Dear Readers,
It is the 15th of the month of August and it is time for me to “bother” you with an editorial again.
I had the most wonderful summer which I alluded to in our extra “freighter voyage issue” on the 15th of July. If you wish to enjoy a movie consisting only of views of The Indian Ocean and The Atlantic (filmed by me as a passenger onboard a heavylift vessel), do click here.
This voyage was followed by a month in the city of Grenaa, Denmark which I call my “hometown”. I really couldn’t complain about anything, not even the weather which more often than not can be unstable in my home country. But as a wise man said, “There is nothing called bad weather; only a poor choice of clothing!”
I am now home in Santiago, Chile where I arrived on August 1 with BA via London.
London was as always an impressive metropolis with the whole world of nationalities around you. During the time I arrived at Heathrow, travelled downtown, and then travelled back to the airport, I managed a couple of meetings though. One was with HMM (a freight forwarder friendly shipping line). Another was with Cory Brothers (a member of the CLC Projects Network – clcprojects.com). Last but by no means least, I visited with my daughter who has been working in the City for some years.
The flight down to Santiago was long. Although I managed to find and pay for a seat in Economy Premium, it is a cramped experience, particularly when the person in front reclines the seat…better have nothing in your drink prior to that 😀.
What I hear from the shipping news is mainly that many projects are on hold. The most common reasons seems to be the insecurity of the world situation and the ever changing tariffs implemented in talks primarily between the US and the world. Exports out of Asia and China primarily roll on relentlessly.
I suppose now that the world’s factories control much more than a big chunk of world trade but also all the process from the mine to the final product, this leaves both the Europeans and Americans scrambling to wake up.
In South America, governments have also succumbed in some ways to this allure as we here have vast deposits of Lithium which is one of the rare-earth elements. Ceding control of one’s mineral deposits, ports and so-on is dangerous. It is a bit like peeing in your pants: it’s warm at first but cools off pretty quickly. I am sure many African countries sitting on deposits of this or that have finally awoken to the very same thing. Buying cheap may end up costing you a lot in life but… we simply have to wake up to this fact, reduce our endless bureaucracy and jungle of rules (EU listen up), and give our entrepreneurs the ability to breathe freely
I just finished a book called, “Northvolt.” It was the biggest bankruptcy ever in Sweden at 6 Billion USD. Their dream was to build batteries and let Europe be independent from other nations, but alas, it didn’t turn out well. Investors and pension funds lost a lot, and Europe is pretty much back to square one on that score. Just today I heard that the Danish renewable energy company, Orsted is asking the state for 10 Billion USD due to engagements in the US that more often then not turned out more costly than expected. So yes, it is easy to ask for money when the taxpayers fork it out. All the more reason, of course, for the politicians to have even more meetings to discuss endlessly…😀.
Getting back to learning, ordering a café expreso doble: in Spanish is now the order of the day although some youngsters do speak OK English and Google translate works well on my phone. However, learning Spanish seems to be a must I am afraid, and I guess it should be possible even at the age of 62…😀.
Now, returning to what we got in store for you today, kindly note the following interviews:
1. Stacks Africa — a company newly established with HQ in South Africa but with very experienced people at the helm, developing their African footprint where many claim to be covering it all (but in fact covering little).
2. COLI Shipping, Brazil — part of the Coli Shipping Group, headquartered in Hamburg, a well-known shipowner and operator with a global outlook particularly for project cargoes.
3. Royal Cargo Thailand — with its HQ in the Philippines, a mainly Asian-based strong logistics provider in many fields.
4. Callidus Legal (from the Archives) — Shipping needs Maritime Law and Maritime Lawyers, here is an interview we had with one reputable such if you are in need of legal advice or litigation/mediation.
We, of course, provide you with shipping news, trade intel, featured picture and video of the week, and wise words. Also, don’t forget to download our APP (link here) where you can enjoy our ad-free content, including videos and podcasts 24/7.
Until September 15th, we remain,
With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Stacks Africa
Interview with
Mr. Michael De Wit
CCO
Stacks is relatively new on the block. Can you tell our readers more about the company, its background and the reason for establishing it? The name Stacks, how come?
Stacks Africa has proudly operated for over 15 years, having been originally incorporated in 2010. The company began as a South African freight forwarding entity under the Comexas Group. In 2019, following a management buyout, we rebranded as Stacks Africa – marking the beginning of a new chapter focused on expanding our footprint across the African continent.
As part of our strategic growth, Stacks Africa has since acquired established logistics entities in Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, reinforcing our presence in West Africa.
COLI Shipping & Transport do Brasil
Interview with
Mr. Gustavo Murari
Managing Director
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.
