas, renewable energy and mining) which are very intensive on oversized cargo. In the oil and gas market, we are the second country in unconventional gas resources and fourth in unconventional oil resources worldwide. On renewable energy, the government’s goal is that twenty per cent of electricity consumption must come from this source. As a result, Argentina has released public tenders with fiscal incentives to achieve it, and more than a hundred projects have been awarded. 403
We are a big presence in the above industries and one of our latest projects is the logistics for a new cement plant. We’ve received five breakbulk vessels during 2019, with more than 45,000m3 of cargo. We’ve overseen the complete logistics from the port to the job site, located 350km away from the port (including discharge at the port, inland transportation to bonded warehouse, storage and stowage, inland transportation to the destination). We’ve moved more than seven hundred trucks (430 semi, 105 OOG semi and 177 low beds) and more than fifty per cent of the cargo was OOG. Also, for this project, we’ve moved more than 400TEUs (standard containers, open top and flat rack containers) of standard materials. It’s been very challenging and a little stressful for us because we received all the cargo and containers within a very short period, but with a great team, as we have, we are currently almost finished on this project, without any great inconvenience.
Where are your offices elsewhere in South America? Also, how would you describe the business environment in general now for Argentina and South America overall? Yes, our company is present in fifteen countries in the Americas, with more than fifty business units and participation in multiple markets. We have more than 12,000 employees. I love South America, even though we still have a lot to improve and learn and I like the business environment in general. We are passionate, reliable and friendly. However, we are currently facing some political instability throughout South America and I hope we can solve it as soon as possible to keep growing. Customs clearance is an issue in every country. Countries like Brazil and others have had difficulties with that for years. How is the situation in Argentina? Customs clearance in Argentina is as complicated as it is in Brazil, and delays could generate high extra costs, so custom brokers are very important in the logistics processes and usually, a shipper or consignee has their designated custom broker that knows their products and procedures. It is always a smart idea to check with them before confirming any operation. Are there any shipowners that you generally prefer to work with for Argentine trade if, for example, the cargo originates in Europe or Asia? No, we do not have any preferred carriers for containers, but we used to work with in-house represented shipping lines like Yang Ming, Hyundai, MSC and ONE, but also with Cosco and Maersk. For RoRo cargo, we 404
work with MOL, ACE, Grimaldi and Wallenius, taking advantage of their strong routes and freight.
Are you a member of any global networks currently? If so, why do you believe that it is a good idea? We joined the Cross-Ocean network this year. We’ve never joined a network before, but we are now starting to actively participate since we believe that, in a global world like ours is today, it’s a great idea to join. If you are not connected, you’ll lose tons of opportunities for generating good business. We believe it is not enough to just be part of a network though, as we must be active and proactive, participate at conferences and share information and business opportunities with our partners. How is best to reach you? Potential contacts are welcome to get in touch with me in the following ways: dvanmegroot@ulog.com.ar Desk: +54114310 2350 Cell/WhatsApp: +5491165321878 WeChat ID: vandardo http://www.ulog.cl 405
Featured Video The Biggest Nuclear Icebreaker – 75,000 Horse Power Editor’s Note: The Northern Sea Route is on and increasingly so. There is some footage to be found on the internet but this one (along with the well-chosen music) is one of my favourites. Enjoy and see you in 3 week’s time.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia is a favourite place of mine. It has it all: jungle, shipping, sunsets, and wonderful food. I recommend that you pay the state of Sabah a visit starting off in Kota Kinabalu (KK). Enjoy this featured photo, comprised of 2 pictures that I took when I was there last.
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WEEK 47 – 2021 November 25, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Week 47 and after a couple of weeks break, I am now baaaack (as Schwarzenegger said with a heavy accent in one movie I recall). It is the last Thursday of November, and we’ve got about a month left before Xmas. I took the break because I had planned some heavy travel to the Middle East and Southern Europe. Unfortunately, however, I had to cancel that mainly because my father was ultimately diagnosed with terminal cancer which had spread and from which there is now no recovery possible. I opted then, of course, to fly to Denmark, and I am now spending every afternoon here with my parents to enjoy the time left, reminisce about times past, and to enjoy (whenever he is up to it) a small whisky on the rocks (Tullamore Dew for me and Famous Grouse for him) whilst sitting in what you certainly may call a maritime living room. I did do a piece 4 years ago about my father as he was the “culprit” who got me into this lovely racket called shipping, you may find it here.
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When someone passes (or is facing their final voyage) that is close to you, it does put a lot of things into perspective. Live a little every day, save for a rainy day but it won’t rain for 3 months… and sentences like these come to mind. Neither my parents nor I were ever fans of large bouquets of flowers at anyone’s demise. Instead, time and money should be spent on people when they are STILL HERE. So give a thought as to whom you didn’t visit for a long while. Did you postpone visiting someone you should have long ago or are you hiding behind the excuses of being so busy? I certainly have been a master at keeping myself busy at length over the years, but I have in later years, reversed my thinking. Now I make sure and treasure the moments I can with the people I like to be with when they are here, NOT when they are not here. Here in Grenaa, Denmark, I spend time in the morning working out of my house, but I also managed to drive across to the West Coast to the origins of my father’s family. I took some pictures from there that I would like to share with you. Father was very pleased to see them as he will no longer be able to go. The nature on the West Coast of Denmark is very special. It’s raw, rough, but clean and beautiful in all kinds of weather, and last but not least, it’s very often windy. So for that, take a look at the featured video of this week. Here are some of the photos from my visit.
Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: Formag Logistics – Samara, Russia
Tatyana Alekseeva (Selezneva), Representative of Formag Logistics Samara was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: Comark Project Logistics – Ljubljana, Slovenia
Benjamin Herman, Project Cargo & Quality Manager at Comark Project Logistics Slovenia was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
FEI Cargo Ltd – Mumbai, India
Interview with
Mr. Pratap Nair
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You are located at the famous Gateway of India. Can you tell us firstly about how you got into shipping and logistics in the first place? What made you choose this career? My entry into this field was purely accidental. While I was waiting for my university (B.Sc.) results, I temporarily substituted for a manager who was working for a customs broker. It was during this time that Air Freight Limited (now Dachser) put an advertisement in one of the newspapers. I was selected for a management trainee post after seven interviews! The rest is history. I was always fascinated with advertising. If I wasn’t a forwarder, I would have gone into advertising for sure.
Does the name FEI Cargo hold a special meaning and who owns the company today? The name FEI Cargo comes from the parent company, Freight Express International, that I started back in 1989. In the 2000s when the whole world went through the internet boom, we registered our domain as feicargo. From then on, all our customers, partners and vendors called us FEI Cargo. Hence, in 2006 I formally re-branded the company with FEI Cargo as its brand name. With regards to ownership, I am still the major shareholder in the company and my family own the next major portions of shares. Also, about eighty of our staff and well wishers own certain percentages of shares in the company.
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Where in India to you have your wholly owned branch offices? What is your headcount? We have our headquarters in Mumbai and have our wholly owned offices across twenty five locations in India which are major ports/industrial centers. The prominent ones among them are Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Mundra, Hazira, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Tuticorin, Pune and Nasik. As of today, we have an employee strength of around three hundred, pan-India.
Transformer from Chittagong handling at Nhava Sheva India is a huge and very populous country, famous for many things although not so much for infrastructure. However I believe that is now changing big time. Can you outline for us a bit about the developments in your country infrastructure wise and what is in the pipeline. Furthermore why do you believe that the time for India is now? India has touched the USD 2.5 trillion economy size and at present we are the sixth like that in the world. In the coming seven years, we should become a member of the USD 5 trillion club. Some of the key developmental initiatives that the government have taken up are: • The infrastructure sector has been allocated USD 92 billion in this year’s budget. • USD 650 million has been allocated to increase the capacity of the green energy corridor project along with wind and solar power projects. • USD 31.5 billion will be invested in the smart cities mission. All one hundred cities have been selected for this mission. • India’s national highway network is expected to cover fifty thousand kilometers by 2019, with around twenty thousand kilometers of works scheduled for completion in the next couple of years, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. • The Government of India is devising a plan to provide Wi-Fi facility to 550,000 villages by March 2019 for an estimated cost of Rs 3,700 crore (US$ 577.88 million), as per the Department of Telecommunications of 412
the Government of India. • Under the ambitious Sagarmala Scheme, more than 577 projects worth over USD 120 Billion have been identified for implementation between 2015-2035, across the areas of port modernization, new port development, port connectivity enhancement, port linked industrialization and coastal community development. • With our Prime Minister Narendra Modi supporting and leading initiatives like Make in India and skill-based training, I am sure there is much more planned for the Indian economy.
