Project Endeavour - Inchcape Shipping Services

Transcripción

ISS Rep rter
Issue 23 • March 2012
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
AN INSPIRATIONAL TALE
Full house in Manaus
Page 5
Russians call at Sihanookville
Page 6
LNG expertise in Port Arthur Page 18
Issue 23
March 2012
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4
5
10
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12
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Leader
CEO Claus Hyldager explains the purpose behind
Project Endeavour.
Editorial
How a Boarding Agent’s childhood experiences can
motivate us all.
Around the Network
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16
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18
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24
26
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27
From cruise calls in San Francisco and Manaus to fishing
in Swakopmund and hosting an Ambassadorial trip
to Umm Qasr.
ISS GMT
One year on and it’s “simply amazing!”
Vessel Protection Solutions
Tackling the scourge of modern-day piracy.
Project Endeavour
Strategic Expansion
New offices in five countries point the way forward.
Cook’s Corner
Staying positive during tough times is what it’s all about.
Local Expertise: China
How we help owners and charterers comply with demanding
anti-pollution regulations.
Local Expertise: LNG
Specialist knowledge is needed to ensure these sophisticated
vessels get turned around without mishap or delay.
Local Expertise: Singapore
When a classic cruise ship calls, the boarding team mobilises:
a photo essay.
Local Expertise: Indonesia
Loading coal from Kalimantan is a logistical challenge
we meet.
Staff News
ISS movers and shakers.
Sharpening customer focus whilst addressing the challenges
of a tough market.
CSR
The Lighthouse Relay Voyage baton completes its tour of the
Middle East and India; ShipNet joins the effort in Chennai and
we help the homeless in Charleston.
Life on a Lighthouse
Vicki Te Amo gives an account of an unusual childhood, and
how it formed her character for a career in shipping.
Noticeboard
Family days out in Cambodia and Taiwan, penguins in Kuwait
and fun and games in Singapore.
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www.iss-shipping.com
Leader l ISS REPORTER
MARCH 2012
Project Endeavour:
charting our way forward
Dear Colleagues,
A warm welcome to 2012’s first edition of the ISS Reporter.
I trust you had a well deserved break over the festive season together
with family and friends.
As highlighted in my last column, 2011 turned out to be a year full of
geopoliticaland natural disasters as well as market challenges most of which
negatively affected our top line earnings.
Whilst our annual accounts are not finalised it is clear that our 2011
results will fall short of budget, which naturally is not satisfactory.
Back in November 2010 when we finalised our 2011 budget we did so on
the basis of a number of predictions, projections and assumptions not always
within our control.
We however also make a number of projections and assumptions that
are within our control and failing to meet those will naturally require that we
respond accordingly.
In 2007 we finalised our 2015 Group strategic goals and objectives and
although we didn’t expect smooth sailing all the way we felt that our plans
were sufficiently robust to meet our 2015 financial and operational targets.
In 2008 and 2009 we negotiated with considerable success what many
described as the worst crisis in the history of shipping and with record results
in 2010 we had no reason to believe, basis feedback, or should I say lack of
same, that 2011 would be materially different.
You will recall that towards the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 we,
together with our majority shareholder, decided to engage with a number of
investment firms to evaluate the potential for bringing in a new sponsor.
Although we decided that the time wasn’t right we took on board some of
the valuable feedback received.
The feedback was very encouraging indeed but it was clear that we didn’t
use our highly valuable brand sufficiently to raise awareness of our many
services and capabilities and consequently possibly losing valuable revenue
opportunities.
When the requests for operational and financial details started to land on
our desks it became evident that we, in the future, will have a requirement for
a higher degree of granularity.
It was very encouraging to note that our “Greenfield” expansion program
was hailed as a great success.
Despite this mostly positive feedback, the need to ensure that we
continued on a trajectory that truly reflected our considerable potential
across the group, never left my mind.
2011 first quarter was the first time when I found myself in a position of
serious doubt but on the other hand had faith in our management teams to
turn things around. Little did I know that the turning would have to be done
with added challenges from geopolitical issues, macro economic measures
not working and natural disasters in various parts of the world.
Any company that finds itself in a position where all of the above
negatives comes together at the same time will have to respond accordingly
to get the business not only back on track but also to stay on track despite
whatever challenges are coming our way.
In response we established, during October last year, Project Endeavour
with the aim to tackle not only the above issues but also to clearly define
roles, responsibility and accountability.
You will all have been briefed about Project Endeavour as well as read my
previous comments in this column and I shall therefore not go into great
details about the project but leave it to your respective Line Managers to
brief you.
When you read this article the new Senior Management Teams will have
completed the Project Endeavour Boot Camp with the objectives of:
• Creating a common understanding of the new organization and a sense of
urgency in implementing the required changes
• Defining and prioritizing 2012 initiatives as part of a 2012 transformational
roadmap
• Creating the foundation for building a new management team
When the above objectives have been fully addressed and implemented
we will all individually be able to move forward with clear objectives, roles
and responsibilities.
During March it is my intention to visit as many of you as possible in order
to provide some further information on the new organisation as well as be
available for Q&A sessions.
On 2 April 2012 Project Endeavour phase one will be over and the new
organisation will take full responsibility for the Group.
Will there be a phase two you might ask?
Well that will depend on our ability to successfully execute and take
ownership and responsibility going forward – if I find that this is not the case
I will have no choice than to commence a phase two.
Our new organisation is designed to bring the customer back into full
focus and ensure that we have clear demarcations regarding commercial
and operational responsibility.
We will strive towards increased transparency via information and smart
software solutions and that is why I have created a new role reporting into
me as well as a steering committee overseeing and ensuring that Project
Horizon will be successfully executed – the successful candidate will be
announced in the very near future.
I am aware that the last six months have been stressful and created a lot
of anxiety but it had to be done in order for the Group to continue to move
forward in the right direction.
Since 2006 we have together created growth beyond our wildest
imaginations and there is absolutely no reason as to why we can’t continue
on this path.
I ask that you embrace the changes and provide the necessary support to
all your colleagues whether in your territory or not and continue to provide
the excellent customer support we are known for across the world.
On behalf of the shareholders, the Board and myself, a big thank you for
all your hard work and dedication.
Claus Hyldager
Group CEO
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ISS Rep rter
Issue 23 • March 2012
ISS REPORTER l Editorial
MARCH 2012
INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES
AN INSPIRATIONAL TALE
Full house in Manaus
Page 5
Russians call at Sihanookville
Page 6
LNG expertise in Port Arthur Page 18
Cover: Cape Reinga Lighthouse – one of
several where Vicki Te Amo spent her childhood
Editorial & PR Coordinators
Head Office
Holly Dunsdon
Europe
Linda Peet
Middle East/South Asia Asia Pacific
Usha Sethumadhavan
Darrell Wee
The Spirit of Endeavour: in
praise of the Boarding Agent
This issue’s front cover picture needs some explanation. Vicki Te Amo’s account of her unconventional
childhood growing up ‘on’ a lighthouse (Page 26), and how the experience prepared her for life as a
Boarding Agent, justified a cover story by itself. The values it taught her of self reliance, independence and
the meaning of hard work, epitomise those of our boarding teams across the world. Vicki put it all to
good use. She writes: “These and many other experiences build character, and, in addition to the many skills
we have to possess as ships agents, our “life skills” brought about by our upbringing and previous experiences
enhance our more tangible daily skills.”
