Dear All,
It’s Thursday 13th June and here we are in your inbox. Luckily it is not Friday 13th (that was a scary movie!), but happily enough, Friday is right around the corner and the weekend is fast approaching for many of us. The week that’s passed since our last newsletter has, at least for me, been uneventful.
My main focus has been on contacting content providers for this newsletter and trying to advise people that it is worth placing a banner ad in PCW. I must admit, selling advertising isn’t easy nowadays. Several potentials told me that they felt it could be a waste of money to place a banner ad. What I can see from the banner ads that we currently have in PCW (with only four permitted per issue) is that often, the links to videos are clicked more. That may be a good tip for the would-be PCW advertiser.
Advertising overall seems to have been almost overtaken by social media nowadays. Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and (let’s not forget) WeChat in China are all becoming forces to be reckoned with in the field of marketing. This isn’t only for companies but also oneself. I can see that headhunters worldwide are scouring these forms of social media for the right people to fill their vacancies. PCW also regularly posts copies of our interviews on LinkedIn. With the combined contacts of my two partners and me, we reach about 33,000 contacts on LinkedIn alone. That’s in addition to the 40,000+ receivers and subscribers of PCW.
Please allow me to do a little bit of advertising in this editorial for the PCW app. It’s totally free and can be downloaded here for both iOS and Android.
Politically speaking, I don’t have many comments to make regarding the past week. The only thing is that I heard that President Trump (for once) got something good out of China. He reportedly visited the Great Wall recently. Of course, he remarked that he needs a wall like that in the USA because he didn’t see a single Mexican over there. It seems that the current US President will pick fights with anyone.
However, in a global economy, it’s dangerous to point fingers at people, as often, two fingers will point back at you. Perhaps this adage, together with a lesson in geography and the histories of various countries, could be useful to the current administration. Maybe reading the book Legacy of Ashes about the CIA should be mandatory for any politician who claims to be morally right.
Businesswise, today we start off interviewing what was originally an Icelandic company in the high north of the Atlantic. However, we talk to a representative of their office in Aarhus, Denmark. They offer interesting project and break bulk solutions, even to places such as inland Russia. We then visit another island, the UK, and speak to a real expert in moving oversized pieces around the world. Finally, we visit a country whose population endured severe hardship under Stalin’s reign of terror. Now they are the independent country of Ukraine. We talk to the director of a business that is developing fast and moving forward, also as an expert in the field of project logistics and shipping, with their easy access to the Black Sea.
With our usual shipping news, trade intel and wise words, we wish you a great weekend ahead and, until next time, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Samskip – Aarhus, Denmark
Interview with
Mr. Kenneth Nielsen
Branch Manager
Kenneth, please tell us about the history of Samskip. I understand that your origins are in the North Atlantic country of Iceland?
In Aarhus, Samskip handles its vessels’ last port-of-call before they move northbound with cargo from Continental Europe to the Faeroe Islands and Iceland. This is our main business and the central tradeline we serve with our vessels. This has developed into a pan-European business and we handle cargo across Europe now with our vessels and our own trains.
Abnormal Load Services UK International Limited (ALS) – United Kingdom
Interview with
Mrs. Jillian Peacock
Group Marketing Manager
First, Jillian, can you please tell us who the owners of ALS are? Elaborate a bit on the history of the company and explain to our readers, if you will, what the abbreviation ALS stands for?
ALS stands for Abnormal Load Services.
In 2000, René van de Vin, who is still ALS’ managing director and one of the shareholders, brought together an international development opportunity for ALS. In 2012, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) required a majority stake in ALS to help support and develop WW’s breakbulk and project cargo specialism. ALS celebrates her fortieth birthday in January 2020.
Varamar Trans – Ukraine
Interview with
Mr. Maxim Rabinchuk
Director
First of all, Maxim, before we start with the business-related questions, can you tell us about the current business and political situation in your country of Ukraine?
Ukrainian business can be described as a developing business now that
Exclusive Industry Insights, Global News and the AntwerpXL Review
Editor’s Note:
I attended AntwerpXL this year and it will by no means be the only time for Project Cargo Weekly to attend. We will be there next year as well, so make a note of the date in 2020 and book your space/hotel/flights in time.
With the inaugural edition of AntwerpXL last month bringing the breakbulk community back to Antwerp, the response from the industry has been resounding. ‘A great experience‘, ‘good quality of visitor‘, ‘an ideal opportunity to make contacts‘ – these were just a few of the opinions shared by visitors and exhibitors alike.
A full post-show roundup is now available, as well as exclusive industry insight from the event, the official show video, and a range of local and global industry news. Welcome back to the XL Anchor!
Russia and China Sign Arctic Deal
Novatek, Sovcomflot, COSCO Shipping and the Silk Road Fund Co., have signed a four-party agreement to establish a joint venture Maritime Arctic Transport LLC.
The focus of the Maritime Arctic Transport joint venture is to manage an ice-breaking tanker fleet of Arctic ice-class vessels, comprising existing and new vessels that will transport LNG for current and planned Novatek projects, namely: Yamal LNG; Arctic LNG 2 and others.
