Dear Readers,
It is Thursday the 7th of March, and it is time for me again to publish my hopefully highly-awaited editorial.
This will be the last editorial before my long ocean voyage onboard mv ABB Vanessa from Port of Sines, Portugal to Port of Soma, Japan. Due to the situation in the Red Sea, the trip will be some 14 days longer than anticipated as it has to go around the Cape of Good Hope.
In this issue of our newsletter, we have an interview with the broker & charterer of that vessel, and you will here learn more about what they can offer in the field of shipping globally in our interview with them here.
Providing me with access to the owner’s cabin during this voyage is highly appreciated, and although PCW will be off the official grid until May 9th, I shall be sending travel reports when possible; the latest being during our bunkering stop at Singapore. So hope you will enjoy 2 months of “peace and quiet from Project Cargo Weekly”. Time will show whether I have “sea legs” as the voyage will be just about 47 days after departure.
I said goodbye to my children in Stockholm. That experience allowed me to once again, truly understand the predicament that all seafarers face, or indeed, everyone being absent from their children for a significant amount of time face. Who can, if not your children, touch you to the bone when they ask you: “Will you still continue to travel like this?” “Can I call you?” and so on. Luckily nowadays, separation is alleviated by social media, WhatsApp, text messages and so on, and although it is not ideal, it is heartening that fleet broadband is progressively rolled out across the board with many shipowners who care about the well-being of their seafarers. This trip is fully my own choice, so I cannot complain, but my overall opinion is that I need to take trips like this whilst I can still walk up the gangway — as I think I mentioned before.
I paid a visit to Malta again this past week along with my children. Malta is a place where I lived for some years before and where my middle daughter, in fact, went to school. It is still marred somehow by big construction, and several of the locals say that they cannot recognize their own country any longer. Big construction means big business, and big business, of course, also means sometimes big ‘tricky’ business.
With money traveling the world endlessly to find a better return on capital, it does not always benefit the locals. Together with practically unlimited immigration, this tends to push down salaries, and we now can coin a new phrase called “the working poor”. In other words, that in some countries in Western Europe nowadays, you cannot make ends meet with a “normal salary” so to speak. This situation creates problems as we already can see not only in Malta and the UK but even other parts of our continent. If we add to that the green wave, lofty goals about a fossil fuel-free future (which by the way does NOT come free), it all leads me to believe that a storm is brewing. We have seen farmers complaining about new regulations Europe-wide. Of course if you speak to a farmer and he doesn’t complain then we know there is something wrong, but the protests we have seen recently do seem to bear witness to a certain desperation.
If we cannot make ends meet it certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t have problems with obesity. Just heard on the news that the world now has about 1 billion people who are overweight or have problems with obesity. I dare say that I have been fighting with some excess kilos for quite a while. Until a few years ago, the only sport that I was active in was Rittersport — especially the dark blue one with nougat…😁
In today’s issue, we have a heavy selection of interviews in store mainly due to the fact that you now will have some 2 months of “rest”
1. DHL INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS is a renowned and solid company and certainly a global player. We speak to the head of this division who is based in the UK.
2. RISA LOGISTICS is a newcomer in the field based in Denmark, but the owner has extensive experience in the field of cranes/lifting etc. worldwide.
3. DACOTRANS, not a newcomer by any means, is a company very specialised in parts of Latin America which by no means are easy.
4. SWORD GROUP offers IT solutions and know-how on what is happening in the corridors of power concerning compliance and other rules that we are inundated with.
We, of course, provide you with shipping news, trade intel, wise words and featured picture collage and video of the week. Don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn where you will see every Thursday a posting of the actual seaborne location of your editor. You may also download our APP which is free of charge and completely ad-free!
Will “see you” again on May 9th, AGW, WP (All Going Well, Weather Permitting), and as long as Houthis do not shoot long distance missiles…
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Video Interview
DHL Industrial Projects
Ryan Foley, CEO Industrial Projects at DHL Global Forwarding is interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Video Interview
Risa Logistics
Lause Melgaard Paulsen, Owner at Risa Logistics – Denmark is interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at Project Cargo Weekly.
Dacotrans & Daco Heavy Lift – Guatemala
Interview with
Mr. Mathias Rehe
President and CEO
For starters Mathias, what actually prompted you to choose a career in shipping & logistics?