Flat Rack from Chennai India has many ports – can you kindly outline the major ports mainly dealing with project cargo and equipment in your country India is blessed with an abundant coastline and hence there are variety of ports for various kinds of cargo. The major ports dealing with project cargo and equipment on the west coast are Mundra, Kandla, Hazira, Mumbai, Mangalore, Goa, Kochi and on the east coast Chennai, Ennore, Krishnapatnam, Vishakhapatnam, Haldia and Paradip.
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You handle general cargo and project cargoes, I believe. Could you provide our readers with some examples of cargoes that you are proud of having handled to/from India? In these twenty nine long years, we have handled all kinds of cargo, with most of the work giving us professional satisfaction. A sense of pride comes in only when the task is really difficult. I would like to name a few such challenging projects we have undertaken. • We handled air import of Cray supercomputers to five different cities in India. • A hundred odd boxes for ISRO and the Space Application center were handled by us in absolute secrecy. • We have handled three charters of more than three hundred tonnes from Chennai to Brazil. • We handled a consignment of drilling rigs, weighing approx. 125 MT, from Chennai to Hwange (Zimbabwe) via Durban for a major government customer. • We have successfully loaded approximately six hundred vehicles [cars, trucks, buses etc] into one vessel in less than a day. • We also handled a second consignment of industrial machinery weighing more than three hundred tonnes from Mumbai to Maputo for a private customer supplying a project in Malawi. • We handled the transportation Jet Airways simulators between Mumbai and Bangalore.
Enpro Export to Jeddah Africa is very much on the agenda for the world’s major powers. I aslso believe that India has a significant business presence in that continent can you enlighten our readers a bit about that? India has always had a close trading relationship with the African continent and there is a lot of Indian interest in Africa.
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For the continent of Africa, India is the fifth largest in terms of foreign direct investment. India’s exports to Africa grew from $7 billion during 2005 and 2006 to about $25 billion today, while Indian imports from Africa during the same period expanded from $5 billion to $31 billion. Exim Bank has said out of its line of credit of about $2.5-3 billion every year and almost half goes for development projects in Africa. About $2.5 billion worth of project developments are in the pipeline for the continent. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s overseas division, ONGC Videsh (OVL), is one of the most active Indian companies in Africa. On the other hand, private corporations like Reliance, Bharti Airtel, Essar Group, and the TATA Group have also made huge investments in many African countries. The major areas of interest have been in oil and gas, coal, solar, pharmaceuticals, steel, information technology, FMCG and manufacturing.
Competition in India is fierce to say the least. Many freight forwarders outside India have told me that it is often difficult to find a reliable partner in India, especially a freight forwarder that can say no. What makes FEI Cargo stand out in your opinion? We have always believed that partnerships are not based on top line/bottom line numbers, but more so on thoughts actions and trust. We only team with like-minded people who stand by the principles of trust and transparency in everything they do. Where we find the trust factor missing, we politely refrain from engaging with that partner, in order to ensure that our word to our customers is kept at all times. We accept that we probably lose money sometimes, but we are not willing to lose the confidence of our customers. We believe in choosing not only our partners, but our customers as well. We do not mind saying no but when we say yes, it’s a yes no matter what. We believe in responsible communication (at times bad news too, with a possible plan B) and our transparency brings us more friends. We address the actual situation (possibilities) in the beginning so that there are very few ‘surprises’. 415
In a global world, shipments are moving all over the place and few, if any, have offices everywhere. Do you belong to any networks currently and do you find value from being part of such, shall we say, clubs? We are part of CLC Projects for our project cargo and WCA Critical for getting partners to support us in different countries regarding shipments that are needed ‘yesterday’. India is famous as a tourist destination too. Besides the beaten track that everyone knows, could you recommend a few spots in India that stand out and that perhaps are less known to the average visitor or tourist? Every state in India has something different to offer in terms of the weather, art, traditions, cuisine etc. It wouldn’t be fair to give only few names out of those, however Rajasthan’s culturally rich heritage, Orissa’s architectural wonders, North-East’s pristine beauty, Kerala’s backwaters and Andhra Pradesh’s finest textiles are yet to be fully experienced and explored by tourists. Can you please provide your contact details? You can get in touch with me at pratapnair@feicargo.com or on +919 8200 29403
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Featured Video The Seaside on the West Coast of Denmark Editor’s Note: The West Coast of Denmark is long and there is a special nature out there. The place where my father’s family have their origins near Nymindegab, Denmark is often sought out by tourists in all kinds of weather. Looking at the ocean is related to shipping too, right?
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: At the Port of Grenå I saw a Pacific Basin bulk vessel called Jervis Bay alongside the quay loading scrap iron destined for Turkey. The agent of the vessel while in the Port of Grenå is www.oestship.dk
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Wise Words
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Project Cargo Weekly (PCW) is an on-line newsletter that started in 2018. The editor is an industry veteran with experience dating back to 1980 in project and general freight forwarding, air freight, liner & bulk shipping. PCW belongs to the CLC PROJECTS GROUP established in Hong Kong in 2012. PCW prides itself on providing in-depth interviews with industry professionals and un-biased trade intelligence, project forwarding and shipping business news.
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WEEK 48 – 2021 December 2, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 2nd of December and we are here again. This past week has seen a flurry of activity, mainly in dealing with travel agents, cancelling bookings for the Antwerp XL Expo that regrettably was delayed (again) to October 2022 due to the unpredictability of the COVID19 pandemic. This means events are being deferred, and a range of countries are now shutting their borders (again) mainly due to what is known to be a new strain of the virus. Zoom and Teams meeting fatigue is taking over and small wonder because they just cannot replace the real thing. I managed though to see my son from New York and daughter from London in Denmark last week where we said our goodbyes to my father and their grandfather, and although he is still with us, meeting up for what will inevitably be the last time was paramount. But my children had to run through hoops and tests to make the trips happen—not to mention the expense, too. In pandemics and crises there are winners and losers. If we relate it to recent events in shipping, I saw that an organisation of smaller shippers had lodged a major complaint against the shipowners. These shipowners, greedier than ever it seems and with the little respect some of them have left for any shipper whatsoever, reserve that small amount of respect for the global shippers in exchange for long-term contracts. It will have a knock out and knock on effect for many a business owner around the world with job losses as one of many consequences. Still supply and demand is part of the system we adhere to, and we should not forget the couple of decades where shippers big AND small could “horse-trade” between the shipowners, pushing rates further and further down until it was cheaper to send a container from Hamburg to Shanghai than Hamburg to Southampton (almost. So perhaps it is in some ways now that the pendulum swings back. But it is also a slap in the face towards some greedy shippers, outsourcing not only their production capability but also their brains ultimately to the Far East, meaning that 420
we can hardly produce anything at home in that of a consumer goods nature shall we say. I’ve got a wooden flag here on my desk in Sweden, and turning it upside down it says: “Made in China” as you can see here:
Even more ironic is that one of the major export items of Sweden to China is sawn timber, and one of the products we get back is our own flag. Yes, much more could be said about this, but it does tell me that something is out of whack overall. Yet, in these, the greenest periods of time in which we are pushed constantly to think green and do the sustainable thing in our everyday life, we ship products back and forth in endless supply chains that now are stretched to the limit—also in part due to a lack of foresight from many incapable and short-sighted politicians. Of course, short sightedness is nothing new in our modern democracies where the glue on the parliament seat lasts 4 years only. But as I always say, there is always room here in Europe for “stowaways” in the European parliament where the gravy train, travel circus between Brussels and Strasbourg keeps on relentlessly. No mentioning here about “green” or “sustainable” – double standards indeed right? See the following video (from 2019) to learn more.
