Dear Readers,
It is Thursday the 5th of September and PCW is back again.
This past week has seen me remain here in Santiago, Chile without any traveling outside. I have had several meetings with interesting people. Besides meeting network members and shipowners such as BBC Chartering and Volans, I also had a most informative interview with the owner of a Belgian company, one of our interviewees today who actually has lived in Kyrgyzstan and worked in Sakhalin. I am always impressed by people who are more than “couch managers”. In other words, people who are willing — with or without family – to travel to their places of business.
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Video Interview
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ABL Dissaco
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Renaud Stiers, MD at ABL Dissaco is interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
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I had a visitor coming from Peru as well. Peru is a country that I regrettably haven’t visited since 2012 when I arrived as a passenger onboard mv Lutetia into the port of Callao. Peru has a huge mining expo in September, and I should be going there. However, I need to catch my breath before flying to Panama and Houston in the coming weeks. The gentleman from Peru is representing Air Sea Logistics. He has an interesting background as well. Air Sea Logistics has also done several projects into the Amazon jungle via Peru, but to get the whole picture better, read his interview here.
AirSeaLogistics
Lima, Peru
Interview with
Mr. Joao Saldias
General Manager
Residing here in Chile reminds me daily to wake up to the fact that the rest of the world “almost” have gone home for the day. Thinking about the time in places like New Zealand, Australia which is on the other side of the dateline makes it even more confusing. It also does mean that I have difficulty attending online meetings which cater to European or Asian time zones. On the other hand, afternoons here are relaxed as everyone for sure are having dinner or are asleep in Europe or Asia.
Speaking of New Zealand, which perhaps is “further away” than Chile, I did manage to have a great interview with a logistics provider there. New Zealand is indeed the country of the Lord of the Rings movie and one of the most beautiful countries I ever visited. I even took a train ride from Wellington to Auckland in 2019 (see video here).
New Zealand is definitely worth a visit…perhaps even before you visit the West Island (😀) which they jokingly call Australia.
Seabridge
Auckland, New Zealand
Interview with
Mr. Matthew Pearson
Director
On the shipping front, it seems that the brave Houthi warriors are still attacking defenseless cargo ships in the Red Sea. It is indeed incredible that the whole world, including the Arab world, stands seemingly idly by whilst one environmental disaster after the other happens to our oceans and its marine life. As PCW suggested before, we believe that the Green Parties of the West should engage with the Houthis to impress on them their green agenda, but we don’t see any political activism here. Yemen is a place where it does not pay to have politically correct opinions whilst sipping a cafe latte after having parked your E-bicycle… Perhaps shipowners should completely abandon transit via the Suez Canal? Whether they will or not remains to be seen. The other big channel, the Panama Canal seems to be going better and better with enough rainfall apparently now to enable quicker transit and less queueing.
Next stops for me (as mentioned before) are Panama in September and Breakbulk Americas in October. At Breakbulk, I am the host for owners and also network (CLC Projects & Cross Ocean) members at a nice seafood restaurant in Houston. It should bode well for a great networking event. And as well we all know, don’t order appetizers in Houston restaurants — the main course portions are big enough already 😀.
We also provide you with shipping news, trade intelligence, featured video and picture of the week, and before we finish off, we offer you some wise words that are always good to take note of. They sometimes encapsulate more wisdom that any politician can utter in his or her time in office.
Do NOT forget to download our APP – here is the link – it is free and our newsletter is free.
Yours sincerely,
With best regards,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Extending the Limits: The ‘AAL Eco-Deck’
Editor’s Note:
AAL is renowned for innovation and moving super heavylifts and now also with a fleet of brandnew vessels in place. See their latest pressrelease including videos here. they are almost round the world serving although not end-end completely.