When I was young, I was fascinated by the possibility of traveling lots and learning new languages. When I was faced with the decision of what to do with my life after school, I saw that this industry gives you the opportunity to combine both things. Then I started doing an apprenticeship in Germany in freight forwarding and built my career on this basis.
Sword Group Technologies – Spain
Interview with
Mrs. Montse Rosillo
Business Analyst
First of all Montse, can you elaborate on the history and ownership of Sword Group and can you explain your business model?
Sword Group is a world-leading IT and digital transformation partner, a listed company established at end of the year 2000. Within the group, Sword Technologies focuses on serving the IT needs of European Institutions and their agencies across Europe. We have built trusted relationships over the past 20 years and currently employ approximately 1000 staff active in the construction and running of different European Union IT projects.
Box lines in legal battle with South Korea’s antitrust body over fines
Editor’s Note:
Fairtrade – perhaps an illusion but it seems that carriers are more and more under scrutiny if it is not in the US with FMC checking on demurrage/detention exorbitant charges then apparently now also in South Korea. Me, me, me….comes to mind apparently it is the policy of some carriers…not longterm.
More than 20 liner operators look set for a protracted legal battle with the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). They have filed individual lawsuits with the Seoul High Court, challenging a fine imposed in 2022 for colluding to fix South Korea-South-east Asia tradelanes.
WEC Lines further consolidates its shortsea services between the Port of Bilbao and European ports
Editor’s Note:
Latest from renowned breakbulk port of Bilbao, they are active which some Spanish ports could learn from. Perhaps it also takes an active shipowner… which WEC lines are.
WEC Lines and the Port Authority of Bilbao have brought together clients, collaborators and institutions to officially announce the maritime transport services provided by this shipping company between the Port of Bilbao and other European ports, connecting weekly, with various services, the interior of the Peninsula with the United Kingdom and northwest Europe, Morocco and the Canary Islands.
CMA CGM box ship braves Red Sea danger, with French naval escort
Editor’s Note:
Viva La France and its Navy, as they contribute positively to the global community by supporting trade.
Despite vowing to re-route vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, CMA CGM yesterday sent an ultra-large containership through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The French carrier’s Jules Verne was escorted by the French navy and reported no attacks.
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers
Editor’s Note:
Latest from the St. Lawrence Seaway… not always in the news but still there…
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers unites the chief executives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin. The Governors and Premiers work as equal partners to grow the region’s $6 trillion economy and protect the world’s largest system of surface fresh water.
Airtouch Solar secures a 48 MW PV project with Vena Energy
Airtouch Solar, an Israel-based developer of cleaning equipment for utility-scale solar PV plants, announced this week its partnership with Vena Energy, a global renewable energy company with projects in India and across the Asia Pacific region. Airtouch Solar will supply and install innovative water-free robotic cleaning systems for Vena Energy’s 48 MWp solar plant in India.
UAE – Masdar and DEWA reach financial close on 1.8GW project in Dubai’s huge solar park
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and UAE state-owned renewable power company Masdar have announced financial close on the 1.8GW sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park with costs up to AED5.5 billion (US$1.5 billion).
Marsa LNG launches groundbreaking solar-powered LNG project in Oman
In an unprecedented move in the Middle East, the Port of Sohar is set to become home to a pioneering LNG bunkering project, Marsa LNG, which will be entirely powered by solar energy. This venture marks the first of its kind in the region, showcasing a significant step towards integrating renewable energy sources with major industrial operations.
SUEZ awarded new contract for water-treatment plant project in Indonesia
Suez (Paris, France) recently signed a contract for the Buaran III Water Treatment Plant (WTP) project in Jakarta. The Group will supply key equipment for the water treatment process and will provide technical advisory services for the installation and commissioning of the Buaran III utility. The new WTP in the Indonesian capital will enhance the resilience of the city’s water supply system to provide a safe, reliable, and long-term supply of water to local communities.
Ships Waiting to Berth – View from Qawra, Malta
Editor’s Note:
Fresh from along the road nearby Qawra, Malta whilst on holiday. Seldom to see that many ships waiting for orders or anchored. As you can see even when the sea looks calm swells can still make the vessel roll a bit…
Editor’s Note:
One of the first but likely not the last time to see a COSCO Shipping roro vessel in Gothenburg with the huge amount of cars FROM China to Europe they of course will load cars back – and in future perhaps also high/heavy.