As Project Endeavour is rolled out, Vicki’s story seemed appropriate: an example to us all.
But there was another irresistible reason for linking Vicki and her challenging New Zealand
upbringing to Project Endeavour. As some will have guessed by now, it is that of HMS ENDEAVOUR, a
British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery
to New Zealand and Australia from 1769 to 1771.
In September 1769, she anchored off New Zealand, the first European vessel to reach the islands since
Abel Tasman's HEEMSKERCK 127 years earlier. And in April 1770, ENDEAVOUR became the first seagoing
vessel to reach the east coast of Australia, when Cook went ashore at what is now known as Botany Bay.
Today HMS ENDEAVOUR features on the New Zealand fifty cent piece in recognition of its significant
place in the nation's history.
HMS ENDEAVOUR
Japan
Atsuko Ohtsuki
Australasia
Annie Peterson
North America
Linda Clayton
South America
Cecilia Calderon
Africa
Lorna Gloster
Design
Dave Blake
Printers: Holbrooks Printers Ltd., Portsmouth
ISS Reporter is published by:
Inchcape Shipping Services
5-8 Lakeside Business Village
Fleming Road, Chafford Hundred
Essex, RM16 6YA UK.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 1375 484900
Disclaimer: Inchcape Shipping Services accepts no
responsibilities for any inaccuracies that may occur
in this publication, or for their consequences.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
form without the written permission of the publisher.
© Inchcape Shipping Services
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So Project Endeavour is well named as we all strive for excellence in upholding and improving our
standards. As our own Mr Cook reported in the last ISS Reporter, quoting an anonymous benefactor to his
local agents’ association dinner; when asked why he was being so generous he replied: “I think ship agents
are the most underappreciated professionals in the maritime industry. They work long hours, travel all times of
day and night in all kinds of weather, are routinely asked to meet tough deadlines, are expected to know
everything about everything, are pushed into being facilitators, negotiators, mediators and counsellors, and
do some of the most important work in getting stuff moved through the ports for little or no thanks at all. I just
wanted to show some appreciation, that’s all.”
And lest we ever forget the importance of our industry to the world at large, Michael Lund from the
Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) summed it up succinctly at the Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen back in 2009. In stressing how important international shipping is to trade he
said: “90 percent of world trade is based on international sea transport, which is handled by 60,000 ships.
“You could say that without this transport, one half of the world's population would starve and the other
half freeze."
Nick Elliott
FICS
MARCH 2012
Around the Network l ISS REPORTER
Our Kuwait Maritime & Mercantile Company
(KMMC) participated in the 15th Kuwait
Housing Exhibition along with our
principals Catnic – A Tata Steel Enterprise
and a manufacturer of British made
plastering products such as steel lintels,
angle beads, plaster stops, etc. Target
customers were local Kuwaiti villa owners.
Catnic is an established brand in Kuwait
popular among local Kuwaitis.
ISS pulled out all the stops to ensure that the maiden call into San Francisco by the QUEEN ELIZABETH
went without a hitch. The visit was one of the highlights of the trip for passengers of the Cunarder’s
107-night world cruise. Her arrival was greeted by hundreds of admirers and she was received in typical
maritime fashion by port officials and local dignitaries. ISS Port Manager, Captain Abe Khan, said: “With the
QUEEN ELIZABETH’s arrival being such a big event for the city, the whole team pulled together to offer the
very best service we could. With our help, we ensured that all Customs and other checks were completed
in a timely fashion, giving passengers the best chance to explore the city before the ship sailed.
Meanwhile in the Brazilian Amazon port of Manaus, ISS struck a milestone recently by attending three cruise
ships simultaneously - the EXPLORER, the ADONIA and the AIDAVITA - the most the port can take at one time.
Meanwhile, KMMC principals, Groth
Corporation, held their sales conference
for the Middle East Region in Goa. It was a
good platform for discussion on present
performance, competition awareness and
2012 forecast and strategy planning.
During the event KMMC was presented
with the High Performance Award 2011 for
excelling in sales throughout the Middle
East region. C. Subramanian (Sales Engineer Oil & Gas) & Cynthia Lewis (Manager Business Administration & Customer
Relationship) received the award from the
Groth Sales Team.
When various ISS Dubai-based divisions moved their office from Legends to Office Court recently, it brought the whole team together under one roof – a move
welcomed by everyone.
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ISS REPORTER l Around the Network
ISS Cambodia attended a Russian Navy Pacific Fleet combatant squadron in
Sihanoukville. The ships, headed by RFS ADMIRAL PANTALEEV, were enroute to
the Gulf of Aden as part of an international anti-piracy mission. ISS Cambodia
staff were on hand to support the complex requirements of the ships during
their high profile visit to the country, which was their first in many years.
MARCH 2012
Cruise ships into Mombasa these days are a rarity due to the threat of piracy
but SILVER WIND was an exception, with the ISS Kenya team in attendance.
George Andreakos and the ISS Greece operations team mobilized together
with the Hellenic Coastguard and other authorities to rescue by helicopter
the First Engineer of the PRINSENDAM from the Ionian Sea. He was
transferred to hospital in Kalamata and, following several hours in the water,
was found to be in good health.
The ISS Rotterdam team celebrated winning the Stolt Tankers tender over a
drink. "It's a privilege for us to be working with Stolt Tankers and we look
forward to delivering the highest standard of service to them,” said Patrick
Van Huffelen, General Manager Port Services Benelux.
L-R: Larren Fernandes, Regional Business Development Manager, presented
the ISS Lighthouse plaque as a token of appreciation for the valued support
of the Cosmo Oil team comprising of Tomoaki Honda (Abu Dhabi), Ms Ami
Iwasawa and Ms. Yuri Takahashi (both visiting from Tokyo Office. Cosmo Oil
Japan representatives visited ISS Middle East and India regional office in
Dubai as part of their annual site visit and agents meeting programme
including post-meeting and information exchange sessions.
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The EDITH MAERSK with nearly 14,500 TEUs on board, safely navigated the
Scheldt up to Antwerp to discharge. This Danish ship, which along with seven
sister ships are the largest container vessels in the world, was diverted to
Antwerp due to congestion at Rotterdam. The container giant, the biggest
container vessel ever to visit the port, arrived directly from Tanjung Pelepas
with a draught of 14.4 metres. Although the Captain had been told late in the
day that his destination had changed, all went smoothly due to many prior
simulator practice runs with this type of ship. Six container cranes were
deployed once alongside and after discharge, some hundreds of containers
were repositioned. The ship was worked with a tandem-lift allowing two 40'
containers to be lifted simultaneously – with ISS in attendance.