Royal Cargo Thailand
Interview with
Ms. Amornrat Buason (Amy)
Managing Director
For starters, could you tell our readers about the history and origin of Royal Cargo Group?
Royal Cargo Inc. was established in 1978. We have over 40 years of experience in providing specialized logistics solutions. Our headquarters is based in the Philippines. We are present in twelve (12) other countries. This presence covers the world with a strong network of trusted agents across continents. We are the only multi-national logistics company based in the Philippines offering specialized, high quality logistics solutions and services, when you need it, where you need it.
Video Interview
Callidus Legal
Joy Thattil, Managing Partner at Callidus Legal was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW.
MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co. and HUGO STINNES SCHIFFAHRT GmbH announce a Strategic Merger to create a Leader in Transatlantic Multipurpose Liner Ocean Shipping
Editor’s Note:
Two of the shipping industry’s most reliable names in MPP are formally joining up – more in their press release below.
The combined entity, MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co., will operate a fleet of over 15 vessels, serving more than 20 ports across 16 countries, and will remain headquartered in Hamburg.
Staring into the abyss – container shipping faces deep cyclical downturn
Editor’s Note:
The issue of overcapacity is looming again/again. Read this article here from Seatrade. Strange isn’t it as overcapacity is looming we seldom hear more complaints than now about the lack of personal attention and service from certain shippinglines… Isn’t it, articularly now that the service should be at its peak?
Forecasting in the container shipping sector is critical, particularly because making sure investments mean there is enough, but not too much, capacity is a challenging balancing act, planning for which must start around four years ahead of delivery.
Historically the carriers have been notoriously bad at forecasting but one thing we do know is that the container market is cyclical, which means there will be periods of overcapacity.
Maritime in Minutes – July 2025 in review
Editor’s Note:
Another good podcast from Seatrade Maritime here focusing on the situation in the Red Sea and the Houthi’s recent sinking of vessels with both dead and captured seafarers as a result. A real shame on us all and it exposes the inability of the world to deal with this abhorrent situations impacting people just doing their jobs!
Japan Commits $550 Billion to U.S. Industries Including Strategic Shipbuilding Investment
Editor’s Note:
Editors note: Shipping is also politics and vice versa. With President Trump acting on the world stage and upsetting the apple cart a lot of things are changing. Getting shipbuilding back to the US is one such target although it may be in the future only, still world trade IS changing in many ways…
The White House announced Wednesday that Japan has agreed to a $550 billion package of U.S.-bound investment and loans as part of a new trade deal with the United States. The agreement, which will focus on key industries including shipbuilding, comes as the U.S. seeks to build strategic industrial capacity outside of China.
Acciona Energía Begins Construction of a Solar Plant in Peru
ACCIONA Energía has started constructing a new 177.9 MW solar PV project in Peru’s La Joya (Arequipa) district, the company’s maiden solar plant in the country. Comprising 288,000 PV modules, the San José Solar Plant will generate 488 GWh of clean energy annually once it is grid-connected to the National Interconnected Electric System (SEIN) by the end of 2026.
Chinese Firm Secures FEED and EPC Contracts for World’s Largest 3GW Green Hydrogen-Ammonia Project in Namibia
China National Chemical Engineering & Construction Corporation Seven (CC7), a subsidiary of state-owned China National Chemical Engineering Company, has signed FEED and EPC contracts with Hyphen Hydrogen Energy for what will be the world’s largest green ammonia facility. The agreement, witnessed by China Chemical Chairman Mo Dingge and Hyphen CEO Marco Raffinetti, covers the 3GW renewable-powered project in Namibia designed to produce 2.4 million tonnes of ammonia per year.
OX2 seeks green tick for Sunshine State solar and battery project
OX2 has submitted plans for a 128 MW solar farm with a 128 MW / 256 MWh battery energy storage system proposed for Queensland to the federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Trina Storage and Stiemo agree strategic partnership to deliver GWh-scale BESS portfolio in Baltic region
Trina Storage, the energy storage arm of Trinasolar, and Lithuanian EPC Stiemo have signed a strategic partnership agreement aimed at deploying multi-GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) across Lithuania and Eastern Europe in the next 2-3 years.
Early morning sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean near Namibia
Editor’s Note:
Sailing on the high seas as a passenger as I did just recently from Klang, Malaysia to Denmark with 38 days onboard was an experience. I took some 200 videos during the trip here is one early morning sunrise in the Atlantic not far off Namibia… on a heavylift vessel fully loaded with project cargo for the renewable offshore industry.
Editor’s Note:
Spent a lovely summer in the port city of Grenaa, Denmark. It was a wonderful time and here is a great shot which has it all. Fantastic weather, the ocean, the passenger/freighter ferry arriving from Sweden, the sand dunes and summer houses by the Sea of Kattegat.