The agreement was signed by Sergey Frank, President and CEO of Sovcomflot; Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of the Management Board of Novatek; Xui Lizhong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of COSCO Shipping Corporation; and Wang Yanzhi, President of the Silk Road Fund.
SAL Heavy Lift Fly High with New Crane Extension – the Fly-Jib.
“The sky is the limit” – SAL Heavy Lift is ready to reach further and lift higher with its latest acquisition – a highly configurable crane boom extension that with its modular design offer clients unrivalled lifting height and applicability. The so-called Fly-Jib is designed for the cranes of SAL’s Type 183 vessels (MV Lone & MV Svenja) and can be installed to each of their main cranes’ booms. MV Lone is the first vessel in the SAL fleet to proudly carry this exciting new piece of equipment.
Sheer excitement was present when SAL witnessed its latest and greatest tool in-vestment – the Fly-Jib – being mounted on to the aft crane of its mighty heavy lift vessel MV Lone. The new Fly-Jib which makes the crane hook towering some 70m high up in the air is a significant step forward for SAL in its heavy lift offering to clients in both offshore renewables and oil & gas markets.
Trans-Pacific Market: SC3 First to Connect Haiphong, Vietnam and U.S. Pacific Southwest
In an industry first, APL’s South China Loop 3 (SC3) service will offer direct connection between Haiphong, Vietnam and U.S. Pacific Southwest. The weekly service takes just 19 days to ship from Haiphong to Long Beach, and 25 days from Haiphong to an added Oakland call.
For Yantian exports, SC3 delivers best-in-class transit from Yantian to Long Beach (13 days), topped with weekend cut-offs to cater to shippers’ schedules.
Opening Up the World through TIR
Editor’s Note:
IRU – The International Road Transport Organisation has an excellent newsletter. Road transport, in spite of all the ‘green talk’ nowadays, still plays a leading role in connection with sea freight, in particular for landlocked countries.
The monthly roundup of key issues affecting your industry. The IRU newsletter gives you insight into road transport business trends, legislation and national and international policy.
Asian Development Bank to Fund Solar Project in Afghanistan
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to issue a loan of $4m to energy company Barakat Kandahar Solar Energy to develop solar energy projects in Afghanistan. Based in the Philippines, the bank specialises in loans to promote economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
Barakat Kandahar Solar Energy is a subsidiary of the 77 Group, an international civil works scheme based in Turkey that will help build the plant.
Arla Foods to Shift Some Production to the Middle East
Arla Foods,
an international dairy cooperative, has unveiled plans to move certain
processed cheese and sterilized cream production lines from three of its sites
to a newly acquired location in the Middle East.
Arla Foods said production from its Bislev and AKAFA sites in Denmark and from
its Riyadh site in Saudi Arabia will be moved to a site in Manama in Bahrain.
Arla acquired the site in Manama from Mondelez International as part of its
recent acquisition of the latter’s Kraft branded cheese business in the Middle
East and Africa.
Indiana Wheel Corporation Plans Manufacturing Plant in Plymouth, Indiana
Indiana Wheel Corporation, a startup manufacturing company specializing in the production and distribution of steel wheels, announced plans to establish operations in Plymouth, Indiana. The company plans to create up to 117 new jobs over the next few years in Marshall County.
The company, which is a joint venture led by China-based Jingu Company Limited (Jingu), will invest nearly $23 million to purchase, renovate and equip a 300,000-square-foot production facility at 2935 Vanvactor Drive in Plymouth.
Vinamilk Expands Organic Milch Cow Breeding in Laos
The Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) debuted the Lao – Jagro Development Xiengkhouang Co.
Speaking at the event, Vinamilk General Director Mai Kieu Lien said the first stage of the work will cover 5,000ha with 24,000 milch cows. Once operational, it will generate thousands of jobs to local residents.
Leagold Pencils in Starting Dates for Growth Projects
Vancouver-headquartered
Leagold’s development plan for the fully-funded Los Filos expansion, in Mexico, has been organised into three distinct projects with staggered start dates.
Editor’s Note:
In order to secure your project cargo business, you need often to fly a lot. I kind of like Paul Lucas’ travel reports on aeroplanes around the world. It’s no secret to anyone that airlines in the US are greatly lacking when held to the standards of service that we see in Asia or even Europe. Enjoy this piece (or don’t) about a recent business class experience.
Editor’s Note:
Size does matter. Here is the world’s largest bulk carrier that was recently launched in China. Used mainly for the transport of iron ore between Brazil and China, it’s an impressive ship seen from any direction.
Editor’s Note:
Trucking in the north of Finland, very close to, or exactly by, the Finnish/Swedish border is also possible as you can see in this impressive video from Finland-based trucking company, Silvasti. They’ve made themselves specialists in moving oversized pieces around in Scandinavia and Russia.
Editor’s Note:
Getting caught in-between is never a pleasure, be it privately or in business. However sometimes it cannot be avoided as you see here from a picture taken onboard a breakbulk vessel loading transformers in Rijeka, Croatia.