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On balance, of course, I am sure that pork barrel politics in the US inside the Washington D.C. beltway exists, too, and there is no doubt that much legislation is being influenced by “lobbyists” or special interest groups. It is often very interesting to watch how some lawmakers later on take up “connected” jobs after their political career comes to an end. Bottom line networking and relationships seem to always trump capability and skill. Perhaps it is just a fact of life to reckon with! On the shipping front we today start in the country of the conquistadores, good food and wine, and a country famous for the siesta, and it is of course Spain. We speak to a middle-sized project freight forwarder called Asercomex, and they tell a compelling story. We then cross the Straits of Gibraltar to a country famous for mountains, history, and “play it again Sam”, and here I speak about Morocco. MLK International, a freight forwarding company established recently, tells us what they can do for you in the Kingdom of Morocco. We finally head east to a location known for decades as the “lucky country”, and it is Australia. Perth/Fremantle is one of my favourite spots in the world, and if I hadn’t moved to Stockholm in 2013, it would have been Perth. Yet, one thing you gotta remember is the distance from anywhere to Perth is huge. Still food, beauty and nature-wise rewards abound. A local project freight forwarding company, XS Global Logistics gives us a hint of what’s going on “down under”. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Asercomex – Burgos, Spain
Interview with
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First of all Julian, when did you start your career in shipping and logistics? Bo, I started my Logistics career in Asercomex in 1997. I went into the practice in March 1997 and have been there until today, so Asercomex isl my entire work life. I have been proud to bepart of this company from (almost) the beginning. Could you tell our readers a bit about the history of Asercomex? Asercomex was founded in August of 1996. This year is our 25th anniversary, so it is a special year for us. Our CEO and owner, Ignacio San Millán Valdivielso opened Asercomex as a custom broker agency. One year later, the Logistics Department was added to develop the forwarding services. Since its founding, Asercomex has grownup so much in terms of its services. Today, we can offer our clients full service, door-to-door into the logistics flow. Actually, we have the AEO authorisation that, as you know,is actually very important mainly for custom purposes, and as our company has our own customs department, we can give the best custom services in our country. We also have IATA authorisation for air shipments, and for sea freight we have a strong relationship with every shipping line directly. For road transport we count on a strong network with transport companies. Since these companies have worked with us for a very long time, we have full confidence in them, and we can do a capillary distribution in our country and Europe. Spain has several ports. Could you elaborate for our readers about the most used ports for project cargo but perhaps also tell us about ports that are not so “famous” but may give better service than the wellknown ones?
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Bo, as most people are aware, the most famous seaports located in Spain like Barcelona, Valencia, Algeciras or Bilbao can be used for Project and General cargo. But as you wrote in your question, in our country there are other small seaports that can be used for project cargo. These seaports are: Santander, Gijón, Pasajes and Vigo located in the north of Spain, Tarragona (close to Barcelona seaport), and Sagunto (close to Valencia seaport) in the Mediterranean. For example, some shipping lines specialised in Project cargo, Ro/Ro services like Hoegh or Wallenius, Bahri used Santander, Pasajes, Tarragona or Sagunto, depending on the schedule service, UECC works in Vigo…… These seaports are more flexible than the big seaports and for project cargo are the best solution in my opinion. Could you tell our readers about some of your most recent project cargoes that you have handled? Asercomex has regular shipments of project cargo, mainly machinery and electric cars. It is true that due to our experience, we receive many inquiries for other categories from agents and clients because I think we have a recognized name within the project cargo family. Actually, we are working to get a big project for Namibia with wind turbines chartering a vessel from Spain.
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How is the situation in Spain with regards to getting space and equipment currently? Bo, the right word to describe the situation is chaotic, but it can be applied to the regular lines with containers because for Ro/Ro or project cargo for now (and we cross the fingers ☺ ), we are not having these issues like containers. Actually, there are many issues securing space on the vessel for containers. To give you an example, we are only finding space after closing the booking around 1 month later and many times when the departure date of the vessel is approaching, the shipping line rolls over our container, advising us only on the same date. So I don´t know when it will finish, but now our position is delicate against our clients who cannot understand why they are paying a big amount but their cargo sailed later or with delay.
Do you currently belong to any international networks? If so, is it useful to be a part of them? Yes, actually we are part of 2 international networks. I am very happy to stay joined and use them because then, we can offer our clients a full service, door-to-door with companies that are located at our client’s destinations. These local companies know their countries better than we do and so there are fewer problems. 425
How would it be best for our members get in touch with you? My mobile is +34607145068. Bo, as you know my mobile is open 24 hours. My philosophy is to attend to our clients, agents or everybody in their local time, and you can be sure that my team does the same. By mail, our contact details for everybody are logistica@asercomex.es This is the general mailbox of our logistics department, and these emails are read by 10 people.My direct email address is julian@asercomex.es. Website: https://www.asercomex.es/
MLK International – Casablanca, Morocco
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Interview with
Ms. Ghizlane Rhioui Responsable Freight Forwarding
First of all, Ghizlane could you tell our readers about the history of MLK International? What does the abbreviation MLK stand for? MLK International is a new subsidiary company of Freight Forwarding of MAROTRANS which is the one and only road transport company serving McDonalds via its fleet of 150 trailers. MLK is an abbreviation of our CEO’s name : Mehdi Lamrani Karim.
Morocco is famous for many things including the movie Casablanca. Can you clarify for our readers about the ports available in Morocco mainly for project cargo freight? The Port of Tanger Med is the largest in Africa by cargo capacity and is one of the top harbours of Morocco. It runs an industrial hub for international and regional companies and works with 54 projects and hosts over 750 companies. Some of the top firms that operate from the industrial platform include Bosch, Emirates, and Adidas AG. Other than the industrial hub, Tanger Med also operates large automobile manufacturing plants run by several reputed firms. Some of the top car companies that run operations out of this port are Nissan and Fiat. The Casablanca Harbour Complex is an artificial seaport and the largest port in Morocco. Currently oper427
ated by Marsa Maroc, it is divided into a commercial port, a fish port, a marina, and a shipyard. As one of the largest cities in Morocco, Casablanca is connected to the ONCF rail system and the major metro cities. Situated in central Morocco and near the Souss River, Agadir Port is an important trade harbour in Morocco. Today, it is used for mining exports, fishing, and tourism. Agadir is a port frequented by tourists visiting the famed Moroccan beaches.
Military tractors shipped by MLK International to Germany and South Africa Could you provide us with a few examples of project cargoes that you have handled? We are currently handling McDonalds business by sea freight from many factories such: Egypt, Italy, and Holland up to Casablanca. We are also managing a big traffic of nursing bottles from Tanger Med to be exported to many countries such as the USA , the UK , and Canada. Morocco with its location in North Africa has a vital geographical position. How about customs clearance in your country. Is that difficult? How is the current business relationship with your neighbours such as Algeria, etc.? Is it possible to transit the land border with cargo? Lately, we have not been handling shipments from or to Algeria. With regards to customs clearance, it takes place quietly without any problems or constraints. 428
Military tractors shipped by MLK International to Germany and South Africa How about inland transport in Morocco? Is that possible and where in such cases does customs clearance take place, in the port or at the final destination? There’s no issue with inland transport. We can load from and to any cities in Morocco without any problems. If we’re talking about road transport by trailer, customs clearance is done on both sides.
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How do you view the upcoming year of 2022, and what do you see in your crystal ball from your place in North Africa? North Africa is still developing despite the current situations. We continue to fight and our efforts will only reap better results. Please tell our readers the best ways to get in touch with you. You can reach me by email at : Ghizlane.rhioui@mlkinternational.co.ma By phone / Whatsapp on : +212 660 19 48 37 You may note also the contact details of our CEO and our back office: Mehdi Lamrani Karim Phone : +212 660 426 777 Email : MLK@mlkinternational.co.ma (CEO) Siham Mhaider Phone : +212 665 078 159 Email : siham.mhaider@mlkinternational.co.ma (Back Office)
Video Interview: XS Global Logistics – Perth, Australia
Cosi Cristodero, Managing Director at XS Global Logistics was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Featured Video What America’s Supply-Chain Backlog Looks Like Up Close by the Wall Street Journal Editor’s Note: Further on the enormous backlog outside the ports of the US West Coast mainly LA/LB. An interesting drone video here showing the enormous traffic jam up close.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: Hutchison Port of Norvik is on a roll again within a short timespan the Port has been handling project cargoes using its giant STS cranes to discharge cable drums. Quite impressive and do take a look at the below photos. For further information about the capabilities of the port email Alexander Johansson.
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Wise Words
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WEEK 49 – 2021 December 9, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday again and the 2nd to last newsletter of the year 2021. We have one more to go on the 16th of December after which we will take a break and enjoy the usual Xmas stress with overeating and bad conscience later on – I am sure some of you know all about it. The Christmas season is, strangely as it sounds, also a lonely time for many, and whilst we have all kinds of communication tools at our disposal, you see less and less physical interaction between people. If we don’t keep our social media and online life in check, we will lose the ability to actually speak to each other I think. Stress is everywhere. Planners who from a budget try to squeeze as much “efficiency” into it as they ever can and nowhere more so that in the homecare that we (at least here in Scandinavia) offer to our elders. Don’t get me wrong. There are countries where all you can rely on is your family; the state will do nothing. Yet here, where we believe we have the best in the world, there is hardly a couple of minutes left to speak to the elderly man or woman laying there or having no visitors in cases in which there is no family left alive. Those few extra minutes are not in the schedule cooked up by a university graduate with little or no feeling (or experience) from real life. Do we dare to take that debate? Do we dare to touch the taboos without being politically correct and risk “offending” anyone? We have all kinds of material goods, but I fear that with greed and stress being the order of the day, the quality of our lives and that of time spent with our elders, and perhaps even our children, will mean that we are drifting further apart even in families that look solid from the outside. Perhaps we need to get back to “All hands on deck” as the saying goes. Certainly, it is my hope in speaking of “deck” that shipowners in these golden times will remember NOT only to reward themselves, but in particular, reward their seafarers who have taken the brunt of hardship by a longshot compared to any office worker. Bonuses are great and should be appreciated but do splash them out where the 433
need is the most. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” as they say, and most people feel they are sooooo hard working, of course, and that the world would stop without them. While that may be, it certainly WILL stop if the seafarers were not here…. So if I was a shipping manager or a VIP merchant, I would support shipowners who look after their crew. Pure and simple. There is an old saying that “money makes happy but more money does not make more happy”, and if you read between the lines, then certainly there is a lot of truth to that. Believe me, I have seen both sides of that particular coin. This week, I have taken one trip only to a port called Tunadalshamnen/Sundsvall which is about 400 km north of Stockholm. It was bitingly cold, or at least it felt so up there, with a temperature of about minus 15c. I attended a vessel from Chipolbrok which is the Chinese/Polish joint venture, established some 70 years ago, looking after the trade between the then socialist brothers. Nowadays, it is, of course, commercial, and their ships trade practically everywhere with modern tonnage. Here is a short video from early morning shot by the undersigned with freezing hands. As you know, it is difficult to hold your mobile while wearing winter gloves!
