Tag: Wilhelmsen

Growth for its Ships Agency Re-Defined (SARD) offer As it prepares for Sea Japan, Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has reported strong growth in the number of owners in Japan and North East Asia signing up for its' Ships Agency Re-Defined (SARD) offer.Neal De Roche, Area Director WSS North East Asia said: "Since launching SARD globally at the end of 2010 we have seen high levels of uptake from the North East Asian shipping community, with growth levels of around 15% throughout 2011. Japanese vessel operators and owners are extremely positive about the fact that SARD provides a unique 'one point of contact' system. In fact, SARD can save up to three hours per port call for our Japanese customers. This is crucial to guarantee efficient operations and fast turnaround".Victoria Ship Management Inc., one of Japan's leading ship managers, has been a SARD customer since December 2010. Mr. Shinsuke Fujii, Managing Director commented; "We acknowledged the main benefits of SARD and we are satisfied with the SARD service provided by WSS".Launched in 2010, SARD allows customers to deal with all of their ships agency requirements from one central point, with improved communications between the agency and the operator, resulting in efficiency ...

To serve the growing cruise and offshore sector Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) announced plans to expand in South America to serve the growing cruise and offshore sectors. Prior to this month's Cruise Shipping Miami, Area Director Henrique Schlaepfer said: "South America continues to be an area of concentrated investment for WSS. Over the last year we have put in place a new management team with responsibility for almost 200 employees, operating in key positions in Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Argentina".In sharp contrast to its presence within the region less than four years ago, WSS no longer relies solely on the North American market, with South America today representing 20% of the regional business. Since 2009, Wilhelmsen Ships Service has opened a base at Ponta da Madeira in the Amazon Region of Brazil to accommodate mineral segment demand as well as agency services in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile.In addition, five separate locations in South America are preparing to provide ships services from WSS to the cruise sector, as well as, roro, dry bulk and general cargo, with activity in each of these areas increasing steadily. Last year saw WSS open its first South American Liferaft Service Station in Chile, following ...

Order for LNG newbuilds Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has received a landmark order to supply inert gas generator systems for five LNG carriers under construction in South Korea.Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions' South Korean office will fulfil the orders for five LNG newbuildings at Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI) for Greek owner Dynagas, delivering Nitrogen (N2) generator systems of 2 x 150 nominal cubic meter per hour @ 97%.These orders further improve Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions' market penetration for LNG carriers and reinforce the competence and experience of the company in this fast-growing shipping segment. In total, the company has around 600customer references for its inert gas systems worldwide.The contract was secured by a combination of experience, knowledge and the application of a unique Unitor-Generon technology solution. Generon, the technology provider behind the system has created its ownproprietary hollow fiber membrane for air separation, which has proven to be one the most efficient in the market. Thistechnology prolongs the service life of the internal membranes, reducing in-service costs for shipowners.Bernd Bauer, Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions VP Business Solutions said:"This contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries and Dynagas means we can provide our customers with an even better level of service and expertise in the LNG sector. References ...

Ship Pollution Response Organization (SPRO) regulations Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has announced the introduction of agency services covering Ship Pollution Response Organization (SPRO) regulations for vessels calling at ports in China.The provision of the service follows new requirements introduced by the Chinese Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) that all vessels calling Chinese ports must have a valid contract with a licensed SPRO in China.The rules apply to any ship carrying polluting and hazardous cargoes in bulk or any other vessel above 10,000 gt and came into effect from January 1, 2012, with a grace period until March 1 at ports where the MSA has yet to approve SPROs. The requirements do not apply to Hong Kong or Macau.Having concluded agreements with local SPRO service companies, WSS is able to provide its customers with contracts with licensed suppliers at all ports in China, delivering certainty that they are in compliance with the regulations."Through the five WSS offices along the coastline of China, we aim to offer to our clients a global standard of service and peace of mind that they are compliant with the oil pollution response regulation. As with all agency services provided by WSS, our aim is to eliminate the ...

Says Wilhelmsen Ships Service China General Manager Shipowners in China and Hong Kong are increasingly adopting international standards for safety systems, as they develop their global operations, according to Chan Chang Hae, General Manager, Product & Technical Services, Wilhelmsen Ships Service. There is still a gap in the understanding of what is required to be fully safety compliant in some sectors of the Asian shipowning community. But as their business is growing globally, so are their efforts to keep up to date with international standards."There are more and more stringent rules and regulations being introduced through the IMO and other regulatory bodies governing safety on board vessels. Shipowners realize that they need to be aware and prepare their vessels in order to be compliant," he added.WSS has been active in informing owners about the 'pipeline' of regulations and providing 'on-the-ground' technical support through the company's network of offices across China.WSS China now offers safety services, Unitor marine products, Unitor and Nalfleet marine chemicals, maritime logistics and ships agency to customers in China and around the world. WSS have five offices in China: Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, Dalian and Ningbo. The company's products and services are delivered to 37 ports in China."Our ...