MARCH 2012
R-L: (Front Row) Amitansh Pillai; Sunita Fernandez; Kevin Yee; Cynthia Lewis;
Manoj Cardoza; Alejandro Cabarles. (Back Row) Hussain Mala; Nithin Ashok;
Mohammad Arshad; Balram Srinivasan; Hussain Sabunwala. ISS Kuwait has
reviewed its handling of HSE to maximize performance by transferring
responsibility to a team of volunteers. Previously this was monitored by the
HR officer. As part of the ISS Group HSE Manual procedures, Fire Marshals
cum HSE coordinators were identified. Employees from each department
volunteered to take responsibility. Implementing an HSE plan had its own
challenges in Kuwait where, for example, we manage a gas warehouse which
provides storage and transportation of gas cylinders, another warehouse
storing personal effects and engineering goods and an office building in
which ISS manages its own maintenance.
Following the latest audit, Corporate Compliance Manager Kevin Yee said: "It
was a pleasure to audit ISS Kuwait as you have a competent Marine and
Government Setrvices team and the office HSE is in excellent condition. One of
the best ISS offices I have seen in terms of HSE awareness and ownership among
the staff. Balram and the coordinators have really done a good job for the office."
On a seemingly peaceful Thursday night when most people onshore
were getting ready for their weekend in the Middle East, the tanker
CE-ULSAN heading out of Iraq loaded with oil, developed a medical
emergency. A deck cadet suddenly became sick and fell into a coma
requiring urgent evacuation to a hospital for special attention. The
ship was several hours away from the nearest port and, while
deviating to a convenient anchorage to attempt the urgent
evacuation, sent out a request for assistance to her Managers.
The Managers in Greece contacted ISS Greece’s Spiros Tsigaridas
requesting assistance. Spiros immediately contacted ISS Dubai, the
nearest ISS office to where the ship planned to call to disembark the
cadet. ISS Dubai team sprang into action and Senior Port Executive
Iqbal Parker, at 2100h, volunteered to stay in the office to coordinate
the evacuation arrangements. At 0025h the sick cadet was
disembarked by Sharjah Coast Guard’s speedboat as the ship passed
the anchorage and transferred to the local hospital where ISS visited
him and reported on his recovery.
The Managers in Greece wrote: “First of all we wish to thank you
and Mr. Tsigaridas in Greece for your timely co-ordination / assistance
in the disembarkation of the sick crew and we hope that everything
will proceed well with his health.” The entire management expressed
their gratitude by phone call. Though the ship was continents away, a
local call to the right people saved a life.
Jan de Looff, MD of Briese
Shipping BV and General
Manager of Leda Shipping
GmbH with ISS’ Gopal
Sethi at the signing of a
new Crew Logistics
Services agreement with
Leda Shipping GmbH.
The Undersecretariat of Maritime Affairs in Turkey published a regulation
that made IMDG Code (Safety and Security in Dangerous Goods Logistics)
training mandatory for all agents, forwarders, ports, logistics companies,
traders and producers of any kind of dangerous cargoes. The training was
made widely available enabling all staff to take part who were involved from
quotation to booking and booking to physical handling of the cargo.
In-house training took place over a two week period for ISS Turkey staff
(pictured). All ISS staff from Gemlik, Izmit, Izmir and Mersin branches were
fully trained to meet the new regulations in Istanbul. It was also a great
opportunity for ISS Istanbul to host their colleagues from all around Turkey.
The ISS Africa management
meeting was held in Swakopmund,
Namibia. “As our newest team
member it was fitting that we
showed them support by holding
the management meeting there,”
said Allan Vermaak. “We also
hosted a dinner at the Brauhaus
and were able to spend a good
evening with customers and
potential customers. The
management meeting itself was
held over two days and included a
series of workshops with the team to look at the focus areas for 2012 which
included service delivery, customer focus and a structured plan on how to
achieve our strategic goals. Regional management felt that these workshops
were extremely valuable and the African team were ready to face the
challenges that 2012 will undoubtedly throw at us.
“On the Saturday we held a team building exercise and were taken 28
miles north of Swakopmund for a beach fishing outing and a good number
of fish were caught. The most successful fisherperson of the day was
undoubtedly Kirsty Fillis the African Regional Business Development
Manager, with the highest tally.”
7
ISS REPORTER l Around the Network
A supply boat shipped from
Singapore was discharged at
Jebel Ali with the ISS Dubai
marine team supervising the
operation. The craft was
renamed and sailed for her final
destination in Saudi Arabia after
some minor maintenance work and clearance formalities. The ISS team was
led by Andrew Monteiro assisted by Navraj Shahi, Samiuddin and Capt.
Subramanian from Marine Logistics.
MARCH 2012
ISS Umm Qasr was privileged to host a visit from the British Ambassador to the
Republic of Iraq, Michael Aron. The Ambassador is hugely experienced in the
Middle East having recently served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait and
subsequently as Head of the Middle East Department at the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office. The ISS Iraq office coordinated his visit, arranged a port
tour and meetings with port officials. The purpose of the visit was twofold: to
visit the Port of Umm Qasr and see firsthand its infrastructure and have a better
understanding of its facilities, and also to promote the commercial interests for
possible UK investors and UK companies in Iraq. The ISS team had arranged a
meeting with the Port Manager, Safaa A.J.Al – Maliky and all parties found the
meetings fruitful with the British Embassy team being especially keen to hear
of the future long term development plans for the port.
A new ISS office has opened in Kaohsiung manned by
L-R: James Lin – Operations Manager, Josie Wu - Port Manager, Rex Wu and
Steven Chung - Operators.
L-R: Gary Santos, Yasumasa Suetsugu, Superintendent for CPC Consolidated
Pool Carriers (Asia) Co. Ltd; Naoki Yamada, Chief Specialist, Procurement
Group, Thermal & Hydro Power Systems & Services Division for Toshiba
Corporation; Patrick Crosby, General Manager Logistics, Midwest Region for
Nippon Express USA, Inc. loading a gas turbine in Charleston for Kashima.
Gary advises: “We recently loaded two turbines on a previous vessel and have
one more vessel due. These turbines are destined for the region that was
devastated by last year’s tsunami.”
8
Ship Operator Higor Santos of ISS Santos on board JARI STAR loading wind
blades in Santos. The blades are fabricated in Brazil.
MARCH 2012
One year on
Global Programme Manager Lean
Delivery, David Lindsell, delivers an
update on the Kaizen programme.
A YEAR HAS now passed since Lean Six Sigma
was introduced into the organization and in
this time there have been many positives that
have come from the Kaizen programme.
Australia have centralised and continued to
fine tune their appointment process for three
major ports and are standardizing
documentation wherever possible.
South America are centrally managing their
Customer Service and Procurement
Management processes and have delivered
some meaningful benefits; they have also
focused very much on knowledge sharing
and teamwork.
