Dear Readers,
It is Thursday again and the 2nd to last newsletter of the year 2021. We have one more to go on the 16th of December after which we will take a break and enjoy the usual Xmas stress with overeating and bad conscience later on – I am sure some of you know all about it.
The Christmas season is, strangely as it sounds, also a lonely time for many, and whilst we have all kinds of communication tools at our disposal, you see less and less physical interaction between people. If we don’t keep our social media and online life in check, we will lose the ability to actually speak to each other I think.
Stress is everywhere. Planners who from a budget try to squeeze as much “efficiency” into it as they ever can and nowhere more so that in the homecare that we (at least here in Scandinavia) offer to our elders. Don’t get me wrong. There are countries where all you can rely on is your family; the state will do nothing. Yet here, where we believe we have the best in the world, there is hardly a couple of minutes left to speak to the elderly man or woman laying there or having no visitors in cases in which there is no family left alive.
Those few extra minutes are not in the schedule cooked up by a university graduate with little or no feeling (or experience) from real life. Do we dare to take that debate? Do we dare to touch the taboos without being politically correct and risk “offending” anyone?
We have all kinds of material goods, but I fear that with greed and stress being the order of the day, the quality of our lives and that of time spent with our elders, and perhaps even our children, will mean that we are drifting further apart even in families that look solid from the outside. Perhaps we need to get back to “All hands on deck” as the saying goes.
Certainly, it is my hope in speaking of “deck” that shipowners in these golden times will remember NOT only to reward themselves, but in particular, reward their seafarers who have taken the brunt of hardship by a longshot compared to any office worker. Bonuses are great and should be appreciated but do splash them out where the need is the most.
“The squeaky wheel gets the grease” as they say, and most people feel they are sooooo hard working, of course, and that the world would stop without them. While that may be, it certainly WILL stop if the seafarers were not here….
So if I was a shipping manager or a VIP merchant, I would support shipowners who look after their crew. Pure and simple. There is an old saying that “money makes happy but more money does not make more happy”, and if you read between the lines, then certainly there is a lot of truth to that. Believe me, I have seen both sides of that particular coin.
This week, I have taken one trip only to a port called Tunadalshamnen/Sundsvall which is about 400 km north of Stockholm. It was bitingly cold, or at least it felt so up there, with a temperature of about minus 15c. I attended a vessel from Chipolbrok which is the Chinese/Polish joint venture, established some 70 years ago, looking after the trade between the then socialist brothers. Nowadays, it is, of course, commercial, and their ships trade practically everywhere with modern tonnage. Here is a short video from early morning shot by the undersigned with freezing hands. As you know, it is difficult to hold your mobile while wearing winter gloves!
On the home front, life is normal, and I am off to Denmark next week where we will celebrate Christmas and New Years. I doubt though that it will be a white Christmas, but one can always hope. And again, I will need to play Santa Claus. It is rumoured that I have the stomach for it ?.
From the shipping front this week, I am happy to report that we have got some great input in store for you. We start off in the land of explorers and good food and wine and a nice Atlantic Coast Line, and here we talk about Portugal. Oh yes, it is also a refuge for many European pensioners who wish to enjoy the sun and pay less taxes, so all in all a great place to be it would seem. We talk to NAVEX who are a versatile, competent, and far reaching shipping and logistics provider in Portugal and some of the former colonies.
We then travel east to a great place for nightlife, beautiful women, and in short, a fantastic country between east & west, and we of course here talk about Turkey. We speak to OMEGA Shipping in Istanbul, and they tell us what they can do in this country also called the “Bridge between East and West”.
We finally remind you of a video interview we had with an often overlooked regional project and breakbulk cargo carrier called Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai in Singapore. Enjoy a humorous interview between their Norwegian manager based in Asia and the undersigned.
To round things off of course, we provide the usuals such as shipping news, trade intel, wise words and featured video and photos of the week. Before I let you go, let me remind you that we shall be publishing our 2021 YEARBOOK in January 2022. So since we allowed only a few adverts in this highly sought after issue, do write to me soonest if you are interested: bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com. It’s an online, clickable edition (also for the video interviews), and you can see our 2020 version here.
Until next Thursday and the last issue of the year 2021 we remain,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Navex – Portugal
Interview with
Mário Cavaco
Projects & Logistics Manager
First and foremost our readers would like to know about the history of NAVEX. Portugal is a proud seafaring nation and has made its mark worldwide also in shipping. Can you tell us more?
Navex was founded and started off its activity as a Shipping Agent in the port of Lisbon in 1967. Navex initially developed at a fast pace, leading the Directors to decide to open a new office at the main Northern-Portuguese port of Oporto, followed by the southern-port and one of the fastest-developing hubs of Sines. Later on Navex opened further offices including branches in the ports of Setúbal, Aveiro, Faro, Portimão, Figueira da Foz, Viana do Castelo and the Islands of Madeira and the Azores.
Omega Shipping – Turkey
Interview with
Mr. Emre Tuysuzoglu
Board Member
Could you tell our readers about the history of OMEGA Shipping? Who are the owners, when did you start, and what is your main business focus in logistics?
Omega Shipping was first established in the USA in 1985 as Mega Shipping & Forwarding LTD. It started it’s forwarding activities in Turkey in 1995. Now the operations have expanded with a Head Office in Istanbul and with Branch Offices in Izmir and Ankara.