The awards were judged by a 12-strong panel led by Mr Mitropoulos For the second year in a row, Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) was named Ships Agent of the year 2011 at last week's Seatrade Middle East & Indian Subcontinent Awards (SMEISA), one of the industry's most prestigious accolades.As one of the region's most important events, more than 750 senior shipping and maritime executives attended the event held at The Palm Dubai resort.Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade said, "The companies that were shortlisted for the awards and those that were winners have shown exemplary levels of achievement and we salute them all."The awards were judged by a 12-strong panel of esteemed international judges, led by Rear Admiral Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).Frederic Fontarosa, Director Ships Agency accepted the award on behalf of WSS. "To receive this award from Seatrade is a huge honour and I am delighted to accept it for the second year running", commented Mr Fontarosa."Through our Ships Agency Redefined (SARD) offering we are revolutionising the way we manage port calls. Our customers are able to take advantage of a globally-coordinated approach which streamlines and simplifies the process and offers a unique 'one ...

A new integrated service solution known as 'Your Straits Solution' Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has launched a new integrated service solution for vessels within and passing through the Straits of Gibraltar. Known as 'Your Straits Solution', the new initiative will enable customers to utilise the company's services in Algeciras, Ceuta and Gibraltar from one location and under one banner.A centralised agency for the three ports was established earlier this summer and enables WSS to offer a 'one-stop-shop' for owners and operators using Algeciras, Ceuta and/or Gibraltar with just one agency fee charged for calls at the three ports."The Straits of Gibraltar is an important strategic location for many ship owners and operators as their vessels transit through the area. It is widely used to conduct a range of services for the vessel and crew where a speedy cost-effective turnaround is looked for," says Simon Hutt, Area Director Southern Europe, North & West Africa.The WSS office in Gibraltar will act as the main point of contact, but WSS products and services will still be offered at all three ports in the region. WSS recently gained a license to operate in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which is easily accessible by fast ...

Smart Shipping focus on measuring and improving vessel and operations performance Wilhelmsen Ships Service's (WSS) Business Director Ships Agency, Frederic Fontarosa, will speak at this month's Smart Shipping conference in Singapore.Held from 17-18 October at the Four Seasons hotel, Smart Shipping represents a new concept in maritime industry conferences and is the first event of its kind to focus on measuring and improving vessel and operations performance through smart and effective means and new technology.Speaking prior to the event, Mr Fontarosa stressed the importance of WSS's participation in the conference, saying that he was looking forward to speaking on Tuesday 18 October and sharing ideas and experiences with fellow shipping executives from across the global industry.He added; "To me, Smart Shipping is about looking at things in a new and different way, taking advantage of new technology, new processes and innovations to bring something new to the market that can ultimately improve efficiency and competitive advantage."Mr Fontarosa will chair Session 3 on day two of the event, which covers the following topics:Walking the talk: taking smart shipping from rhetoric to reality Improving communication between owners, suppliers and intermediariesIs it essential for a company to increase its change management capability before ...

Wilhelmsen Ships Service has recently opened a new Fire, Rescue and Safety service station Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has recently opened a new Fire, Rescue and Safety (FRS) service station in Gdansk, Poland, to serve vessels in the Baltic Sea.The service station is located in Gdansk and has the capacity to serve all ships in the Gdansk and Gdynia ports and repair yards.Roger Gundermann, WSS Technical Manager for Europe, commented, "A large, new workshop has been purpose-built and includes impressive modern equipment. The service centre is suitable for the wider range of WSS Safety Services. We can confirm that this station is one of the most modern on the Baltic Sea and is ready to fulfil all orders coming from our customers."In addition to having approvals from DNV, LR and RMRS for the global WSS service network, this service centre has also been approved by the Polish Maritime Authority.This new FRS service station in Gdansk, together with the company's liferaft service station in Szczecin, enables WSS to offer a full range of safety services and liferaft exchange to vessels in the Baltic region.Source: Wilhelmsen Ships Service

Ship owners embrace the benefits of renting rather than buying liferafts Wilhelmsen Ships Service's liferaft rental concept is thriving in the Eastern Mediterranean (including Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon) as ship owners and operators embrace the concept and the benefits of renting rather than buying liferafts.When the concept was introduced, WSS's sales, customer service and supply teams found the Eastern Mediterranean market to be extremely positive and in the last two years, 122 local shipping companies have placed rented liferafts on more than 1 000 vessels.Nicos Shiakallis, WSS Area Director Eastern Mediterranean comments, "The growth in liferaft rental is an example of the snowball effect. After the initial companies changed to liferaft rental, their enthusiasm for the concept spread to other companies in the region. ""In addition, once these vessel operators saw how effectively the global network managed the exchanges, they started looking at other ways in which we could work together. Many of these customers have now signed fleet agreements to enable WSS to provide other products and safety services to their vessels worldwide."Wilhelmsen Ships Service's liferaft rental scheme enables vessels to rent newly-serviced Unitor liferafts on an annual basis, thus avoiding the difficulties associated with arranging and carrying out ...