South Africa have centralized their Debtor
and Sub Agency Management processes.
Other regions have also delivered significant
benefits and the feedback from our customers
has been very positive, many of them
commenting on consistency in service delivery.
Our expectation for the future is to roll out
current best practice on a global scale and to
add to the good work that was achieved during
2011. This cannot be done without the
involvement and goodwill of our people to
which much of the success achieved in 2011 can
be attributed.
As an organization, we need to ensure that
ISS is seen as “best in class” by our customer
when it comes to cost effective service delivery.
Future plans will focus on increased
communication and awareness of Lean/Kaizen
by involving all employees in the process.
Black Belts qualified
David
Lindsell
In order to acquaint managers and supervisors with the right skills and knowledge to professionally conduct
the Performance Review process, ISS Kuwait recently organised a Performance Review Workshop. The
workshop, facilitated by Balram Srinivasan, ISS Kuwait HR Manager, helped the participants in understanding
the importance of the review system, behavioural indicators, evaluation of previous year objectives and to set
SMART objectives for the coming year.
The North/Central America Executive Team (pictured) held a customer reception at the Windfall Grill in
New York.
ISS Dubai conducted a fire drill with staff evacuated when the fire alarm sounded. The 22 fire marshals
were assigned specific duties and the whole exercise was done smoothly with proper coordination.
As part of Programme Kaizen a selection of
our Black Belt candidates have completed
and passed the requirements to certify as
Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.
The Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
programme consists of three one-week
training sessions. After concluding these
sessions each certification candidate is
required to complete two projects that meet
the requirements for Lean Six Sigma, signed off
by Xchanging when successfully completed.
Following the successful completion of the
projects, the final stepping stone to obtaining
their Black Belt Certification is to complete and
pass a written examination that measures
comprehension and ability to apply the Lean
Six Sigma methodology to benefit the
business.
The following ISS personnel are now
qualified as Lean Six Sigma Black Belts:
Tony Brazenor; David Wonfor; Francisco
Villagran; Heather Moats; Jerome Pupe.
The remaining Black Belt candidates are
in the process of working towards
completion of their projects that will make
them eligible to take the final examination.
In addition to the above Black Belts, both
David Lindsell and Trond Baade have also
successfully completed the Master Black Belt
certification requirements and have
qualified as Master Black Belts.
9
ISS REPORTER l ISS GMT 12 months on
Nick Elliott asked Tim Davey,
President of ISS GMT to report on
how the first 12 months of life with
ISS has been.
SIMPLY AMAZING! THAT’S how I’d best
describe becoming part of the ISS family.
We are one year into our relationship
with ISS and the single item that stands
out more than anything else is how
connected everyone is.
We’ve received several requests to help out
ISS customers and the pleasing part about it is,
once the customers have experienced our
services they have stayed with us and booked
their future airline tickets through our network
of offices. This pleases Claus as our gross profit is
increasing and that avoids me getting a hard
time from him….
Via our offices in the USA, Canada,
Manila and Singapore we sell one way
refundable and changeable airline tickets
to all points globally. We are always open 24
hours per day, seven days per week, year round.
Our true value can be found in our airline
pricing on long haul flights. Within domestic
markets around the world, it’s often hard for us
to compete with low cost carriers, but even
when our prices are slightly higher we still are
there to help you if you purchased the ticket
from us.
I’m astonished at the low cost carriers’
attitudes of once you’ve bought the ticket you
own it. I can’t tell you how many times
last year customers came to us complaining that
they bought a ticket from a low cost carrier and
when they needed to make a change or had a
question concerning the flight, they couldn’t
even get to a human being on the phone for
assistance. You won’t have that issue when
using ISS GMT.
One of the key goals for the first quarter of
2012 is to further expose the ISS network of
customers to ISS GMT. My team and I would
really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions
you may have in order to connect us to your
client contacts.
There’s a terrific synergy between ISS GMT
and the ground transportation and services
provided by our CLS (Crew Logistics Service)
colleagues that our customers need to know
about. With further help from you all to spread
the word about our exciting home-to-cabin
products which promote efficiencies and
added value to our clients, we’ll all be
successful and grow.
We had a good start in 2011. ISS GMT issued
3,318 tickets for ISS staff and customers.
However we estimate that we have only
captured 40% of the ISS travel business. By
keeping the travel spend “in-house” we all
benefit in the long run and I’m looking
forward to capturing more of the ISS internal
10
MARCH 2012
Simply Amazing!
Tim with Laurence Carlier of ISS GMT Fort Lauderdale
travel. I encourage you all to read the ISS
Corporate Travel policy which is posted on
Athena.
Look out for the ISS GMT team in your region
during 2012. We plan more sales visits along with
the opening of new offices.
Now that we are fully integrated within the
ISS network I look forward to working with you
all in future and thanks in advance for your
assistance. I can be contacted at
[email protected] with any questions
you may have.
ISS GMT Singapore team: Sam Lee, Sales Manager,
Shern Kwa Operations Manager and Tim
ISS GMT's marine airfares are designed to assist not just the yacht crews with their travel needs,
but all sectors of the shipping community
MARCH 2012
Cost effective armour protection
provides unrivalled countermeasures to
safeguard vessel and crew welfare
THIS RECENTLY FORMED anti-piracy
partnership provides the ultimate protection
for vessels and their crews while operating
in known piracy regions. The solutions
provide customers with highly effective, fully
certified systems that are designed to combat
RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) and small
arms fire.
“Time and again we see bullet proof vests
issued to crews without hard armour plates, and
vessels using 8mm mild steel to protect the bridge,
internal doors and citadels, which will do nothing
against a round from an AK47,” says Edward
Unwin, Sales Director Vessel Protection Solutions.
“Similarly, using double layers of standard
mesh fencing to counter the threat of an RPG
attack will actually increase the chance of a lethal
detonation,” says Unwin.
Following extensive research and live fire
testing, as well as years of consultation with the
defence industry and associated partners and
suppliers, ISS and VPS provide customers with a
comprehensive range of advanced, high-tech
protective countermeasures, including:
Vessel Protection Solutions l ISS REPORTER
ISS launches state-of-the-art
anti-piracy solution
Light Armour System against
Shaped Ordnance (LASSO)
A high tensile steel mesh that short circuits an
RPG projectile rendering its explosive shape
charge inert.. LASSO is deployed around the
bridge offering protection to the crew whilst still
allowing full visibility to the Master. The system
can then be easily stowed when the vessel is not
transiting high risk areas.
Ramor 500
Specially designed lightweight, armoured steel
that offers comprehensive protection to the
bridge and vessel’s access points. The armour is
able to withstand multiple hits from high
velocity rifle rounds including AK47 making it
ideal for Citadel construction. The system does
not require class recertification as it is
lightweight and easily removable.
