Dear Readers,
It is Thursday the 12th of January, and we are back again with PCW and the first online issue of the Year 2023.
I hope all of you had a good entrance into the New Year! There is always a special feeling when the clock strikes 12 midnight and the year which has passed forever has gone to the history books.
The past year was remarkable but also scary in some ways. We learnt how quickly things could change and that war and conflict can happen at anytime. We learnt (if we didn’t know already) that corruption is a scourge and that even we in the “cleaner” countries of the EU have our own problems leading up to and including vice presidents of our EU bureaucratic Mickey Mouse parliament.Â
All of this made at least me wonder, what didn’t come to light? Â
The inequality of income also here in Europe and not least in the UK made it abundantly clear that although people have jobs and more than ever are working, it won’t help if the salaries are so low that they cannot cover basic needs. In fact, the question EAT or HEAT came to the fore for many in the UK which seems to be an island able to speak English well but not to do much else, let alone cleaning up “Moscow by the Thames”. It also doesn’t help that PM’s come and go with regularity. Still for those of us who love the UK, including myself with a couple of children working and studying there, we hope that common sense will prevail… and soon! See the special report on the cost of living crisis.
Still, poverty in the UK is of course minuscule compared to poverty in many other places in the world, but again, in my view, INEQUALITY is the biggest danger facing the world…if we don’t pay attention to the dictators and egomaniacs we’ve got in certain countries.
The soaring cost of energy and the way in which some resource-rich countries are using their fuels as a weapon has shown just how vulnerable we are and how naive we have been. About being naive, I really need to single out Germany and the NordStream project which now has been stopped and sabotaged by… you may guess… so yes, we need energy sources that are diversified, and YES, that includes nuclear power. So for all of you Green vegans ? out there: what to do if the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow? Of course, I too want to reduce fossil fuel consumption, but it cannot be done overnight. I guarantee you that no one is green if they are freezing…
My travel schedule has been set for 2023, and although I am writing this editorial with a broken wrist, I am still able to lift a suitcase with my left hand.
I will attend Breakbulk Middle East (February 13-14). After that I will be celebrating my 60th birthday in Malta.
Next is a present I gave to myself: a freighter trip on board MACS (www.macship.com) MPP vessel mv Bright Sky (or substitute) – see short video of the vessel here. Estimated time of sailing from Antwerp is end of February with ETA Cape Town end of March via Leixoes, Portugal & Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Besides a quick trip to Hong Kong to be scheduled, I shall visit South America in August where I shall host a regional conference for the networks I am chairing (www.clcprojects.com) and (www.cross-ocean.com).
Prior to that, we have a global network conference in Budapest, Hungary from the 10th-11th of June.
Google was kind enough to show me my total travel in 2022. It seems I travelled the globe almost 4 times.
Yet, alas, as you can see, Africa and South America are woefully empty. My travel in 2023 will rectify that!
We have started with interviews again, but please note that this year, we will publish every 2nd week (every other week). This will give me a bit more time to do research and handle other duties, including domestic chores.
I had a video interview here with a most reliable and versatile project freight forwarder and seaworthy packing company called COMARK in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As an appetizer, see it here:
Video Interview
Comark Project Logistics
Besides Comark we have three other interesting interviews in store for you:
1. Messina Line — a renowned Italian shipowner running RoRo and project cargo services between the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa.
2. Haropa Port — a consortium of French ports working together to offer a seamless product.
3. Cory Brothers (from the archives) — with a long-term history of shipping agency, chartering and breakbulk handling in the UK.
Finally, we are adding shipping news, trade intel, and wise words and remind you to download the PCW mobile APP. Also note that our next publishing date is THURSDAY 26th of January.
Hope you enjoy that we are baaack…. and wishing you well.
Until 26/1, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Ignazio Messina & C. – Genoa, Italy
Interview with
Mr. Ignazio Messina
CEO
First of all, could you elaborate a bit on the history and current ownership of Messina Group?
Ignazio Messina & C. is mainly a shipping company. Last year we celebrated our first century of shipping. Our company offers international maritime line services from the Mediterranean to North Africa, East and South Africa, the Red Sea, India-Pakistan and the Arabian Gulf, West Africa.
On our modern container ConRo ships – the biggest ever built – we accept containers, RORO cargo, general cargo, yacht, project cargo and, generally speaking, every kind of goods which can be shipped via ramp, 350 tons. of max load.
Haropa Port – France
Interview with
Mr. Kris Danaradjou
Deputy General Manager
Please introduce yourself.
