Interview with
Mr. Gustavo Murari
Managing Director
First of all Gustavo, can you tell our readers a little about your own experience in shipping and logistics? When did you start your career? When did you join COLI, and what in particular do you like about shipping?
This is a very interesting and enjoyable question to answer. I’ve had two jobs in my entire life, a total of 25 years in logistics and shipping. My background allows me to affirm that dedication, focus, and resilience are the pillars for those who see no limits in their future. That’s why I’ve always believed in the companies I’ve worked for and explored my growth to the fullest.
My first job took me from an intern in the seafreight department to the position of Head of Projects of a large global freight forwarder. It took me about 15 years to realize I could do different, I could manage with my energy and soul, however I need to confess it was a great company and I have learned a lot and could say it was like an MBA in management and leadership, these 02 disciplines were sculpted on my profile and I took advantage of learning with the best. Besides, it is important to add that I’ve always been a very competitive person, difficult to accept defeat, but always with the certainty of offering the customer a differentiated experience, based on transparency, ethics and family values that are rare in society today.
And as for my second job, at COLI, it has allowed me to simultaneously be my own office boy and my own leader, defining the strategies and direction that would best suit the COLI group at that time here in South America. With the sentence in my mind that small companies could offer different approaches, I noticed there was a gap in the service presently available in Brazil, either people were simply sales or commercial people or either they could do operations only. I have proved this was incorrect since my whole experience came from field of operations, being on board of ships multiple times, at highways inside of trucks, coordinating and supervising shipments which in the end contributed to my sales speech nowadays.
I started activities at COLI in 2015 with the desire to offer clients the highest service customization in Project Forwarding, something that global players couldn’t, or at least struggled to, deliver. My relationship with shipping is very old, even though I don’t have any family members who are sailors, seafarers or crew members. The means we use to carry out shipping I consider to be my soul, my driver, my place of comfort: the sea.
I’ve always wanted to sail, to feel the energy of the waves. I was impressed by the incredible size of the vessels and imagined what it would be like to wake up and work with that sensation and vibration. My first steps in shipping were shipping containers, and I felt proud to be connecting cargo, companies, and continents across the oceans. The most fascinating thing about the life of someone passionate about shipping is the dynamism and the need to always be prepared for any change. The sea forces this on you. No matter how many nautical charts, measuring instruments, and forecasts there are, there will always be a third element that will surprise you, demanding action, creativity, and intelligence.
Tell us about COLI, Brazil. The brand COLI is well known both in Europe and in Asia. In Latin America, could you tell us about your main function? Is it project logistics, chartering, shipping, freight forwarder or all of the above? Or would you say there is something you specialise in?
When I decided to join the COLI Group, the first thing that caught my attention was the bold slogan, “SOLUTIONS BEYOND THE ORDINARY.” For a business-minded logistics specialist, this phrase was the strongest connection I could have hoped for in my career, which has always been driven by challenges. It’s important to emphasize a key aspect here: the tremendous support and freedom of my friend and partner, Mr. Herbert Loesing, whom I’ve known for decades and who trusted me to launch the company here. Even though he was sitting in Germany and I was in Brazil, it was as if we had regular coaching and mentoring sessions. When I heard him saying to me, “I know you will find your way,” I knew what I wanted. I started the engines and established COLI as a PROJECTS FORWARDER with global operations but still a local presence, serving clients personally. Our clientele is small, but I’m pleased to be able to contact them by name, maintaining the tradition of close relationship, clear communication, trust, and, above all, transparency. Despite its focus on projects forwarding, let me enphasize COLI also operates as a general freight forwarder in other areas, covering logistics from A to Z, attending multiple transportation modes, airfreight, general cargo in FCL, LCL, Ro-Ro, Warehousing, Distribution, Trading, and Road Transportation. The Brazilian market is quite diverse and we need to be ready to diversify our portfolio reinforcing the company’s versatility and ability to meet different demands with the same level of excellence.
Could you provide our readers with some examples of cargoes you have handled?
Yes, we have been loading all kinds of heavy lifts and project cargo, serving with a high level of service industries such as mining, pulp & paper, oil & gas, refinery, power generation, steel, automotive and heavy industries. Below you will find a photo of myself doing the supervision of a 300-mton bullet tank offloading in the shallow waters of Papeete, Tahiti. This is the type of service we deliver: from prospecting, commercial, technical proposal, planning, organizing , chartering, execution and accompanying the customer.
Is the office in Sao Paolo the only one in South America? As far as I understand, you also have a branch in Guyana, right? If so, can you tell our readers why Guyana particularly? Also, I believe you are having an anniversary soon in COLI Brazil?
Our headquarters for SOUTH AMERICA is the beautiful city of SAO PAULO, where we concentrate all operations regionally and we are presently with a commercial setup in RIO DE JANEIRO, ITAJAI and SALVADOR. It is an incredible place full of energy and a peaceful environment, my goal is to offer my team and invite them to come to the office as an extension of their houses, that is for me the most ideal concept of a great place to work.