On the home front, life is normal, and I am off to Denmark next week where we will celebrate Christmas and New Years. I doubt though that it will be a white Christmas, but one can always hope. And again, I will need to play Santa Claus. It is rumoured that I have the stomach for it ☺. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
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Interviews Navex – Lisbon, Portugal
Interview with
Mr. Mário Cavaco Projects & Logistics Manager
First and foremost our readers would like to know about the history of NAVEX. Portugal is a proud seafaring nation and has made its mark worldwide also in shipping. Can you tell us more? Navex was founded and started off its activity as a Shipping Agent in the port of Lisbon in 1967. Navex initially developed at a fast pace, leading the Directors to decide to open a new office at the main Northern-Portuguese port of Oporto, followed by the southern-port and one of the fastest-developing hubs of Sines. Later on Navex opened further offices including branches in the ports of Setúbal, Aveiro, Faro, Portimão, Figueira da Foz, Viana do Castelo and the Islands of Madeira and the Azores. Our Company initiated its activity by representing and attending at Lisbon port the regular line services of the German shipowner O.P.D.R. and later also the shipowners P.O.L., M.A.C.S. – Maritime Carrier Shipping, Laser Lines, Transroll, Hamburg Sud, Mutualista Açoreana, Vieira & Silveira, Transinsular and Boluda, covering all merchant areas of Northern Europe, Western and South African Coast, American Continent and the 435
Portuguese Islands of Madeira and the Azores. Presently we are Agents of our Principals UNIFEEDER, LINEA MESSINA, VIEIRA & SILVEIRA and MUTUALISTA AÇOREANA.
The lasting confidence and trust from our shipowners’ network as well as our clients has maintained and supported our activity throughout the years. Together with our innovative profile and constant actualization spirit, we have entailed a readiness to overcome all types of challenges and add significant value to our technical solutions. This capacity was later reinforced by the Quality Certification that lead the company through a deeply intensive restructuring and reorganization work with a strong impact on the satisfaction of clients and partners. Our efforts have therefore contributed to the development of maritime transportation in Portugal and the responsive increase of our country’s exports. Navex is part of GRUPO ETE, the main maritime Group in Portugal, which initiated its activities in 1936 based on stevedoring and specialized loading and discharging port services, both on-peer but also with a then innovative middle-river cross-docking solution. Group ETE is today intensively present in all maritime activities in Portugal covering different areas of this sector. We are proud to do our utmost to continue the tradition of Portugal in the Maritime sector, and we have expanded to other geographical areas such as Cape Verde, Mozambique, Colombia, Uruguay and Belgium.
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Do you have offices in other countries than Portugal? Indeed we have. As said, we have 9 offices in Continental Portugal with local operations teams as well as in Madeira and Azores and we are also present in Cape Verde with 5 offices, in Praia, Mindelo, Sal, Boavista and Santo Antão. As a Group, we also have offices in Colombia, Belgium and Mozambique.
I understand that you are both a shipping agent and also a project freight forwarder. Can you tell our readers a little about some of the projects and/or ships that you have handled in recent times in Portuguese ports? Yes. During the last few years, we have proudly been the shipping agent with the biggest market share in Portugal, about 20%, attending average 2,100 calls per year. Being a project cargo freight forwarder means expanding the range and having the possibility of attending to 437
the customer and the vessel in one single operation. We have a lot of experience in and regularly handle cargoes of transformers, windmill parts, reservoirs, boats & yachts… Having said that, we are always looking for different,more challenging and demanding jobs. We would like to highlight several recent projects: the loading/offloading of cranes from Aveiro to Lisbon port, the shipment to Uruguay of a pusher built on our Lisbon shipyard, and one of our most interesting projects was the discharge from vessel of an Hercules C130 and transport by barge to final destination.
Speaking of ports in Portugal, could you elaborate on which ports are generally used in your country for project and special cargoes? The main port for project/special cargo in Portugal continues to be Leixões due to the fact that most of the heavy industry is located in this area and also because the connection between terminals requires only an internal transfer.
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Aveiro Port has also been growing in the last years due to steel and windmill factories. Anyway, at the moment, Portuguese ports are well-equipped and have staff prepared for the most difficult tasks, and we hope that in the future, Sines, due to its natural deep water conditions and location on the Atlantic front, may become an hub for special cargoes
The islands of Cape Verde and some of the most well-known countries in the world speak Portuguese due to a colonial past. Does that influence you in shipping. In other words, do you have to this day special relationships from a logistics point of view? Portugal has very strong relationships with our sister countries such as Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tomé & Principe, Angola and Mozambique. This is due to our history but also due to the economic and social relations we have today which was built on a common heritage of the same language and culture. There are also many Portuguese living in these countries as well as nationals from Portuguese-speaking African countries living in Portugal creating several strong links between our peoples and our communities. The trade between our countries is very significant and that enhances, of course, the possibility of new logistics projects and investments. There are dedicated shipping lines – TRANSINSULAR, who also belongs to GRUPO ETE has a liner service from Portugal into Cape Verde for example – and many investments from several Portuguese companies in these markets. These markets are very well known to us, and we are for sure prepared to assist in any projects taking place in these countries – either directly via our branches or with the assistance of long-term established partners. 439
Mário, when did you start your career in shipping and what made you choose that career? Well, I arrived in the shipping industry later than usual for most of us, at the age of 25, after a short career in accountancy and banking that wasn’t fulfilling me. I needed something different, not static and on permanent evolution, that allowed me to have a creative part in the process. Not disclosing my age, as I’m still very young, more than two decades have already passed, and I’m still here and learning new things every day. The present days in our industry are taking us to higher challenges, with all effort and imagination required to create solutions. I like to think that I didn’t choose this career but this career choose me.
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How should our readers get in touch with you? You can find me at the following: My Linkedin Tel/Whatsapp: +351 912522600 E.mail: mario.cavaco@navex.pt Website: www.navex.pt
Omega Shipping – Istanbul, Turkey
Interview with
Mr. Emre Tuysuzoglu Board Member
Could you tell our readers about the history of OMEGA Shipping? Who are the owners, when did you start, and what is your main business focus in logistics? Omega Shipping was first established in the USA in 1985 as Mega Shipping & Forwarding LTD. It started it’s forwarding activities in Turkey in 1995. Now the operations have expanded with a Head Office in Istanbul and with Branch Offices in Izmir and Ankara. The owner of the Mega and Omega Shipping company group is Mr. Behcet Tuysuzoglu who lives in the USA.
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Besides project cargo, our main business scope is all kinds of Ocean (FCL & LCL & project) and Air (Consolidation & project) shipments. We especially offer our own consolidation service between the USA – Turkey and Far East & South Asia.
Turkey has many freight forwarders and lots of competition. What are the special advantages of OMEGA Shipping that you would like to inform our readers of? Our Mega & Omega Shipping company group has been very conscious of and receptive to offering a Boutique Service to all our customers since the first day we were established. This service is being continued and improved more every day with our highly experienced personnel who have been with us for many years. Turkey has many ports. Could you elaborate on the ports mainly used for project-related cargoes in your country? Also Turkey is a known transshipment country for Iraq and other countries nearby. Is that something which OMEGA Shipping has experience in handling? During the last few years, Turkey has made large and more frequent investments in her ports. With these investments, the infrastructures of the ports are being improved and the number of ports have been increased, as well. The most frequently used & active ports used for project cargo are: Derince (Izmit Gulf), Gemlik (Bursa), Izmir and Mersin. Omega Shipping has handled quite important projects to/from all these ports. In addition, as you mentioned, Turkey is a very important transit country geographically. By having and using this advantage of location, we as Omega Shipping also handled, and are still handling, many in-transit cargoes to Iraq and CIS Countries. (In this connection, we completed very important Power Plant projects in Iraq). 442
Could you provide our readers with a few examples of project cargoes that you have handled? About this subject, I would like to give the most difficult ones as examples in terms of the cargo nature and the country conditions. 1. We completed carrying all the equipment (including Yankee Dryer) from Valmet and assembling in the Factory in the Suez area of Egypt for construction of a Paper Factory. Due to the country conditions, it was an extremely difficult operation to complete everything, including establishing a Factory Investment on site. (I was present during all stages of the operation in the Sokhna area.)