Composite Armour
A range of ultimate lightweight armour
protection that has been designed specifically
for the maritime industry. Products include fully
certified Lloyds approved ballistic doors, weapon
cabinets and removable ballistic panels. These
STANAG certified products are ideal for offering
enhanced protection to the bridge and internal
access areas.
Anti-Ballistic Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
Certified Body Armour, Helmets, Hard Armour
Plates and Soft Armour panels which have been
With pirates and armed robbers showing increasing
levels of violence towards captured crew,
compromise of vessel protection is not an option
specifically designed for maritime applications.
These protective systems will provide significant
increased survivability if the crew comes under
small arms fire. These lightweight vests and
helmets will also offer additional protection
against fragmentation and blunt trauma.
Graham Fee, ISS Project Manager, VPS Hub,
comments: “While Best Management Practices
provides useful guidelines and
recommendations to combat pirate attacks,
when it comes to ballistic protection, shipowners
need real counsel on the kind of solutions to
adopt. Budgets are tight given the current
economic climate, however there’s no point in
just going for the cheapest material that may tick
a compliance box but doesn’t work during an
attack and invalidates insurance, ultimately
costing more in the long-term.
“These products are suitable for any marine
environment and can be easily adapted to
platforms and/or support vessels. We provided
360 degree protection for two research vessels
operating off south eastern Africa,
“Our focus is to provide solutions that save
lives, are cost efficient and are proven by both
military and civil agencies.
ISS CEO, Claus Hyldager adds: “Piracy is one of
the greatest challenges the industry faces. While
the legislative debate continues on how to best
tackle the issue in relation to armed guards, it is
vital that shipowners have access to the best
equipment and onboard vessel and crew
armour that provides appropriate protection,
right now. Our VPS operation and our expertise
in this area is testament to our commitment to
helping our customers meet these challenges
that serve to impact the efficiency of their
operations and the wellbeing of their crews.”
11
ISS REPORTER l Group Strategy: Project Endeavour
MARCH 2012
Project Endeavour: “A far greater
emphasis on the customer”
“The goal of Project Endeavour is
simple,” says CEO Claus Hyldager.
“It is to develop an organisational
structure that enables us to deliver
against our business strategy, despite
market conditions which are at their
most challenging.
“Key to that strategy is the need to put a
far greater emphasis on the customer
through reducing bureaucracy and
giving greater accountability and
responsibility to our people. And while
for most colleagues’ job titles won’t
change, their focus inevitably will.”
12
FIRST IT IS important to understand the
motivations for redesigning the organisation.
As with any company, particularly one as
widespread as ISS, as it grows there is the risk
of a disconnect between HQ and the regions
resulting in more bureaucracy, complexity,
repetitive work processes, and a growing
number of corporate functions. This can
cause delays in executing business critical
projects across the organisation resulting
from widespread silo-thinking and capability
gaps in key areas.
The past degree of regional autonomy has
meant that we have often reinvented the wheel
when it came to seizing commercial
opportunities and/or productivity gains. In the
new organisation, emphasis is put on developing
best practices at a corporate level, which can be
rolled-out globally. But one size doesn’t always fit
all. The new organisation will need to adapt
group-level and cross-organisational initiatives to
the specific context of different regions and
businesses. This endeavour will be supported by
corporate oversight and financial control.
Introduction to the new organisation
The new organisation is defined by 1) one
Commercial function; 2) two Delivery functions
being Operations and Technology; and 3) five
Support functions being Finance, Human
Resources, Corporate Development, Corporate
Services and Legal Counsel. Together, the Chiefs
of these functions represent the new Senior
Management Team.
The most significant difference from the old
organisation is the move from regional profit
centres to a distinction between Commercial
and Operational functions. Now, the new
regional structure will serve as the core Delivery
function, although a sizeable share of
Commercial activity will continue to be run from
the regional offices.
Group Strategy: Project Endeavour l ISS REPORTER
MARCH 2012
Moreover, all eight business functions will
have full control of their respective staff. This
means that commercial staff report to
Commercial, operational to Operations, regional
finance to Finance, etc.
Put together, these changes will ensure a
smoother and more customer-focused
organisation with strong capability centres and
less bureaucracy.
So just how will all this work and
how will it affect you and your
day-to-day work?
In February senior managers, at an intensive
boot camp session, were brought up-to-speed in
understanding the new organisational design
and committing to delivering his or her share of
the necessary transformation projects. The
tangible output from the boot camp is a six
week roadmap of cross-organisational activities
to take full effect from 2 April. The organisational
design is founded on a matrix structure, which
requires the various business functions to work
closely together to deliver customer value. So a
busy month ahead for senior managers, though
much of the actual change will take place within
the corporate and regional functions phased
over the course of 2012.
As we go to press Claus is embarking on a
world tour to give detailed presentations with
the opportunity for open discussion about the
new organisation.
Project Endeavour has reviewed the
organisational design of the whole Group. This
has resulted in newly defined business functions
with new accountabilities and focus areas. Select
management groups have been assessed for
management positions in the top three layers of
the new organisation. Those employees who
have not been assessed will not be directly
affected by Endeavour.
However, the new organisation entails some
distinct changes especially in the Commercial
organisation, which will require new reporting
lines across a number of functions. First and
foremost, country GMs’ commercial work will be
driven by the Commercial function, which will
require a dotted reporting line to the relevant
business units. This change will not take effect
until later in the year.
Moreover, HQ and regional staff will be
affected both by the regional consolidation, as
well as new reporting lines to the new senior
management levels. Operational staff working
under the country GMs will not be affected by
Endeavour.
Inevitably, you will have questions as
Endeavour is rolled out. There will be further
communiqués cascaded from senior
management; your line managers will be fully
briefed and available to answer questions;
FAQs will be posted on Athena; and of course
our CEO will be visiting many of you to explain
and discuss.
Functional accountability, KPIs and mutual relationships
The new organisational design separates and clarifies accountability between Commercial, Delivery, and
corporate Support functions, which will enable simplified and aligned incentives and KPIs per function. For
Commercial and Delivery functions, accountability can be distributed downwards in the respective organisations.
COMMERCIAL
Purpose
Commercial is responsible for maximising group
earnings through sales on a global, regional, and
local level depending on the customer
relationship.
Business units defined by customer segments
Hitherto ISS has had numerous business
streams, approaching customers independently
with different offerings. The new sales
organisation however will be distinguished by
three separate business units based on unique
customer segments: 1) shipowners, operators
and charterers; 2) cargo owners and traders; and
3) supply chain managers including NGOs and
navies. It is up to the sales force within each
business unit to maximise the value of each
account across all ISS services.
Key account management
During the course of 2012, Commercial will set
up a global, group-wide KAM programme which
will define the new sales organisation. Rather
than having numerous sales teams approaching
the same account with different offerings, in the
new organisation each account (or account
opportunity) will rest within one business unit
with one assigned manager. The KAM may reside
either within the sales organisation or as a GM
with local relationships. In addition to the KAM,
the account team may be complemented by
Sponsors from the executive level as well as
product or country specialists – always
depending on the customer profile.
