Project Cargo Weekly Editorial Graphic
Week #16 | 18 April 2019
Bo H. DrewsenIt is Thursday again and already 18th April 2019. This week, I’ve been planning my holiday for this summer. I’ve got a deal with my wife that allows me to take a long break every two years and it needs to be well planned because we have three small children that also need attention in particular during the summer holidays. This year is the second year in the cycle and so I opted to book myself as a passenger on a container vessel, together with my seventeen-year-old daughter who is keen to join and whom will then be traveling along with her ‘old man’ for the third time. We’ve booked passage with the CMA CGM travel agency on board the containership, mv CMA CGM Chopin, sailing from Singapore on June 29th We’ll be calling at Port Kelang, Fremantle and Sydney before disembarking in Melbourne about three weeks later. This year also marks the sixtieth year since my father, a mate onboard a Danish tanker (Dansborg), arrived in Fremantle in 1959.
Some questions I usually get when telling people about container ship holidays I have planned include, “But are you not bored onboard? How is the food? Can you walk around everywhere on the ship?” My answers are simply that I don’t get bored and that I like to read books but never seem to get the time for it in my normal life. Also, the food is plentiful, and I can walk around everywhere on the ship. Of course, the main advantage for me is getting some quality time with my daughter. We are not slaves to the internet when aboard the vessel, we can enjoy some spectacular views as there is no light pollution and, more often than not, it’s just you, the ship and the 360-degree view of the horizon all around you. I daresay that three weeks aboard a cargo ship is equal to two months of detox in a Buddhist monastery or similar. If you are in shipping and like it, it’s a done deal. Many people don’t even know that it’s possible to travel by cargo ship as a passenger on many worldwide routes. You can take a look at www.cross-ocean.com/oceanvoyages and view some of the routes available, or just contact me for further information.
So, Project Cargo Weekly will be off the grid during the month of July, but I shall of course provide you with nice pictures and a comprehensive trip report after the voyage.
On another note, I would like to say that work and holiday are not everything in life. Art is also important and although opinions differ a lot about what constitutes art, I would like to recommend you take a look at these paintings from an Indian friend of mine who, at least in my opinion, manages to put colours together that really lift your spirits when entering the room. I have chosen a few of her paintings for my condo in Bangkok and my residence in Stockholm. If you are interested feel free to contact the painter Rupali direct via her Instagram or her email
Sweden and Thailand
Right. After all that talk about holidays and paintings, it’s time to ensure that it can all be financed! So, I had better get back to business. We start off this week talking to a company in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is a beautiful island south of India that’s famous for tea and scenery but also a relatively troublesome history. Now though, that is all past and the country is moving forward. We of course, speak to a project freight forwarder in Colombo who tells you more about the island and business there.
We then fly to the Persian Gulf and a small country called Kuwait. Kuwait is not often in the news nowadays, but it still has a strategic location in the gulf, as most of us in shipping know. A local freight forwarder tells us more.
Finally, we head to one of the most widely-known countries for great food and wine, Italy. Although there are many countries with such a reputation, a favourite that normally keeps the level regarding the food and wine is Italy. Anyway, we talk to a project freight forwarder with a lot of experience in moving heavy cranes and other equipment in and out of the country. Finally, after our shipping and sector news, we come to a conclusion with Wise Words and wish a Happy Easter to all who celebrate it.
Until next week,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
AntwerpXL
Project Cargo Weekly Interviews Graphic

Lanka Shipping & Logistics

Interview with

Mr. Saliya Senanayake
Chairman

Lanka Shipping Logistics
First of all, tell us about the current situation in Sri Lanka politically and economically? The country is stable and developing as far as we can ascertain from the media, tourism is booming, and investments are pouring in is that a correct assessment? How is the relationship with India and China currently?
Since the end of the Insurgency in 2009, the country has been progressing, though not as fluidly as we expected. Much of the infrastructure that was damaged or delayed due to thirty years of strife has been rebuilt. Foreign investment has begun in many areas. The tourist arrivals have risen significantly over the past few years and it has become a booming business all over the country. Sri Lanka has been named as the top destination to travel by worldwide media.
Read the full interview

Energy International Logistics SRL – Milan, Italy

Interview with

Mr. Trevor Norrish
Co-Founder & Partner

Energy International
Trevor, firstly can you please tell us about the history of Energy International? When was the company established, who owns it and what kind of logistics business are you mainly involved in?
Personally, I am British and my family came to live in Genoa after World War II, taking over a shipping agency. I was involved very early on in first hand port activity, as agents for Delmas to West Africa and Rickmers with their conventional service to China (before HL took over). Fast forward to today and I have lived in Milan for over thirty-five years.
Read the full interview

Fast Logistics – Kuwait

Interview with

Mr. Christopher Fernandes
Sales Manager

Fast Logistics Kuwait
Christopher, first of all tell us about yourself. What is your nationality? When did you arrive in Kuwait and what originally made you get into the shipping and logistics business?
I was born in a small state of India named Goa, which is known for beautiful beaches and much laid-back life style. I was raised in Kuwait from 1965, did part of my education in Kuwait and then completed it in India. I came back to Kuwait after completing my studies in 1983 and had always looked at joining the air industry. That got me to join Alghanim Freight and I progressed through positions as documentation clerk, team leader in import (air and sea), export (air) supervisor and project coordinator....
Read the full interview
7th Med Ports & Shipping
Shipping News