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2. We finished completion of a project for Stary Oskol of Metso Minerals in Russia which was a very important project for them. We received all different cargoes to Turkey from all over the world & consolidated them in Turkey, completed Custom Clearance in Russia (clearance in Russia is very bureaucratic and difficult), and delivered all the materials on site without any problem.
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How is the current COVID situation in Turkey, and do you also face the same issues with shipowners being fully booked on all trade lanes? The COVID situation is still continuing in Turkey like it is in the rest of the world. Last year, we had partial lockdowns in our country, but our Industry was not affected by these lockdowns & continued to work. Right now, due to high demand in Logistics Globally, there is huge congestion everywhere, and Turkey was affected negatively because of this congestion. We are also affected by this, but we are facing this at the minimum level due to our long-term relations with Carriers and having Contracted Rates with many of them.
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Do you have offices overseas? Do you belong to any networks? Our only overseas office is in New Jersey, USA. Our main Network is CLC Projects, but we are also members of WFP, MUNDU, IATA, and AL365 Aviation Logistics.
How do you view 2022 when you look into your crystal ball? When we look at this global congestion, we think it will continue till June 2022. We as Omega Shipping are improving & increasing our numbers both in volume and GP every year. Our 2022 Target is 20% growth. Since we have reached & exceeded our target every year, we are hopeful it will be the same with 2022 as well
How would it be best for our members and readers to get in touch with you? You can find my personal mobile and mail address below; E-Mail: emre.tuysuzoglu@omega-shipping.com Mobile : +90 532 265 6631 Our website is www.omega-shipping.com 446
Thunderbolt Global Logistics – Baltimore, USA
Interview with
Mr. Jim Shapiro Owner
First of all, Jim can you explain to our readers about the choice of company name? Why did you choose the name Thunderbolt? When was the company started, and is it owned by you? We use January 16, 2008 as our starting date as this was the date when we received our Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) license from the Federal Maritime Commission. There were three of us at the time, and we shared space with another freight forwarder who were friends of mine and they gave us free rent. Without them, it would have been harder to get the company going. It was several months before the financial crisis in late 2008. Thankfully, the crisis really didn’t impact us very much. The company was started with my childhood friend Stu Tobin. We both grew up just outside of Boston. He and I had known each other since we were 12 & 11 years old, respectively. I was more involved commercially, and Stu handled all the administration. I had been in the industry 23 years when we started the company. I had worked for only one company prior to starting Thunderbolt. I learned so much from them over my first 23 years. We chose the name Thunderbolt Global Logistics for a reason that not many people around the world may understand. Stu and I wanted to name the company in a way that would make us both smile when we answered the phone. We were both fans of the 1930’s comedy team, The Three Stooges. [Editor’s note: Anyone not familiar with this famous comedy trio, can click on this link to learn more.] In one episode, called Playing the 447
Ponies, they trade their restaurant for a nag of a horse called Thunderbolt. He ended up winning the big race. That’s where we got our name. I also like thoroughbred horse racing. Baltimore is famous for a horse race called The Preakness Stakes. This race, run on the third Saturday in May (except this year due to Covid 19), is the second jewel of the Triple Crown for 3-year-old horses . That’s why we have a horse as part of our logo. Whenever we have hired someone, we have them watch the Three Stooges episode on Day 1, so they know where the name came from. We call it our “training video”. Stu retired in early January 2020 and sold his 50% interest to me. I am now the sole owner of the company.
There are a lot of logistics providers in the US and even more so on the East Coast. What makes you stand out? Our approach is to make the experience of working with Thunderbolt an easy one. We want our clients and overseas partners to feel that it’s not difficult working with us. We have always had a flat organizational structure, so decisions can be made quickly. No red tape, no corporate B.S. We don’t need 6 signatures to get approval to do something. If it needs to get done, we get it done. We are a relationship-driven company. Personal relationships mean so much to us which is why I have traveled overseas a lot since we started the company. We only have one office, but we have a national footprint due to our infrastructure. We have asset and non-asset based truckers that we work with all over the United States. We have warehouses that we work with in all ports and in most major cities in the interior of the country. We have great relationships with the terminal operators and port officials in most of the East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. We try to be as creative as possible in finding solutions for our customers and overseas partners.
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You have experience in handling oversized cargoes for many years. Could you provide our readers with a few examples? Luckily for us, we have handled oversized cargo in nearly every main port in the United States. The Port of Baltimore is our home base, and that’s where we handle the most oversize cargo. We handled a 105 ton cooling drum for a gypsum plant in Baltimore that was located near The Port of Baltimore. The dimensions were 11.41 x 5.11 x 5.03 meters. We came up with a solution with our trucker by talking to the officials at the Port of Baltimore and utilizing a back gate that was only 300 meters from the delivery point. Instead of having to go through a local residential neighborhood and have to raise traffic lights and utility wires, we ended up having no impediments to deliver the unit. The cooperation we received from the officials and engineers at the Port of Baltimore was critical to a successful delivery. Our trucker did a great job working out all the details. The team at the port that loaded our truck did their usual great job. We have delivered several industrial presses from the ports of Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah to various locations in South Carolina and Tennessee. One the components from Norfolk to South Carolina was 113 tons with dims [dimensions] of 8.20 x 3.95 x 3.96 meters. Again, we had excellent cooperation from the local staff at the Port of Norfolk. Our trucker had to push hard to get the permits needed to deliver on time right after our Thanksgiving holiday. We have arranged many exports of mining machinery from Baltimore to Liverpool using ACL’s mafi service. One shipment consisted of 4 crates that we shipped from Baltimore to Hamburg and then arranged delivery to Poland using our partner in Poland. One of the crates was 43,693 kgs/dims: 841 x 236 x 262 cm.
Inland transport in the US can be costly. This is a common statement that I hear from many. What kind of guidance would you give overseas customers if/when they have a delivery to make to inland US? It’s a very fluid situation in the United States. Trucking capacity can change on a week to week basis. Some parts of the country can be overheating, and you can’t find trucks while other parts of the country are having excess capacity. This is especially true with containerized cargo. In some markets now, we need 2-3 weeks to find a trucker that may have availability. The pandemic has really taken a toll on heavy haul truckers that rely only on oversize cargo. There is more supply than demand and right now for multi axle trucks. On the flip side, flatbed and step deck carriers have seen rate increases of up to 30% or more in some markets and capacity is tight. Houston is quite hot at the moment.
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Ports are competing with each other for cargo. It’s important to take all the factors into consideration when routing cargo to/from a particular location. It’s not always about the shortest distance from origin or to destination when determining which port to use. You have to look at all factors in determining how to route your cargo. Ease of obtaining permits for oversize cargo is an important factor too. Some states are slower than others to issue permits. Some states require bridge engineering studies over a certain weight and that can add a lot of cost to a project move. 50 states and 50 different rules for permits. Make sure you allow plenty of time for permit approval. I don’t believe in using an ocean carrier to pick up or deliver our cargo. We want to control the movement of the freight to provide the greatest possible flexibility. Sometimes on paper, it can look less costly to have the carrier deliver or pick up a shipment, however the service aspect is missing. My recommendation is to beware of ocean carriers taking on the domestic portion of a shipment. It’s not their core business. Merchant haulage is the way to go.