I am Kris Danaradjou, Deputy General Manager in charge of development of HAROPA PORT. After graduating as a member of the high-level French corps of engineers in charge of public infrastructure (Ingénieur des Ponts, des eaux et des Forets) and from the Grenoble school of political science (Sciences Po), I began my career in the Ministry of National Infrastructure and Transport before going on to a variety of project management posts for works projects (most notably in the Louvre Museum in Paris).
I joined HAROPA- Paris Ports in 2014 as a deputy manager for development, later being appointed Director of the Port of Gennevilliers, the leading multimodal platform in the Greater Paris region.
Video Interview with:
Cory Brothers – United Kingdom
Jenny Butler, Liner Director at Cory Brothers Shipping Agency Ltd. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Copenhagen Malmö Port’s Skilled Dockers Unloaded 4 Steel Bridge Elements at Levantkaj Terminal in Copenhagen
Editor’s Note:
As a native Dane I am happy to see that our capital does not only consist of politicians but also a capable port able to handle project cargoes.
The elements are each more than 20 meters long and weighs around 50 tonnes each. The bridge will be placed at Sundkrogsgade in Nordhavnen and cross a new canal – all part of the urban development by Udviklingsselskabet By & Havn in the area.
KWH Logistics Subsidiary Oy Blomberg Stevedoring Acquired a Heavy Liebherr LHM 600 Harbour Crane for the Port of Vaskiluoto in Vaasa
Editor’s Note:
The real “headquarters” of Wärtsilä if not Switzerland must be in Vaasa, Finland. They also invest in new cranes to handle more in and out-bound project cargoes.
The manufacturer of the machine is Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH from Germany, and it has arrived at the end of December 2022. The newly built crane has a lifting capacity of 208 tonnes, making it one of the largest harbour cranes in Finland and at the same time in the northern Baltic Sea.
Nordex Optimises its Logistics with a Maritime Subsidiary and Starts a New Regular Line with Northern Europe and Asia
Editor’s Note:
Yes Spain is more than siesta and good weather and wine, they also got lots of shipping there…see here latest from Port of Bilbao.
Last September, the Nordex group constituted a subsidiary in its head office in Barasoain (Navarre) to carry
out activities such as international cargo agent and logistics operator related to the dispatching and reception
of shipments, consolidation and deconsolidation of cargoes.
News from High North
Editor’s Note:
News from the high north now more interesting due to it being one of Russias gateways to the world, it might be interesting for you to know more.
The High North kicks off the new year with a film festival, stockfish, and green investments. However, there continues to be ripple effects of the Ukraine War, almost one year after it began.
This year of news is well underway and many exciting things are coming in 2023, such as features, High North Tour, and more. So stay tuned!
Octopus Expands in Spain and Enters Portugal’s Green Generation Market
London-based Octopus Energy’s generation arm is expanding green power in Iberia by investing in renewables developer FF New Energy Ventures (FFNEV) to develop solar photovoltaic plants, reducing fossil fuels reliance.
The Octopus Energy Development Partnership (OEDP) investment in Spanish-founded FFNEV will scale activity in Spain and Portugal, and accelerate expansion into new European countries and Latin America in the future. This marks Octopus’ first entry into Portugal’s green generation market.
Port in Bahamas Orders Konecranes
Nassau Container Port (NCP) has ordered an eco-efficient Generation 6 Konecranes Gottwald Mobile Harbor Crane for container handling at their terminal at Arawak Cay, Nassau, Bahamas. The order was booked in November 2022 and the crane will be delivered in July 2023.
Faurecia Expands Presence in Morocco With 4th Plant
Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour and Director General of Faurecia operations in Morocco and Tunisia, Taoufik Laamiri signed on Friday in Casablanca a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to the establishment of the new factory.
Applied Materials Breaks Ground on Facility in Singapore That Will Add 1,000 Jobs
The new facility in Tampines Industrial Crescent will be spread over 700,000 sq ft, with 100,000 sq ft of its rooftop covered with solar panels to produce clean energy, the firm announced on Thursday.
COSCO Shipping MPP Vessel Arriving Stockholm’s Downtown Freeport
Editor’s Note:
The first of two COSCO MPP vessels came to Stockholm’s Downtown Freeport mid-December 2022. PCW was of course there for the event… enjoy the view and short video.
Editor’s Note:
A feeder vessel sank off the Matsu Islands near Taiwan with a seafarer clinging to a Maersk container for safety. Apparently happened just last week – respect to the seafarers who ensure owners being profitable, let us just hope owners pay them enough???