The owner of the Mega and Omega Shipping company group is Mr. Behcet Tuysuzoglu who lives in the USA.
Besides project cargo, our main business scope is all kinds of Ocean (FCL & LCL & project) and Air (Consolidation & project) shipments. We especially offer our own consolidation service between the USA – Turkey and Far East & South Asia.
Video Interview
Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai
Kristian Korsvik, Singapore representative at Mitsui O.S.K. Kinkai, Ltd. was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
Hapag-Lloyd Agrees to ‘Eye-Watering’ $130,000 a Day for Panamax Charter
Editor’s Note:
Eye-watering indeed – if this article shared from Gcaptain/Loadstar is factual. Nowadays, if you want to impress a woman, forget about the River Cafe in Brooklyn. Instead, rent a container and serve dinner there. Now that is luxury…..just goes to show how rates have skyrocketed overall.
Ocean carriers face ‘Hobson’s choice’ on the containership charter market: agreeing to owners’ hugely inflated daily hire rates or risking losing the vessel to a competitor.
Hapag-Lloyd has just agreed a three-month charter commencing in January of the 4,253 teu Synergy Oakland for an eye-watering $130,000 a day from Greek non-operating owner Euroseas.
The Maritime Podcast
Editor’s Note:
Although we have in PCW our own interviews / podcasts, I wish to draw your attention to The Maritime Podcast which really is high quality and which covers a wider range of shipping interviews and activities. I have enjoyed several interviews from their regular podcasts.
On the go and on demand, The Maritime Podcast, brought to you by Seatrade Maritime, delivers news and updates on shipping’s most pertinent topics and conversations. With a focus on the leading trends in the industry. Hosted by a team of highly experienced correspondents across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and America, The Maritime Podcast has a focus on operational, regulatory and technology related topics, including interviews with key executives – all free to listen to.
New Report Highlights Regional Economic Importance of Ports of Stockholm
Editor’s Note:
My place of residence is always the most important place, right? I suppose many of us think like that. Anyhow, talking of Stockholm, please find here the latest news concerning Stockholm. The Baltic region is indeed booming, not least in the North of Sweden/Finland but also overall. Massive investments in the north concerning infrastructure, green steel, renewable energy, and so on. It seems the boom area is here now, and the capital Stockholm is part of it.
“The figures in the report are unambiguous. The shipping sector in Stockholm plays an important role in the growth of the region by providing a sustainable supply of goods and in the creation of a blossoming tourist industry,” explains Joakim Larsson, City Planning Commissioner.
Trains Through Ukraine Halted For Construction Works
Editor’s Note:
Even though PCW is primarily focusing on sea freight, we cannot escape the fact that everyone is looking for different alternatives. Thus, here is a link to an informative newsletter about what is happening in the railfreight area – might be interesting for you.
Transit traffic through Ukraine has come to a halt due to construction works. Traffic through Ukraine to the Polish border has already been stopped with an official restriction convention, starting on 30 November. Starting 6 December, traffic to the Slovakian border will also be paused. This was confirmed by Ukrainian Railways.
Bosch Rexroth South Africa to Install Solar Panels at its Facility
Bosch Rexroth South Africa has recently partnered with solar energy company Green Wave for a large solar panel project designed to assist with reduction in power consumption at the company’s 16 000 m2 facility in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. The solar panels were installed to reduce municipal energy usage and lower the company’s carbon footprint.
Energy Vault Wins Storage Deals for 1.6 GWh to Support SAF Projects
The first project to benefit from the new agreement will involve a 500-MWh installation in Louisiana and it will be followed by developments in British Columbia and Ohio. These three projects are expected to generate up to USD 520 million (EUR 447m) in revenue for Energy Vault. The first is expected to start in mid-2022.
Metalloinvest Orders HBI Plant from Primetals & Midrex
Russian miner & steel maker Metalloinvest has contracted with Primetals Technologies and consortium partner Midrex Technologies Inc to supply the new HBI Plant at Lebedinsky GOK. The plant will be located in Gubkin in Russia, and will be designed to produce 2.08 million tonnes of HBI per year. Its modern design features will ensure reduced energy consumption and environmental impact. Investment in the construction of the plant is estimated at over USD 600 million. The project is expected to become operational in the first half of 2025
Domicem Orders New Production Line from Sinoma Construction
Domicem has signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with China-based Sinoma Construction for a 3500t/day clinker production line at its Palenque plant.
Onboard CMA CGM Christoph Colomb Passing a Yangming Vessel also Enroute to the Strait of Gibraltar
Editor’s Note:
Standing at the bow of a giant container vessel (here CC Christophe Colomb) and viewing/passing another giant with the blue ocean “passing” you by is a sight to behold. It cannot be described but must be experienced. View here in the Bay of Biscay (quiet for once) looking at a Yangming Line vessel also enroute to Strait of Gibraltar.
Editor’s Note:
An incredible picture of the Melbourne skyline taken whilst onboard mv CMA CGM Georgia in July 2019. I arrived from Singapore via Fremantle and Sydney. Overall, it was a fantastic 3-week trip down under. Do hope that the pandemic is over soon, enabling us to travel to Australia again.
