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!
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.
In today’s newsletter, we have 2 interviews and 1 video interview in store for you. Starting off with a reminder of an interview we had with IOL Logistics Indonesia last year, we then proceed to remember another good one we had with LOBO Logistics in Australia. We finalise this week’s input with a video interview with the global Danish based ship operator Ocean7 Projects. Do enjoy it all and sit back and relax whilst watching. We provide shipping news, trade intel and the usual features of the week, including famous wise words into which a lot of wisdom has been poured.
Wishing you well and until next week,
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
IOL Logistics – Indonesia
Interview with
Mr. 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 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.
Lobo Logistics – Brisbane, Australia
Interview with
Mr. Alberto Coll
Director
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 arerespect your business partners,adapt to the environment,trust your instincts,mentor the young generation,show no fear of the competitionandalways howl at a new opportunity.
Ocean7 Projects Interviewed by PCW
Bo H. Drewsen, Editor of PCW speaks with Henrik Slothuus Hansen of Ocean7 Projects.
One Killed, 15 Abducted in Gulf of Guinea Pirate Attack
Editor’s Note:
The world community is, as usual I might add, standing helpless in front of the escalating tide of sea piracy that now takes place in the Gulf of Guinea. I have a suggestion. Open the Swiss bank accounts that many of the local leaders of the countries have and just take 10% out. Perhaps that could then help to: a. finance a good living for the people living in the coastal areas where the pirates come from and b. eradicate the pirates from the surface of the ocean. No doubt even taking only 10% of illicit gains, there would still be a chunk left!
Praesidium reports that at about 0530 hours on Saturday morning, the Turkish-operated container ship Mozart was transiting about 95 nm to the northwest of Sao Tome when she was boarded by four armed assailants. The crew retreated to the vessel’s citadel, but the pirates managed to breach it.
Chinese New Year – End to Equipment Shortage in Sight
Editor’s Note:
Containers and the shortage of them has become a major headache for many, but of course, where there is a loss of income for some, there is generous income for others, i.e., the shipowners that currently are able to debit exorbitant freight rates for even the simplest of shipments. Still, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Here is some news about the container situation from Container xChange, Hamburg.
Containers and the shortage of them has become a major headache for many, but of course, where there is a loss of income for some, there is generous income for others, i.e., the shipowners that currently are able to debit exorbitant freight rates for even the simplest of shipments. Still, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Here is some news about the container situation from Container xChange, Hamburg.
‘Back Us or Lose Us’ – PIL’s Final Desperate Plea to Creditors
Editor’s Note:
And some sad news about the problems of PIL, the Singapore-based, proud shipping line that regrettably has been unable to sustain their development plans. Founded by the charismatic Mr Y.C Chang, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in 1987, in connection with their buying some Ove Skou vessels from Denmark, it seems that they are now in dire straits. I hope a solution can be found longterm for them.
Pacific International Lines (PIL) has issued a stark final plea to its creditors to vote in favour of its “last resort” restructure plan on 1 February or risk receiving just $2 per $100 from its liquidation. The embattled Singapore-headquartered ocean carrier, founded in 1967, presented its final restructuring package to creditors including bunker suppliers and shipowners on 11 November.
China-Europe Rail Trade Imbalance Growing Due Coronavirus, Demand for PPE
Editor’s Note:
Shipping news also can include news concerning shipments by rail. Latest article here from South China Morning Post about the Eurasian Railway provides some interesting insights to this route.
The coronavirus may have pushed China’s freight shipments to Europe via rail to record highs, but far fewer trains have returned with European products, according to data from China’s state railway operator and external analysts. By early November, China Railway Express, a key rail project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, had operated a record number of more than 11,000 trains across Eurasia compared to 8,225 in the whole of 2019.
Chile’s Enap Lets Contract for New Unit at Aconcagua Refinery
State-owned Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (Enap) subsidiary Enap Refinerías SA has let a contract to DuPont Clean Technologies, a division of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., to provide technology licensing for a new unit aimed at reducing and controlling atmospheric emissions from the operator’s 104,000-b/d Aconcagua refinery in Concón, in Chile’s Valparaíso region.
Norway’s NBT, Belgium’s WV to Build Wind Farms with 800 MW Total Capacity in Serbia
Norwegian utility-scale wind power developer NBT entered a partnership with Belgium-based WV International, former Windvision, to develop wind projects with a combined capacity of 800 MW in Serbia by 2026, the two companies said on Tuesday.
Weir Minerals Wins Large Comminution Order from Nigeria Iron Ore Mine
Two of the largest screens built by Weir Minerals Africa are being designed and manufactured in South Africa as part of a process solution for an iron ore mine in Nigeria.
According to Tiisetso Masekwameng, General Manager Comminution at Weir Minerals Africa, the flowsheet accepted by the customer includes equipment for screening, washing, and grinding supplied by Weir Minerals.
Ansaldo Supplying Gas Turbine For Polish Facility
Ansaldo Energia will supply an 80 MW AE64.3 gas turbine and take care of its related maintenance contract for a value of approximately €50 million from the customer Synthos, a Polish chemical company leader in the production of rubbers and polymers.
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.
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