Product Management & Marketing
The new Endeavour organisation strives to be
more customer-focused, which requires an
efficient sales and KAM organisation with sufficient
time to liaise with customers. To enable this, the
PMM function has been introduced to ISS,
responsible for defining, managing and marketing
services (including cost and quality) across our
geographical footprint so the sales function/
business units can spend their time selling.
OPERATIONS
Purpose
Operations is responsible for managing service
delivery in terms of both cost and quality.
Key features
• Full operational control: In the new Operations
organisation the COO has full accountability for
execution, service excellence, service delivery
and process optimisation. Note that this is very
different from the old organisation where the
two then hemispheres had full P&L including
commercial responsibility.
SUPPORT FUNCTIONS
Purpose:
The various support functions are responsible
for providing guidelines, tools, and control
functions to managing business performance.
Key features
• Corporate financial management and control:
In the new organisation Group Finance will
define its own global organisation of business
partners and controllers.
• Corporate Development: This function expands
the scope of Group Strategy to include
overseeing cross-organisational projects as well
as delivering group-wide market intelligence.
• Direct reporting: As was always the case with
Compliance and IT, all support functions now
have direct reporting lines to their respective
corporate functions, meaning that they will be
responsible to the function rather than the
region/location, which they sit in.
• Corporate procurement: Compliance will grow
to become Corporate Services which will
initially include a corporate procurement
initiative.
13
ISS REPORTER l The Network: Strategic expansion
In line with the goal of expanding our
global proprietary network to create a
solid platform from which to execute our
strategy, ISS has opened up in five
countries already this year.
Saudi Arabia
In a strategic move, ISS has re-established own
offices in Jeddah, Yanbu, Rabigh, Jubail,
Rastanura, Ras Al Khafji and Dammam in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
ISS has established a new legal entity within
the Kingdom through a joint venture with the Al
Bakri Group, one of Saudi’s leading companies.
ISS Saudi Arabia will offer Marine Services,
Government Services, Cargo Services, Survey and
Liner Agency. It will also operate launch services
off Rastanura.
The re-entry into Saudi Arabia will provide
ISS with coverage of one of the largest industrial
and project orientated economies in the Middle
East region. The head office for the joint venture
has been established in Jeddah, where the
country management team is based.
Rohan D’Souza, who has over 15 year’s port
agency experience, has been appointed as ISS
Saudi Arabia Port Manager. He has been
transferred from ISS Qatar, where he was the
Marine and Government Services Port Manager
for a number of years. During this time he has
executed cutting edge services to ISS’ clients
and he has even been recognized as the
Employee of the Year by ISS Senior
Management. He is now based in Jeddah and
MARCH 2012
New office openings in
Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Spain,
Venezuela and Timor-Leste
responsible for operational delivery and for
ensuring a consistently high level of service in
Saudi Arabia.
Flemming Jensen explains: “Both our
existing and future clients now have the
comfort of ISS’ high level of services being
delivered throughout Saudi Arabia by
ISS’ own people. Our vision is for ISS
Saudi Arabia to become the market leader
in Marine Services and to be amongst the
top 10 players in Cargo Services during the
coming years.
“ISS Saudi Arabia offers services second to
none to its clients, with 24/7 coverage supported
by ISS systems and standard operating
procedures. Services offered in Saudi Arabia will
be appropriately bundled and tailored in order
to meet customer’s specific requirements.”
Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the
Middle East, has boosted its foreign reserves
significantly over the past years, which were
projected to reach 1.65 trillion riyals
(US$440bn) by the end of 2011 according to
the Central Bank. Under its budget unveiled in
2011, Saudi Arabia plans to spend US$160bn on
domestic projects by the end of 2012. The
country has further more pledged to spend
US$400bn by the end of 2013 to upgrade its
infrastructure, including the establishment of
five major economic and industrial cities.
Thailand
On 1 March another new ISS office opened in
Bangkok. The opening of the ISS Thailand, with
newly recruited management and staff, follows
the ending of a franchise agreement between
ISS and ISS Thoresen Agencies.
The new team is drawn from large
international shipping agencies and their
experience encompasses all vessel and cargo
types in all major Thai ports. They are led by
General Manager, Thaveesak Chowchankit, who
has joined ISS from the Bangkok Shipowners &
Agents Association. The Operations Manager is
Capt. Sunchai Sanguanpao, who since coming
ashore in 1997, worked for ISS Thoresen for over
a decade.
Tony Brazenor, Regional Operations
Manager of ISS Asia Pacific, said: “Following a
period in which we have relied exclusively on
partnership and franchise arrangements in
Thailand, the opening of a well-staffed Bangkok
office marks a real commitment to shipowners
using Thai ports.”
One of the Al Bakri Group’s tankers
The Network: Strategic expansion l ISS REPORTER
MARCH 2012
Bangkok’s Khlong Toei port
Port Manager Juan Carlos Trujillo (centre), Administrative Ana Subero (left) and Operator Armando Moffi (right)
Spain
Venezuela
Timor-Leste
And in Spain we have opened our doors in
Algeciras – Spain’s busiest port - completing the
company’s expansion in the Northern
Mediterranean region.
“The opening of the Algeciras office
strengthens the company’s position in this
important maritime region,” said Michael van
Hemert. “The office is a natural development,
strengthening our extensive operations in
Gibraltar and enabling us to provide seamless
service delivery across the region.
“With the new office we have reached an
important milestone in the ongoing expansion of
our marine services network,”Michael added. “This
final part of our Northern Mediterranean expansion
will meet a specific customer demand and open up
opportunities for further growth in the area.”
The office will be managed by Julian Isola
who has been with ISS since 2000, and who is
responsible for the daily operations of ISS Iberia.
Algeciras is Spain’s number one port and one
of Europe’s largest container transhipment hubs
with volumes exceeding of 3m TEUs annually. Its
geostrategic location places it at a major
crossroads of the world’s shipping lanes and trade
routes. The port also enjoys a much improved
road infrastructure linking it to its hinterlands.
On the other side of the world, ISS is capitalising
on local and global customer demand for
services in Venezuela with the opening of its first
office in the country. The new office is part of
ISS’s South America expansion strategy which
will see it open more offices in Venezuela and
other parts of the subcontinent.
The office, in Puerto La Cruz, meets the
country’s growing demand for shipping
services, particularly in the tanker, offshore and
liner sectors. The office will also enable ISS to
take advantage of the growth in cruise business
in the country.
Jaime Otero said: “The Venezuelan economy
is steadily expanding and we are now wellpositioned to service the needs of shipowners
and operators using her ports.
“The new office will enable us to capitalise on
market opportunities and we will also enhance
the service for existing customers. In seeking to
become the largest proprietary agency network
on the subcontinent, this will be the first of a
number of new offices in Venezuela and across
South America.”
The Venezuela office will be managed by Juan
Carlos Trujillo whose experience of working in the
Venezuelan shipping sector extends over 20 years.