Has the COVID-19 crisis affected your business or are you doing “business as usual “? March 23, 2020 was the day we closed the office, and we actually only just reopened it on October 5th with reduced staff in the office on a weekly basis. Our team adapted quickly to working from home, and we didn’t have any problems other than some occasional technological challenges. We had weekly video department meetings using Go to Meeting, so we could see each other and we would have company-wide video calls too. Seeing each other during this 6 ½ month period was very important. We are not a large company (16 people), so it was easy to keep in touch with each other. I’m so proud of our team as they really kept it together while working from home. 450
The most important thing for me was keeping our team safe and healthy. We made sure we were 100% ready when we decided to come back to our office. We take COVID-19 very seriously. We had partitions installed at every desk. We bought cases of wipes and sanitizer to have in the office. We have a lot of new protocols to follow. We have some staff who are staying home and working remotely full time. Others come in 1 week in the office and the next week at home. Some come in 1 day a week. I wanted to be as flexible as possible to meet the needs of our staff. COVID-19 didn’t really impact us until May revenue-wise. The first 4 months of the year were going great, and then the decline began as the virus took hold in Europe, and countries began to shut down. We saw our shipments begin to decrease. Our number one export account dropped 50% in a matter of weeks as they could not source material for export. It was a tough period from May – August. September saw a nice rebound from a lousy August, and we hope that the momentum continues during the 4th quarter. We didn’t lay off or furlough anyone. It won’t be business as usual for a long time. We don’t allow visitors to the office, and we really aren’t visiting any customers. Travel is completely stopped. That’s been hard for us as we have always had an open door policy for visitors, and now we don’t let anyone in the door.
What markets around the world do you normally deal with, and do you mainly handle imports into the US? We handle more imports than exports. It’s about 60%/40% import to export and it’s more ocean than air. It’s the nature of the U.S. economy, though export is really my passion. We are a customs broker with a national permit, so we can handle customs clearance anywhere in the United States. On the export side, we are an NVOCC, so we have contracts with many of the main ocean carriers. 451
We handle a lot of cargo from Europe. We take care of a lot of DAP/DDP shipments for agents all over Europe. We handle imports from Asia, but it’s not as active as Europe. Our exports are mostly to Asia and Europe and the Middle East. A lot of our shipments to the Middle East are nominated by our partners there. I really want to grow our North/South business with Central and South America. Our shipments to/from Africa are also an area we would like to improve. The same for the Oceania region. We have great partners in Australia and New Zealand. We just have to find the cargo going or coming from there.
Baltimore is one of many ports on the East Coast of the US. How would you rank the ports on the eastern seaboard in terms or their suitability for project cargo? The main east coast ports from north to south are Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville and Port Everglades/Miami. There are smaller ports like New Haven, CT; Camden, NJ; Wilmington Delaware; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Brunswick, GA that handle breakbulk vessels and container carriers, too. As manufacturing has moved south in the United States, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville have really stepped up their ability to handle project cargo. They all can handle it and do a great job. They have dedicated people that help us when we need it. Ports like Wilmington, Delaware and Wilmington, North Carolina have captured project cargo business by focusing on specific commodities. All ports want a piece of the pie, because it can be a great source of revenue for the port and local economy. I would say Boston is the only port that I have listed that really isn’t a gateway for project cargo. Baltimore is the number one RO/RO port in the country, let alone the East Coast. With RO/RO vessels comes the ability to move static cargo on MAFIs. Baltimore has breakbulk carriers that call at the port on a liner 452
basis and inducement basis. Baltimore is also the closest port geographically to the Midwest. Truckers don’t have to drive as many miles from Baltimore to say Cleveland or Chicago, so costs can be lower. I’m partial to Baltimore but look at all ports to see what is the best way to handle the shipment.
How is it best for our readers to get in touch with you, Jim? My e-mail is jim@thunderboltglobal.com, and you can also reach me through our website https://thunderboltglobal.com/ or Linked In. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-shapiro-6921b389/ Thank you.
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Featured Video Onboard CMA CGM Christoph Colomb Passing a Yangming Vessel also Enroute to the Strait of Gibraltar Editor’s Note: Standing at the bow of a giant container vessel (here CC Christophe Colomb) and viewing/passing another giant with the blue ocean “passing” you by is a sight to behold. It cannot be described but must be experienced. View here in the Bay of Biscay (quiet for once) looking at a Yangming Line vessel also enroute to Strait of Gibraltar.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: An incredible picture of the Melbourne skyline taken whilst onboard mv CMA CGM Georgia in July 2019. I arrived from Singapore via Fremantle and Sydney. Overall, it was a fantastic 3-week trip down under. Do hope that the pandemic is over soon, enabling us to travel to Australia again. 454
Wise Words
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WEEK 50 – 2021 December 15, 2021
Editorial Dear Readers, It is Thursday the 16th of December, 2021 and we are here with the final issue of our newsletter for this year. Today has a special meaning for me in a very sad way actually, because it was today around 4pm afternoon Swedish time that I (in 2020) spoke for the last time ever with my brother Jonas. 3 days later he was found dead in his Copenhagen residence where he was supposed to enjoy Christmas with his family. I remember vividly getting his call on the 16th and then on the morning of the 19th, the call from my parents that my brother was found deceased. So the memory bank holds both positives and negatives, and it is all part of life. It has, however, somehow dawned on me, finally some may add, that we need to: 1. Live your life when you have it. 2. Keep in contact with family and close friends when you can. 3. Do as the NIKE ad tells you: “Just do it.” 4. If you have a plan such as “I would like to try the Trans-Siberian Railway or climb Kilimanjaro”, then DO it. 5. Save money for a rainy day, keeping in mind that it will NOT rain for 3 months. This means oversaving will benefit lawyers, the taxation authorities, and perhaps others who never contributed much and that, if anything, is unfair. Regretting later on what you cannot do when you had the chance is the worst kind of regret you will have. And to this day, I blame myself in part for not having spent more time with my brother. Of course it takes 2 to tango, but I could have done more, and frankly speaking, couldn’t we all? 456
The month of December coming to a close also reminds me how fast the year has actually gone by. In spite of COVID-19, business in logistics seems to have thrived well, and from my global contact network, so far I hear no complaints about the level of income for many. In some ways it’s been the best year ever. I say again (as in my editorial last week) that if anyone deserves a bonus, it is the seafarers of the world. If there is something good that has come out of this COVID-19 pandemic, then it is recognition from the world community finally that those of us in the logistics business are a VITAL part of making the world go around. Next year, I shall turn 59, slowly approaching 60. Retirement is something that I never thought about. I believe a slower descent is the way to go, because if you suddenly stop, then your mind and body may suddenly stop, too. I did, by the way, put into effect a couple of plans that I have for 2022: taking a cargo ship from Europe to South Africa and doing the same from Northern Europe north of Russia (summertime) to Asia. It remains to be seen whether I will have a wife still waiting for me after those trips, but hey, I do have a seaman’s book, so I need to use it! On the political front nothing much to remark. The EU is still muddling along whilst Joe and Vladimir met each other online, so perhaps there is hope for the world yet. In Germany “wir schaffen dass” [translation: we can do this] has retired, so perhaps finally some fresh air can be smelled in Germany as the country had become stagnant in many ways—at least that is what they tell me when visiting. Still, on balance, Europe is not a bad place to live, and as long as we can come to grips with things and actually DECIDE on something, then there is hope. Our politicians generally have a problem getting their message across, but how do we do in logistics? Well, we make a video about what we do, and sometimes pictures and a short video tells more than a thousand words. Here is a link to one of the best project cargo videos that I have seen for a while provided by Martin Bencher Group in cooperation with BBC Chartering. Take a look at this!
We in Project Cargo Weekly also can promote ourselves, so for those of you with money to spend in 2022 do look at our media kit and introduction here.
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So what do we have for you in this final issue of the year? Well, we start off in the country of 100,000 + lakes and with the longest EU border with Russia and a people that are frank, friendly and generally hard-working. They are also famous for design, vodka, and dark winters, and we are talking about Finland. KWH Logistics is a Finland-wide logistics provider with very strong links to Russia and with representation in many ports. Their MD tells us an interesting story. We then visit a country famous for political divide, disastrous interventions in foreign countries, but also a beacon of light in many ways, and it is the US. A project freight forwarder with a global presence originates there, and we are talking to their representative sitting in Houston. Logistics Plus Inc tells us their success story in detail. We finally visit a place of beauty, friendly people, and famous for an ex-president’s wife’s shoes, and yes you guessed it, it’s the Philippines. The Rigging Co Ltd in Manila tells us about what they can do in trucking, rigging, inland delivery, and project cargo logistics in this island-rich nation of 100 million people. We, of course, provide you with the usual shipping news where you may find another new building from UHL, a project handled by SAL/Jumbo, and news about Chipolbrok’s new and much enlarged tonnage entering the market at just the right time. Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Interviews Video Interview: KWH Logistics - Vaasa, Finland
Joakim Laxåback, Head of Division KWH Logistics, CEO Oy Backman-Trummer Ab was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
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Video Interview: Logistics Plus Inc. - Istanbul, Turkey & Houston, Texas
Bahadir Erdil, Global Projects Director – USA & Managing Director – Turkey at Logistics Plus Inc. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
The Rigging Co. Ltd. – Manila, Philippines
Interview with
Mr. Jed G. Dulay President 459
First of all, Jed, how is the situation relating to COVID-19 right now in the Philippines? The COVID-19 Pandemic has greatly affected and disoriented not only the industry of Freight Forwarding, but all of its kind globally! However, even with the onset of the said pandemic, our company saw no reason not to continue our capable services. Instead, we continued our operation, moving any commodity, especially on the miscellaneous cargoes and heavy-oversized cargoes which are allowed by the government during the lockdown period.