AAL’s Super B-Class Fleet – ‘Extending the Limits’
What makes AAL Shipping’s (AAL) ‘Super B-Class’ Heavy Lift Fleet of 32,000 deadweight vessels so unique for its global multipurpose and project cargo customers? AAL’s Head of Transport Engineering, Nicola Pacifico, talks us through AAL’s exclusive and ground-breaking retractable weather deck extension system, the ‘AAL ECO-DECK’, and the financial and environmental benefits its offers cargo shippers.
Two more ships hit in Red Sea as Sounion continues to burn
Editor’s Note:
Attacking defenseless cargo ships is the order of the day for the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the world community looks on in bewilderment whilst worrying about our carbon footprint a supertanker is slowly leaking oil into the sea after yet another missile attack. Something’s wrong in our priorities here..
The attacks come as tanker Sounion remains ablaze off Yemen. The ship was attacked by Houthis on August 21 and has been on fire since August 23 when Houthi forces boarded the ship and planted remotely-detonated explosives across its deck.
The Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the initial attack and recorded the subsequent boarding and remote detonation of explosives, have given their approval for salvors to approach the stricken tanker. Sounion is carrying around a million barrels of crude oil, and poses a significant risk to navigation and the environment.
Transpacific rates war breaks out as new arrivals undercut major liners
Editor’s Note:
Finally a rate war or a decrease of rates happening in the shipping industry, if this article from Loadstar is correct starting in the Pacific. Perhaps finally we can get back to “normal” whereby even the owners become hungry again…
A rates war on the Asia-US West Coast tradelane is under way, as newcomer transpacific carriers offer lower rates to gain market share.
This has forced the established mainline operators to drop their rates to hold onto customers.
Another CMA CGM vessel loses containers off the coast of South Africa
Editor’s Note:
It can happen to any ship, shipowner irrespective of size. the ocean can show teeth at anytime and then you may loose containers overboard as happened here with a CMA CGM vessel. One can only imaging the rough seas…
Severe weather off South Africa’s east coast caused the Maltese-flagged CMA CGM Belem to lose 99 containers, following a similar incident a month earlier.
GameChange Solar Signs Tracker Supply Contract with Sterling & Wilson for 750 MW Project in India
GameChange Solar, a leading global supplier of solar tracking solutions for ground-mounted PV plants, announced that it has signed a tracker supply contract with Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy Limited, one of the leading global pure-play, end-to-end renewable EPC solutions providers based in India. GameChange will supply its Genius Tracker™ solar trackers for a massive 750 MWp Solar PV Plant in the Khavda Solar Park, Gujarat, India.
KiwiRail Locomotives Shipped to New Zealand
In 2021 the national railway awarded Stadler a €228m contract to supply 57 six-axle locomotives for freight and passenger trains predominately on the South Island. A further nine were ordered this year for use on
the North Island, and, along with 10 locos from the initial order, will be equipped to use ETCS Level 1 in the Auckland area and subsequently around Wellington.
Origin Building 650 MWh Big Battery in Victoria
Origin Energy has officially begun building a 650 MWh battery energy storage system alongside its gas-fired power station at Mortlake in southwest Victoria, saying the project will support more renewable energy generation in the region and enhance grid stability.
French Company Wins Tender to Build Israel’s Largest Solar Power Plant
French state-owned electric utility EDF has won an Israeli government tender to build and operate the largest power plant in Israel, the finance and energy ministries announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
Departing Port Botany / Sydney Onboard CMA CGM Georgia
Editor’s Note:
5 years ago I departed Port Botany, Sydney onboard mv CMA CGM Georgia as passenger. Coming from Singapore to Melbourne, Sydney was the last stop before disembarking. An incredible journey thanks also to the Chinese/Sri Lankan mixed crew for looking after us passengers (2 of us).
Editor’s Note:
With a 47 day passenger trip onboard mv ABB Vanessa from 15/3 – 3/5 (Portugal to Japan) it was a marvel to actually be in Denmark in July when the vessel arrived back from Asia to discharge some heavylift equipment in the port of Esbjerg. Here she is again alongside Esbjerg.