ISS has also opened up in Timor-Leste,
reports David Castellano, ISS Regional General
Manager – Commercial. “The new venture
will enable us to work alongside the
Timorese Government and NGOs to make
vital logistical improvements within the
emerging state.
“Services offered via the new office,
which is located in Dili, will include marine and
offshore agency, government services, and
logistics and freight forwarding by sea, land
and air together with Customs clearance,
warehousing and transportation.”
Other projects will include working
with the Ministry of Petroleum on an
Offshore Supply Base which is due to be
built in Suai in the south western part of
the country.
Timor-Leste, which became the first
new sovereign state of the 21st Century on
20 May 2002 after a long struggle for
independence, still has a large presence of UN
personnel and aid workers, and
aid/humanitarian cargoes are expected
to feature for at least another five years.
The ISS country representative in Timor-Leste is
Denny Campos.
Algeciras port
Dili port, Timor-Leste
15
ISS REPORTER l Cook’s Corner
David Cook
Instructional
Design-Operations,
based in
Portland, Oregon
TWO STATISTICS CROSSED my desk in
November 2011 that I found difficult to believe.
One was in an article that said: “according to
Clarkson’s, daily charter rates for Very Large
Crude Carriers (VLCCs), hauling about 20% of
the world’s oil, had surged to US$229,000 a day
in 2007 and were now at US$28,829 a day,” The
breakeven point for operating large tankers is
around US$30,000 per day.
The other statistic was Alphaliner reporting
that in the Far East-Europe liner trade: “freight
rates were now at a negative US$215 per TEU”
Both of these pieces of information were
staggering to contemplate. The first one meant
that some tanker companies operating VLCC’s
have experienced about an 87% drop in daily
income since 2007 and are operating very close
to or below their breakeven points. Also
container carriers in the Far East-Europe trade
were operating at a significant loss.
Add in earthquakes, floods and bunker prices
and it is no wonder there are significant revenue
pressures across the maritime sector.
It is very difficult to remain optimistic when
one reads such things. However, history has
shown that shipping is highly cyclical and the
world economy can be too. John D. Rockefeller
(the founder of Standard Oil Company and one
of the wealthiest men in history) said during the
Great Depression in 1929: "These are days when
many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life,
depressions have come and gone. Prosperity has
always returned and will again." It did.
Human resilience is not something that I
underestimate. While there are dismal statistics all
around us, I am certain that necessary adjustments
will be made and prosperity will return.
We must take heed of the trends in our
industry and the effects they have on ISS. In
challenging times we need to re-dedicate
ourselves to furthering our customers’ businesses
by efficiently providing them with goods and
services they need. To do so we must constantly
innovate our product and service offerings to
ensure we stay at the forefront of our business
and offer a strategic partnership to our customers.
We are a company of problem solvers. That is
what we do every day across the world. We have
a history of meeting the customer’s needs no
matter how difficult the request may be. I
personally see how our team enjoys the
challenge of the unexpected. We like to engage
our minds, determine solutions and actively
16
MARCH 2012
Optimism in the
face of adversity
solve problems. There is an immeasurable sense
of satisfaction in overcoming obstacles when
servicing the ships that we handle globally.
I have confidence in our people which is why
I am optimistic in the face of adversity. Despite
challenging times I know we will continue to
grow and we will continue to be successful.
Watching Expenses
In controlling expenses we all have to keep in
mind that every dollar spent is a dollar that must
be earned somewhere else. We can all be guilty
of forgetting this simple truth. When spending
we must think about the value and necessity of
what we are procuring before deciding if the
expenditure is necessary.
Everyday Heroes
I know from reading the ISS Reporter that there are
many of you who give freely of your time and
talents to all manner of charitable organizations
around the world. This is a great thing. In this era of
tight budgets it is clear that governments cannot
do it all and it is good to see our team pitching in.
I noted with pride recently that a
childhood friend of mine founded an
organization called The Rainbird Foundation
(http://rainbirdfoundation.org/). Rainbird is a
non-profit organization committed to the end of
child abuse. Child abuse is a really tough topic to
take on. It is not a subject that most people like
to talk about; however, Rainbird has taken on the
task anyway. They are working hard with other
organizations to raise funds and also to raise
awareness of what specific actions can be taken;
all to prevent child abuse. Therefore, my friend is
one of my everyday heroes. It takes tremendous
courage to try and tackle such a difficult societal
problem and it is certainly noble to try to make a
positive difference in this dark area of humanity.
There are so many parts of our world that can
use volunteer help. I would encourage each one
of you who have not done so already to find
something that you could be passionate about
and volunteer. There are thousands of
opportunities around the world, some quite
straightforward and others more challenging.
It may take you out of your comfort zone to
work with youth, the elderly, the poor, the
disabled, the mentally ill, the homeless, the
hungry, the abused, the orphaned or any other
group that can use your help but those who do
find the work extremely rewarding despite the
challenges. If you cannot volunteer to work
directly, you can donate money, goods or
services. If that isn’t possible, then at least offer
encouragement to someone who does do
volunteer work. Your encouragement, which is
cost free, will always be appreciated.
One thing that I have found in my experience
is that those that have the least often give the
most and these selfless people do not seek credit.
All the more reason we should ask ourselves:
what more can each one of us do to make the
world a better place than when we arrived in it?
I would be interested to hear from you if you
have any stories regarding your volunteer efforts
or your local everyday heroes.
Your comments are always welcomed. Until
next time…stay and work safe.
MARCH 2012
In January ISS launched an intermediary
service for ships calling at ports in
China. The move was in response to
new pollution prevention and control
regulations introduced by Chinese
regulators and the service is already
fully operational.
THE PREVENTION AND Control of Marine
Pollution from Ships directive, issued by
China's Maritime Safety Agency (MSA)
requires full compliance from shipowners and
managers by 1 March. From this date, all ships
carrying polluting or hazardous cargoes, or
those over 10,000gt, have to enter into a
contract with an approved Ship Pollution
Response Organisation (SPRO) before
entering port.
From 1 January, these regulations have
already been implemented in all major coastal
sea ports with Ningbo and Zhoushan following
after Chinese New Year at the end of January.
The new ISS service eliminates the need for
shipowners to manage contracts and multiple
transactions with SPROs at their various ports of
Local Expertise: China l ISS REPORTER
ISS launches pollution
regulation intermediary service
David Young
call in China. Instead, based on the MSA's list of
approved vendors, ISS manages the entire
process, often in tandem with our other agency
and crew logistics services, ensuring maximum
efficiencies within our customers’ operations.
The intermediary service is available on a per
call basis, and for fleet operators calling regularly
in China, ISS is also launching an annual scheme.
This will reduce the risk of a ship being unable to
enter port because it does not have the correct
paperwork, and it will eliminate the
administrative burden on the fleet manager.
