Interview with
Mr. Dante Javier Alvarez
Projects & Chartering
First of all, Javier please tell our readers about yourself and your own background in shipping. When did you start your career? Why did you choose this kind of job?
I started in this industry in 1992. My first job was for J.H.Bachmann Argentina S.A. It was a very nice experience. I had the good luck to work with German people as my first employment because they taught me the best side of our job. My first project cargo experience was with the General Motors Plant in Argentina (45,000 CBM). This was also a really nice experience. I worked at General Motors up to 1998. Then I joined SAB LOGISTICA S.A. and am here up to today. I’m a custom broker registered in Argentina. Really I think this job chose me, and I am really very appreciative of that.
When was SAB Logistica established and who owns the company?
Samuel Antonio Britvin (SAB) is the owner of this company. SAB Logistica was established on May 1996. In the beginning, SAB dealt with land transportation between Argentina and Brazil. Then, Sam invited me to develop a forwarding area for project cargo. The rest you know very well.
Tell us about the main ports of Argentina and elaborate if you will about the current state of the economy in Argentina?
Argentina is very big with many kilometers of coastline, but actually, there are just three ports which are working regular operations. The Buenos Aires main port has all the facilities to handle any cargo. This means that Containers, BB, Ro Ro, liquids and all kinds of cargo can come to Argentina. Then we have the Rosario and San Lorenzo ports. These ports are on the Parana River. The main cargo for export from these ports is oil. Finally, Bahia Blanca is to the south and has the capability for project cargo and other kinds of cargo. However, this terminal port is working very hard to connect itself with the Vaca Muerta area (the most important oil and gas reserves in Latin America ) which is almost 500 kilometers away by train.
Argentina is at a special moment. A new government has taken control, and now some rules have been changed, so many big companies are expecting new regulations. Really, we expect everything to run well to develop this area because we have many things to do.
SAB Logistica is able to handle project and oversized cargoes, right? Can you provide us with some examples of projects that you have handled?
That’s right. Our specialty is project cargo project. In our market, our company is known for all the project cargo we handle. Many companies have trusted special shipments to our company.
As far as examples, this month: we have moved 1700 CBM / 258 tons from Argentina to Antwerp for Odebrecht Argentina S.A.; we also handled 1200 CBM / 980 tons of drill pipes from Houston, Texas to Argentina for DLS Acher Argentina S.A.; and 3000 CBM /1100 tons of Rig Equipment from Argentina to Bolivia for Sinopec Argentina S.A. among others.
Do you belong to any freight forwarding networks currently? If so, do you find it useful to be a member?
Yes, we do. Last year, we joined CLC Projects. It is a very good alliance. We have worked with others in the past, but with the CLC Projects, we have found our optimum network because the CLC Projects people care for us. Their proactive network has benefited our sales, we appreciate that highly.
How about customs clearance in Argentina. Is that difficult?
Really, the Argentina customs clearance process is not easy. We need to be very careful to comply with all the paperwork and specific information required. We need to work very hard before the cargo is loaded to Argentina. Now we have here the requirement of an import license. This needs to be requested before the cargo arrives in Argentina. It is very important to have all the authorization because in Argentina, the storage charges are very high.
How is it best to get in touch with SAB?
SAB Logistica S.A.
Contact: Samuel Britvin
Email: britvin@sab.com.ar
Phone: +54 11 47426565
Mobile: +54 9 11 4424-6673
