Dear Readers,
Thursday the 24th of May has arrived and we are about one week short of June 1st which means almost halfway through 2018. Go figure, time is something we only seem to appreciate when we are running out of it.
One place I have found where time kind-of stands still is when I take my yearly trip as a passenger onboard a cargo ship. According to my seaman’s book, I took the first trip as an adult onboard mv CMA CGM Berlioz from Hamburg to Khor Fakkan, UAE.
I have been onboard a container ship every year since 2005 with the exception of 2010 when I took an around the world trip onboard mv Rickmers Antwerp (a heavylift ship) from Singapore to Houston. It took 2 months and was a fantastic experience especially because breakbulk ships allow more time in port to load awkward and oversized pieces for which Rickmers Line is renowned.
CMA CGM has, on almost all their main routes, a deck onboard dedicated to passengers and I wish to pay a great tribute to CMA CGM for developing this niche market so that “ordinary” people can try something which is out of this world when it comes to traveling in peace and quiet.
We all know that cruise liners have developed rapidly in recent years but hey, is it a holiday to be together with 3500 other people on the same ship and be asked by an American whether Denmark is upstate New York…? ?
I suppose cruise ships are nice for many people but for me traveling by cargo ship is something I will never let go of. I have even brought 3 of my 6 kids along with me as passengers.
Next year’s trip is booked already with my daughter for a trip onboard CMA CGM Rossini from Singapore to Adelaide. The journey will take 22 days with stops in Port Kelang, Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle, and Adelaide.
Whats the point on going on a cargo ship? The point is: peace, tranquility, excellent food, changing views, ability to focus on reading books – you are of course able to send email from the ship’s office but not really to surf the net. One thing is guaranteed 1 or 2 weeks onboard a cargo ship will leave you rejuvenated, refreshed and you will be able to think new thoughts both in private and in business.
There are a few companies out there offering tailormade solutions for you if you wish to travel by cargo ship. One company that you can check out is Cross Ocean which PCW is affiliated with, they can help first time cargo ship passengers have a smooth trip.
It pays off to deal with people who actually are from the shipping industry when booking such a trip so that you are not stranded in a port somewhere…..on arrival ? .
In business this week we have for you first a visit to the land of the rising sun Japan where we speak to a well-reputed project freight forwarder in Tokyo. We then hop on the plane and fly back towards the Adriatic and speak to a company based in Slovenia doing a lot of inland trucking in Ex Yugoslavia among others. We round off the trip with a visit to an active local shipping agent in Costa Rica, the small Central American country known for coffee, beauty and even shipping with both a Gulf and a Pacific Coast Line.
We have a light moment, wise words and trade intelligence as well as the usual shipping and airline news for you. We also feature another historical flashback in this issue. Enjoy your reading andr prepare for the Breakbulk Expo in Bremen 29-31 of May next week.
Enjoy and have a great rest of the week,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Logismate – Tokyo, Japan
Interview with
Mr. Keiji Ueda
Assistant President
Can you tell us about some of the projects you have handled recently to/from Japan?
One project of interest featured the inland transportation of tissue paper manufacturing machines/equipment including 1 x 83.1 mt yankee dryer coming from Sweden to Nippon Paper Fuji Mills, Shizuoka Japan. The highlight of the transportation was the 477 cm high and 470 cm wide, 83.1 mt yankee dryer which passed under a 486 cm high elevated railway belonging to the Shinkansen (Bullet Train).
Comark d.o.o – Slovenia
Interview with
Mr. Branko Butala
Director and General Manager
Can you provide us with a few examples of some key projects that you have handled recently? Do you own trucks & trailers?
We recently handled 7 x 280 mt transformers in Montenegro. We unloaded the transformers from the vessel, put them on elephant legs and then transported them by truck – barge – truck – SPMT – truck. We had our people present in Montenegro every day for more than 1 month.
S.P.C. Logistics – Costa Rica
Interview with
Christian Ruiz Sarria
General Manager
Can you provide us with a few examples of projects you have handled or ships that you have been the husbandry agent for?
We have the honor of being the agents for m/s Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean and m/s Eukor, we also have great customers such as m/s Valero, Matcon, Lukoil, Glencore, ADM, Bunge, Cargill, MF Grains, etc. In projects, we have moved some transformers and generators to Nicaragua, some pipes, etc.
Airline Project Cargo News of the Week – New Antonov Airlines USA office works with aerospace giant Orbital ATK
Editor’s Note:
It is always impressive to see a giant airliner up close. The first time I was onboard an Antonov 124-100 was in 1995 at Skavsta/Stockholm South Airport loading telecom equipment from Ericsson to China.
Today they even have the bigger Antonov 224 – indeed incredible size.
ANTONOV Airlines, which recently established a USA base in Houston, Texas as part of ongoing global expansion, has transported an outsized communications satellite for Orbital ATK.
The Al Yah 3 Satellite, the first of Orbital ATK’s GEOStar-3 satellite platform, was accommodated in a container that measured 11.4m long, 4.6m wide, and 4.1m high, and weighed 23 tonnes.
See more here:
Antonov USA office
Antonov Australia GSA
Antonov India GSA
www.antonov-airlines.com
Cranes & Rigging Equipment
First Potain Hups in Russia
Moscow, Russia-based crane rental company Topkran-Rent has purchased four new Potain Hup 40-30 self-erecting cranes from manufacturer Manitowoc. According to Manitowoc, these are the first Hups to be sold in Russia. They will initially be used on a four-month project in Moscow. Read more…
Pharmaceuticals
China’s WuXi to Build Yet Another Biologics Plant, This One with Continuous Manufacturing
China’s WuXi Biologics is at it again, announcing plans for a third new manufacturing site in less than a month. The CDMO will build this new biologics manufacturing plant, its 10th, in Singapore and said this one will include continuous manufacturing capabilities. Read more…
Oil & Gas
Mozambique to Construct a Gas Refinery
The National Hydrocarbon Company (ENH) in Mozambique is planning to construct a gas refinery and has already launched a public tender for the initiative. Read more…
Plants & Processing
French Company Interested to Provide Ti-tech Milk Collection System to Pakistan
World Leader French company in the bulk food-grade liquid conservation and processing sector SERAP has showed keen interest to supply its state-of-the-art hi-tech milk and food cooling integrated systems to Pakistan. Read more…
This Week in Shipping History
Light Moment of the Week