When did you start the company, and who are the owners? The Rigging Co., Ltd. started with a humble beginning by the founder (Mr. Jed Dulay). It all started by moving small- to average-sized machines on both import and export, providing packing, crating, rigging-in or rigging-out, and positioning of the machines to its final placement. We did this until such time that the company joined some of the industry’s individual players, having extensive experiences, knowledge and great attitudes in the various fields of specialized heavylift transport, rigging, heavylift. Having the various industrial partners 460
which are our employees, The Rigging Co.,Ltd had started the expansion and programmed the procurement of specialized and new generation equipment to muscle up our expansion, to where our company became one among the leading specialized transporters, rigging, lifting, and alternative service companies. According to our company’s slogan “THE RIGGING NEVER STOPS”, here we are, and we have the prestige of conversing with the great and honored president of CLC, and being interviewed on our newly muscled services, as a new NVOCC – INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDING company.
I understand that with a name like the Rigging Co. Ltd, you must be involved in heavylift and special trucking around the Philippines, right? Can you tell us more? The Rigging Co., Ltd. has also enhanced and developed its service capacities, not only in land-based services, but we also served and engaged in other special services, like lift-rig services (aerial lift by special type of chopper). We use these for projects related to water such as dams and river diversion, where the project sites are not yet transportable by land. Therefore, we can bring construction equipment, supplies, and other materials and miscellaneous items which would never be able to be carried if not on this kind of transport method. In addition, most of the above movement will firstly be bolstered by freight forwarding services, and adding our special transport, rigging, and lifting services will give us a better stance in these logistical operations and services. We are also getting ready for marine water services, such as submarine, fiber optic, interconnection projects, and hoping that this will provide us a positive outcome in cases where freight forwarding is one of the needed services. 461
Your country consists of many islands. How is project cargo, in general, transported among the islands and from the main ports to the jobsite? What are the main ports used in your country for project cargoes? The main ports where most of the big cargoes arrive; Manila Port and Batangas port. Both are international ports located in Luzon. There is Cebu International Port in Central Visayas. Also, the Iloilo International and Bacolod International Ports in Western Visayas. Lastly, Davao Port which is located in Mindanao. From an international port, those project cargoes which have to be transported and delivered to various islands may be transported in a combined type or mode of transport. We may use an Inter-Island Domestic Shipping Liner or use an LCT or Landing Craft Transport Ship/Barge. This depends on the type of cargo handling, methods, weight, measurement, and the port capacity including road route and condition, delivery site condition, and all the other project related cargo and technical data gathering in order to safely and carefully plan and execute the whole processes of the delivery. 462
Is customs clearance a problem? Not at all. As long as you comply with all the requirements and the cargo is in place, a normal process may apply. Any facilitation inside the ports may be avoided as long as your cargo is legally declared and with proper documentation.
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Many forwarders claim to be experts in the Philippines. What makes you the real expert? Everyone has the right to tell; they are the expert! Maybe each in their own right… The Rigging Co., Ltd. might not be the expert, but we may be or become a specialist! Reasons?? We are not only a Freight Forwarder, but a Freight Forwarder which has its own equipment, passion, experience and knowledge which can provide not only technical, but logistical support to all….be it a fellow freight forwarder, direct supplier, contractor, subcontractor, or any industry player. The true expert understands their own limits. We at The Rigging Co., Ltd make sure that every service we offer will be so remarkable to clients that they will be aiming for our services every time they have job requirements. We make sure the safety of the cargo and the safety of our team is in the necessary rhythm for a job with well done results. Our clients’ satisfaction is our main concern and objective for all our services.
With your expertise in inland transport and trucking, could you provide us with some examples of project cargoes that you have handled? Hauling, Lifting & Positioning services: • Transformers up to 220 tons / for power plant & substations • Column – 343 tons / for oil & gas facility • Aircraft Engines for various airline companies / freight forwarders • Tanks (Cryogenic, VIE, Oxygen and others) for Manufacturers, Semiconductors A question on the minds of many is Boracay. It was reported that it was closed down for clean-up. Is it now open again for tourists (COVID-covid19 permitting, of course)? The Philippines Department of Tourism is set to open the doors of Boracay, the country’s top tourist destination, starting October 1 after almost seven months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boracay will be open to visitors coming from areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ. However, visitors should have tested negative for COVID-19 test prior to travel. 464
How would it be best for our readers to reach you? Our Team is very glad to be your partner. The following officers are available to communicate: Jed G. Dulay PRESIDENT No. 2248, Aurora Blvd, Pasay City Philippines Cellphone No: 0917800 8788 Email Add: jed@theriggingcoltd.com Baby S. Artajo Senior Manager No. 2248, Aurora Blvd, Pasay City Philippines Cellphone No: 09178958865 Email Add: baby@theriggingcoltd.com Rachel Aurelio Sales and Marketing Manager – Foreign Account No. 2248, Aurora Blvd, Pasay City Philippines Cellphone No: 0917811 1316 Email Add: rachel@theriggingcoltd.com 465
Featured Video How Amazon Beat Supply Chain Chaos With Ships, Containers And Planes Editor’s Note: Although it is not really project cargo related, one still cannot help being impressed by the sheer size of guys like AMAZON. How do they solve their supply chain problems in these awkward times? Here is an interesting video from youtube on that very thing.
Featured Photo Editor’s Note: A great picture of a PIL MPP vessel in Port of Hong Kong. PIL has been in stormy weather financially but is now on the mend. The Singapore carrier has a proud history so I’m glad that they are still with us.
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Wise Words
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INDEX 236
AD TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS – PANAMA
63
ADVERT - ATLAS HEAVY TRANSPORT
156
ADVERT - CHIPOLBROK (CP)
374
ADVERT - CLC PROJECTS
4
ADVERT - COLI SHIPPING
333
ADVERT - CROSS OCEAN
121
ADVERT - FRONTLOG
184
ADVERT - HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT
243
ADVERT - LIBURNIA
275
ADVERT - MARTIN BENCHER
419
ADVERT - PCW
204
ADVERT - TSA AGENCY SWEDEN
2
ADVERT - UHL
318
AFRILOG – GERMISTON, GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA
326
AGENCE MARITIME MOHAB – TUNIS, TUNISIA
97
ALLROUND FORWARDING MIDWEST – CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA
422
ASERCOMEX – BURGOS, SPAIN
294
ATLANTIC RO-RO CARRIERS INC — NEW YORK, USA
59
AUDIO INTERVIEW: CMA CGM HEAD OF PROJECT CARGO DIVISION - MARSEILLE, FRANCE
207
BBC CHARTERING – LEER, GERMANY
139
BEE LOGISTICS – TAIPEI, TAIWAN
75
CARMELO CARUANA COMPANY LTD - MARSA, MALTA
84
COLI LOGISTICS GMBH – HAMBURG, GERMANY
268
DANBRIT SHIPPING LIMITED – GOOLE, UNITED KINGDOM
18
DAN-GULF SHIPPING INC. – METAIRIE, LA, U.S.A
219
DELPA SHIPPING & TRANSPORT CO. LTD, IN ATHENS, GREECE
3
EDITORIAL
397
ENERGY INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS SRL – MILAN, ITALY
410
FEI CARGO LTD – MUMBAI, INDIA
147
FEVZI GANDUR SHIPPING AGENCY – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
115
FRONTLOG – NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN
290
FTGV TRANSPORT LOGISTICS CARGO S.A. DE C.V – MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
469
GET THE PCW MOBILE APP
128
GLOBETRANS S.A. – CONAKRY, GUINEA
382
HABA-SPED LOGISTICS JAPAN K.K. – TOKYO, JAPAN
394
HANSA MEYER GLOBAL TRANSPORT GMBH & CO. KG – HAMBURG, GERMANY
314
HILLEBRAND KENYA LIMITED – NAIROBI, KENYA
468
INDEX
174
INTERNATIONAL FORWARDERS & CUSTOMS BROKERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LTD. - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
28
INTRA OCEANIA LINES FOR ANL – MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
37
IOL LOGISTICS – JAKARTA, INDONESIA
259
ISS PALUMBO – ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
10
JASRA LOGISTICS SDN BHD - KUALA BELAIT, BRUNEI
42
LOBO LOGISTICS – BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
350
LOGIMAR SRL / AFRICA LOGISTICS NETWORK (ALN) / EXCLUSIVE PROJECT NETWORK (EPN) - MILAN, ITALY
158
LYONEL A. MAKZUME GROUP OF COMPANIES – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
341
MAINSTREAM – AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
306
MANUPORT LOGISTICS – SANTIAGO, CHILE
426
MLK INTERNATIONAL – CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
363
MODERN FREIGHT S.A – PIRAEUS, GREECE
435
NAVEX – LISBON, PORTUGAL 468
INDEX 65
NYK BULK & PROJECTS – ANTWERP, BELGIUM
441
OMEGA SHIPPING – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
215
PLANCK MARINE INSURANCE – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
103
PLANET COMTRANS – CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
335
PROJECT ONE LOGISTICS – HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA
89
QAS CHARTER - ISTANBUL, TURKEY
110
QINGDAO BA-SHI YUEXIN LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT CO.,LTD. – QINGDAO, CHINA
50
RA LOGISTICS – MUSCAT, OMAN
278
R-LOGISTICS – MONACO
385
SMART CARGO SOLUTIONS – WARSAW, POLAND
123
SPARBER DOMINICANA SRL – SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
459
THE RIGGING CO. LTD. – MANILA, PHILIPPINES
447
THUNDERBOLT GLOBAL LOGISTICS – BALTIMORE, USA
255
TRAVEL REPORT – JULY, 2021
197
TSA AGENCY SWEDEN AB – GÄVLE, SWEDEN
166
TSCHUDI LOGISTICS GROUP – MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
176
TSM PROJECT LOGISTICS PVT LTD. – MUMBAI, INDIA
401
ULOG – BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
187
VIDEO INTERVIEW: A2Z (AFRICA) LOGISTICS ADVISORY - JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
114
VIDEO INTERVIEW: AAL SHIPPING - SINGAPORE
376
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ACCESS WORLD - SINGAPORE
10
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ACE 54 AFRICA PROJECT MANAGEMENT - DUBAI, UAE
187
VIDEO INTERVIEW: AHLMARK LINES AB - NORRKÖPING, SWEDEN
306
VIDEO INTERVIEW: AIR & OCEAN WORLDWIDE APS - COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
305
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ANTWERPXL - LONDON, UK
381
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ASIAN TIGER SHIPPING LLC – DUBAI, U.A.E.