We have been in Georgetown, Guyana since 2023, supporting our clients in the Oil & Gas sector, motivated by the fact that Guyana has undergone a radical transformation over the past decade, becoming a global focus of the energy industry. Since 2015, ExxonMobil and its partners (Hess Corporation and CNOOC) have discovered more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore Guyana, primarily in the Stabroek Block. These discoveries have transformed the country into one of the most promising offshore oil frontiers in the world. That’s why we have landed there and hope to contribute with efficiency in logistics and shipping, but we already have our eyes looking towards investing in Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago in the upcoming years..
Taking the opportunity to speak about our anniversary that took place on August 12th, 2025, It was an amazing event on which we completed exactly 10 years of existence. The celebration was attended by over 100 guests and was surrounded by good people and excellent professionals connected to us. We are ALL very happy and proud of what we have become and achieved, It was an epic moment for us to raise a celebration cocktail with not only customers but shipowners, terminal operators, shipping agencies, trucking companies, and all the suppliers that somehow supported COLI Brazil and helped us to deliver what we promised during those years.
Some shipping lines today wish to cut out the project freight forwarders from the business and provide the customers door-to-door. Is that also happening in Brazil? What is your strength in your own words?
It’s an old rhetoric that spans decades, and I believe it doesn’t gain traction simply because of the high level of service actual customers demand. Customized service can’t be scaled. I can’t envision, for example, multiple deliveries of heavy lifts simultaneously to remote jobsites that require specialized and qualified human being supervision. Therefore, I believe that mid-sized and specialized companies, the need to be familiar with multimodality, available AI and IT systems and tools, and the need to keep an excellent network with primary suppliers, will DEFINITELY have room to grow and expand. The PROJECT FORWARDING system doesn’t allow space for amateurs and leaves no room for error. You might even win a client and make a few heavy lift shipments, but you don’t stay in this market based on luck; it requires experience, know-how and resilience.
COLI Brazil belongs to the COLI Group. Although the name is well known, there is always someone out there who doesn’t know about you. What can you generally tell our readers about the prestigious group that you belong to?
COLI’s reputation is unquestionable. As a privately-owned family company with over 50 years of history, it’s incredible that the majority of our 80 specialists have been working here for decades. This has made them market leaders and solidified the company’s image as stable, prosperous, and welcoming.
I believe in sowing the same legacy here in Brazil: employees and collaborators with their long histories, in love with their jobs, with their company. When I founded the company in 2015, it was just me. Ten years later, through hard work, effort, dedication and cooperation we have reached new levels, and we have become well known in PROJECTS FORWARDING in Brazil, competing for large projects and global accounts among the traditional big players. Now, with 25 talented employees being honed daily, whom I am immensely proud to call my team, we know there is space for more. Thus, we are always working in refining our processes, our qualifications such as ISO, AEO etc., giving our customers the greatest experience in having us shipping on their behalf.
It is difficult to predict the future 😀, but asking you anyhow about your prediction for the market in the remainder of this year. What would you say (with Trump and so on in mind)?
It’s truly a difficult and challenging question, but I confess it hasn’t been easy. Political decisions are directly related to our business. Even though this is something I personally don’t approve of, I’m forced to accept it, as other businesspeople are in the same situation as me. We’re already experiencing stressful domestic political instability. Regulatory instruments are altering the trading conditions for exporters, importers, and especially investors. Deep exchange rate fluctuations are putting our currency on a rollercoaster ride, so that not even the best forecasters can predict the BRL’s value in 2025. Combined with high interest rates and inflation, the prospect of growth below the potential of the Brazilian economy are unfortunately aspects we have to deal with. In addition to that, we are in a daily race to be the best in terms of offerings, being the fastest in delivering proposals, and the most efficient in meeting deadlines and accomplishing the agreements with our clients and ongoing projects. It’s not easy!
Like every action movie, we have a major villain. I couldn’t fail to mention the US president’s foreign tax policy, which has put even more pressure on companies, declaring a state of emergency, already paralyzing some sectors and financially impacting our economy and directly our business, because we have already put some shipments on hold.
I understand that Brazil is working through its delegation of businessmen and authorities to reach a consensus, especially since the US economy shouldn’t tolerate this price difference. I don’t believe the replacement of goods coming from other countries will be immediate. This takes time. However, we will see the damage caused by these decisions already in Q3/2025. I hope that in Q4/2025, we will see a resumption of orders to the US. In summary, with all back and forth, we will deliver good results being another good year.
How would it be best for our readers to get in touch with you?
I am leaving here multiple channels where you can reach me.
management.br@coli-shipping.com
sales.br@coli-shipping.com
gustavo.murari@coli-shipping.com
You can always reach me via email and my phone below is always connected.
https://coli-shipping.com.br/
https://coli-group.com/