Announcement of Shipping Service via Northeast Passage of Arctic Ocean by COSCO Breakbulk Shipping for shipments between FE and EU & Northeast America during Summer/Autumn 2019

COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co.,Ltd, plans to offer regular shipping service by MPV vessels with 36K DWT or 28K DWT for Eastbound & Westbound shipments between Far East and Europe & Northeast of North America via Northeast Passage of Arctic Ocean during summer/Autumn 2019. The workable loading time is from middle July to Early September 2019 at a Fareast port or a European port or a northern America’s port.
Read more...

Bremenports Signs Agreement for New Icelandic Seaport

Editors note:
Trade with Iceland is developing.  There is one thing to remember about Iceland either they are bankrupt or they are flush with cash....seems to be nothing in between up there. But a beautiful country with proud tradition of fishing and trade in the North Atlantic.
Bremenports, the operator of the ports of Bremerhaven and Bremen, has signed an agreement with two Icelandic municipalities and the Reykjavik-based engineering firm Efla to build a port on the Finnafjord, a natural harbor in northeast Iceland. 
Read more...

Number of Global Cruise Passengers Hits 28.5 Million in 2018

Editors note:
An impressive amount of people are traveling by passenger cruise ships worldwide.  To me that is not really a holiday and as mentioned in the editorial remember there is another way to "cruise" in peace and quiet and much more tranquil ie www.cross-ocean.com/oceanvoyages.
The global cruise industry continued to see steady growth in 2018 in line with the overall increase in global tourism, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said in releasing its latest report on global cruise passenger statistics
Read more...

China opens more border crossings to facilitate the ease of trade in Central Asia

China opens four more border crossing points for TIR and kick starts trade flows to and from China via Central Asia, West Asia, Russia and Europe.
Read Press Release
Project Cargo Weekly Featured Project

TGP delivers 22 new 17.7-megawatt engines for power station in Azerbaijan

Editors note:
An impressive project shipment destined for Azerbaijan. A country located by the Caspian Sea and known for its oil reserves.
TGP delivers 22 new 17.7-megawatt engines for power station in Azerbaijan
View the Press Release
8th Black Sea Ports & Shipping
Project Cargo Weekly Sector News

Engie's Tractebel wins contracts to build eight Saudi water plants

Belgium-headquartered engineering firm Tractebel has been awarded a contract to build eight sea water reverse osmosis (SWRO) projects for Saudi Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corp.
Read more...

Toray to double production of water treatment membranes in China

Japanese materials manufacturer Toray Industries will build a new plant to make water treatment membranes in China, doubling its production capacity in a country facing water shortages.
Read more...

Climeon wins repeat order from Fincantieri

Chinese construction and engineering company China Gezhouba Group Co (CGGC) has signed a contract with Pakistani authorities to take part in a hydropower project valued at 1.9 billion U.S. dollars in the south Asian country, the company has said.
Read more...

Construction of East and Central Africa’s largest meat processing factory begins

Tanzania led by the Livestock and Fisheries minister Mr. Luhaga Mpina, laid a foundation stone for the construction of a US $5.5m meat processing plant dubbed Tan choice, on its Coastal region of Soga.
Read more...

EDF signs China power and heating contracts

EDF has signed two agreements this week for low-carbon projects in China in line with a strategy to triple the size of its business outside of Europe.
 
The first agreement formally establishes a partnership with the China Energy Investment Corporation (CEI), aimed at the joint delivery of two offshore wind power projects. The Dongtai IV and V offshore wind farms will have a total installed capacity of 500MW and will be the EDF Group’s first offshore projects in China.
 
The second agreement, signed with the power utility Huadian, concerns the operation of a heating and air-conditioning network in the city of Wuhan. The network is expected to provide heating for 100,000 customers and air-conditioning for 500,000m2 of office space. The signatories will jointly examine the feasibility of using smart energy management tools already being used by the EDF Group for the heating network in the city of Sanmenxia.
Read more...
GLA Cambodia event
Project Cargo Weekly Featured Photo

EFG Scandinavia has started the second phase of a major construction project in the North of Sweden

Editors note:
A beautiful picture from the North of Sweden where a big a amount of windturbines are being erected.  Read more...
Sweden photo
Project Cargo Weekly Featured Video

Port Kembla Pilot

Editors note:
Pilots guiding ships in and out of ports are vital to the safety of shipping.  Here is a nice video depicting and honouring pilots at the port of Kembla, near Sydney, Australia. Enjoy it !
Port Kembla Pilot
Watch the Video

Breakbulk Handling Safety

Editors note:
This video is very instructive as it is made especially for the people who actually do the manual work attaching the crane to the heavylift cargo when being loaded or discharged and it tells almost all you need to know about proper procedure, safety and planning.  Excellent for the sales person to watch and learn from!
Breakbulk Handling
Watch the Video
Project Cargo Weekly Wise Words
Week 16 quote of the week
Week 16 proverb of the week
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