60
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ATLAS HEAVY TRANSPORT - HOUSTON, USA
197
VIDEO INTERVIEW: BATI GROUP – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
196
VIDEO INTERVIEW: C. STEINWEG GROUP – JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
286
VIDEO INTERVIEW: C.E.R.L. – LYON, FRANCE
246
VIDEO INTERVIEW: CARGOCREW INTERNATIONAL GMBH - HAMBURG, GERMANY
377
VIDEO INTERVIEW: CARGOGULF INC. – DUBAI, U.A.E.
219
VIDEO INTERVIEW: CATONI & CO. - TBLISI, GEORGIA
153
VIDEO INTERVIEW: CHIPOLBROK - GDYNIA, POLAND
165
VIDEO INTERVIEW: COLI SCHIFFAHRT & TRANSPORT - BREMEN, GERMANY
410
VIDEO INTERVIEW: COMARK PROJECT LOGISTICS – LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
161
VIDEO INTERVIEW: CORY BROTHERS – IPSWICH, UNITED KINGDOM
353
VIDEO INTERVIEW: COSCO SHIPPING LINES - HAMBURG, GERMANY
106
VIDEO INTERVIEW: DSV – AARHUS, DENMARK
409
VIDEO INTERVIEW: FORMAG LOGISTICS – SAMARA, RUSSIA
240
VIDEO INTERVIEW: HAPAG LLOYD - GLOBAL SPECIAL CARGO - HAMBURG, GERMANY
134
VIDEO INTERVIEW: HÖEGH AUTOLINERS - OSLO, NORWAY
301
VIDEO INTERVIEW: HÖEGH AUTOLINERS - OSLO, NORWAY
181
VIDEO INTERVIEW: HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT - ROSTOCK, GERMANY
143
VIDEO INTERVIEW: HUTCHISON PORTS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
245
VIDEO INTERVIEW: KENSA LOGISTICS - MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
458
VIDEO INTERVIEW: KWH LOGISTICS - VAASA, FINLAND
161
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LETH AGENCIES – COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
143
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LIBURNIA MARITIME - RIJEKA, CROATIA
240
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LIBURNIA PROJECTS & CHARTERING – PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (AND SLOVAKIA) 469
INDEX 246
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LIBURNIA PROJECTS & CHARTERING B.V. - ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
459
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LOGISTICS PLUS INC. - ISTANBUL, TURKEY & HOUSTON, TEXAS
206
VIDEO INTERVIEW: LOGISYN ADVISORS - CHICAGO, USA
272
VIDEO INTERVIEW: MARTIN BENCHER POLAND - GDAŃSK, POLAND
286
VIDEO INTERVIEW: MERIAURA GROUP – TURKU, FINLAND
9
VIDEO INTERVIEW: MITSUI O.S.K. KINKAI - SINGAPORE
368
VIDEO INTERVIEW: MR. RICHARD HOLGATE RETIRED DIRECTOR OF MARINE OPERATIONS AT CMA CGM - MARSEILLE, FRANCE
170
VIDEO INTERVIEW: MR. STEFFEN PEDERSEN, MARITIME LAWYER – SINGAPORE
46
VIDEO INTERVIEW: OCEAN7 PROJECTS - SVENDBORG, DENMARK
153
VIDEO INTERVIEW: PORT OF GRENAA, DENMARK
55
VIDEO INTERVIEW: PORT OF SÖDERTÄLJE, SWEDEN
341
VIDEO INTERVIEW: PORT OF UMEÅ / KVARKEN PORTS - SWEDEN
191
VIDEO INTERVIEW: PROTOS SHIPPING – MONTREAL, CANADA
377
VIDEO INTERVIEW: ROYAL ARCTIC LINE A/S - AARHUS, DENMARK
353
VIDEO INTERVIEW: SAL HEAVY LIFT – HAMBURG, GERMANY
272
VIDEO INTERVIEW: SEA.O.G OFFSHORE – HAMBURG, GERMANY & HOUSTON, USA
88
VIDEO INTERVIEW: SEAWORKS BV - AMERSTAN, THE NETHERLANDS
55
VIDEO INTERVIEW: SILVASTI - JYVÄSKYLÄ, FINLAND
186
VIDEO INTERVIEW: STEVECO OY – KOTKA, FINLAND
60
VIDEO INTERVIEW: UAL CHARTERING - COPENHAGEN, DK
192
VIDEO INTERVIEW: UECC – OSLO, NORWAY
192
VIDEO INTERVIEW: UNIMASTERS – VARNA, BULGARIA
207
VIDEO INTERVIEW: UNITED HEAVY LIFT - NÆSTVED, DENMARK
430
VIDEO INTERVIEW: XS GLOBAL LOGISTICS – PERTH, AUSTRALIA
368
VTG PROJECT LOGISTICS - MOSCOW, RUSSIA
8
WEEK 02 – 2021
17
WEEK 03 – 2021
36
WEEK 04 – 2021
49
WEEK 05 – 2021
58
WEEK 06 – 2021
64
WEEK 07 – 2021
83
WEEK 08 – 2021
96
WEEK 09 – 2021
109
WEEK 10 – 2021
122
WEEK 11 – 2021
137
WEEK 12 – 2021
146
WEEK 13 – 2021
157
WEEK 14 – 2021
164
WEEK 15 – 2021
173
WEEK 16 – 2021
185
WEEK 17 – 2021
190
WEEK 18 – 2021
195
WEEK 19 – 2021
205
WEEK 20 – 2021
214
WEEK 21 – 2021
234
WEEK 22 – 2021
244
WEEK 23 – 2021
249
WEEK 32 – 2021
266
WEEK 33 – 2021
276
WEEK 34 – 2021
289
WEEK 35 – 2021 470
INDEX 304
WEEK 36 – 2021
312
WEEK 37 – 2021
334
WEEK 38 – 2021
348
WEEK 39 – 2021
356
WEEK 40 – 2021
375
WEEK 41 – 2021
380
WEEK 42 – 2021
392
WEEK 43 – 2021
408
WEEK 47 – 2021
420
WEEK 48 – 2021
433
WEEK 49 – 2021
456
WEEK 50 – 2021
250
WESTDIJK SWEDEN AB – GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
23
ZANINONI I.F.A. SPA – BERGAMO, ITALY
70
ZUHAL SHIPPING & LOGISTICS - DUBAI, U.A.E.
PROJECT CARGO WEEKLY Interviews with Project Forwarding and Shipping Industry Professionals
part of
CLC PROJECTS GROUP
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FOLLOW PCW www.projectcargo-weekly.com Copyright 2022 - Project Cargo Weekly Part of CLC Projects Group This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.