David Young, General Manager of ISS China
Central Office in Shanghai, says: "We continue to
innovate our ship husbandry services, including
simplifying the practicalities of complying with
new regulations in different territories.
"Fleet operators told us they were concerned
about the administrative burden being placed
upon them by the new Chinese regulations, and
the risk of severe delays to their vessels should
they not be in compliance. Based on in-depth
knowledge of the ports in which it operates, ISS
has, at a stroke, removed all of those concerns.”
ISS China has offices in the ports of Dalian,
Tianjin Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai (China
central office), Guangzhou Huangpu and Nansha.
Door to Deck - Ship Spares Logistics
The timely delivery of spare parts is vital to effective vessel operations.
We assist in reducing your logistics, administrative and overall
management costs and provide you with the peace of mind that
comes from knowing your freight will connect with your vessel on time.
ISS provides:
• Single point of contact
through a global Hub
• End to end solution with
on deck deliveries
• Worldwide coverage
• Multi-modal options
• Consolidation centres
in key maritime locations
• Competitive rates
• Single point of billing
• 24/7 operation
For a quotation or to know more about our Door to Deck
solution send an email to [email protected]
Or to speak to a specialist in person,
call 00971 (4) 303 8500 Ext: 805
AW
World
orld of Local Expertise
17
ISS REPORTER l Local Expertise: LNG Port Operations
ISS attends LNG tanker port calls and
canal transits across the world, notably
in North, Central and South America,
Japan and the Middle East.
BECAUSE OF THE SPECIALIST nature of the
trade, particular considerations apply to the
handling of these ships and, working closely
with colleagues Andrew Boaz and Mark Pippin
in the US, Larren Fernandes in the Gulf and
Tetsuro Kato in Japan, we recently contributed
an article to leading trade journal, LNG
Industry. Here, with their kind permission, is an
abridged version of the feature.
North America
Prior to the recent discoveries of significant shale
gas in the USA, several large LNG receiving
terminals were built, mostly on the US Gulf
Coast. Two such facilities are located in the
Calcasieu Waterway leading up to Lake Charles
in Louisiana – 36 nautical miles inland. The Trunk
Line Terminal was completed in 1981 while the
newer Cameron LNG Terminal opened for
operations in 2009. And the ISS Lake Charles
office handles a significant amount of this trade.
MARCH 2012
An Agent’s
perspective
“The LNG vessel makes its voyage from
loadport into the Lake Charles area where the
pilot boards outside port limits,” explains ISS Port
Manager, Mark Pippin. “The transit time from
Pilot Station to Trunk Line LNG is between seven
and seven and a half hours and around an hour
less to Cameron LNG.
“Oftentimes the US Coast Guard will perform
an Offshore Security Boarding procedure and
most LNG vessels (though depending what port
they have sailed from) are required to go
through this before being permitted to proceed
to the terminal. And Offshore Security Boarding
only operates during daylight hours.
“Upon clearance the vessel will commence
the transit with the USCG restricting all other
movements in port. Vessels have to maintain a
three mile safety zone behind any LNG carrier
going into or out of the Trunk Line and Cameron
LNG Terminals. If a vessel requires a Certificate of
Compliance inspection, a Coast Guard
requirement for all tank vessels, then the USCG
will conduct this boarding at the dock during
daylight hours only. During this period the vessel
in permitted to connect one vapour line only to
help control the LNG Vapour. Once the CoC has
been completed the Coast Guard will advise all
parties the vessel is cleared for discharging.”
(Photo courtesy of Trunkline)
An LNG tanker at the Trunkline LNG Lake Charles Terminal
18
Local Expertise: LNG Port Operations l ISS REPORTER
MARCH 2012
In certain cases determined by the vessel
owner/operator, LNG vessels must have escort
tugs for the inbound transit day or night. Each
terminal has contracted tugs that they utilize for
docking and undocking and standing by the
vessel during cargo operations. Vessels calling
Cameron LNG must have dedicated tugs for the
entire duration of the vessel’s port stay while
alongside, as well as assisting vessels passing by
the facility.
Each terminal has different requirements for
delivery of bunkers. At Cameron LNG, bunkers
are permitted on a case by case basis. If
permitted the bunker barge is required to be
alongside and the bunker hose connected
before cargo arms or cargo operations can
commence. Only after completing bunkering
will the terminal commence to start cargo
operations. At the Trunk Line Terminal no
bunker barges are permitted alongside at any
time. This creates a dilemma for vessels coming
in on long transits that are in need of fuel to
undertake their next voyage.
Both terminals allow stores, provisions and
spare parts to be delivered, however only via
launch which must arrive and depart the vessel
prior to the cargo arms and cargo operations
commencing.
Normal discharging time for an LNG vessel
at any berth is between 18-24 hours.
“The agent’s role on an LNG vessel is unique
to this type of ship,” says Pippin, “particularly
when it comes to the additional requirements
and regulations for the US Coast Guard and
towage.”
As there are multiple players involved, the
role of a Marine Coordination Agent was
conceived following discussion with various
companies and instigated by ISS. The main
purpose of the MCA is to coordinate the towage
operation, including the accounting and other
information regarding the towage contract;
acting as a go-between with the LNG partners
and the towage contractor. The MCA also
coordinates Marine Working Group meetings
between the various parties where port
operations are discussed including towage,
pilotage, government regulations and more. In
essence the MCA role serves as a neutral party
between all partners involved in the port call.
At ISS Mark Pippin is the MCA for the
Cameron LNG Terminal where the partners are
Sempra LNG and ENI, whilst his counterpart in
Mexico, Octavio Armas, is MCA for the Energia
Costa Azul LNG terminal in Ensenada, Baja
California. Here the partners are Sempra LNG,
BP Tangguh, Shell and Gazprom.
As an important footnote, the discovery of
shale gas in the US has prompted existing as well
as potential new facilities to be built with
liquefaction capability, radically altering the
balance of trade. Where several billion dollar
facilities have been developed over recent years
for the import of LNG based on the fear of
shortages, these are now being transformed into
export facilities with US Government approval.
This in turn has resulted in a transitional lull in
business until conversion work is completed –
still two years or more away.
Middle East & India
LNG loading operations in the Middle East are
principally centred on Abu Dhabi, Oman and
Qatar where port agency work is traditionally
handled by state or local agents. However, due
to restrictions on vessel husbandry at most of
the load terminals in the region, LNG tankers
carry out survey work and crew changes and
take on spares and supplies at Fujairah, either
when in transit to or from the loadport or while
waiting at the Fujairah anchorage which is the
major husbandry point in the Middle East for
this kind of business.
ISS handles such calls from a variety of
owners including such major operators as
Mitsui OSK Lines and BW Gas, with the ISS
launch fleet based out of Fujairah and
Khorfakkan, servicing such husbandry
requirements.
A further operation for ISS on behalf of
global clients such as Teekay LNG Partners and
Exmar, is the servicing of floating re-gasification
units operated from ports in Kuwait and
Bahrain.
And across the Arabian Sea, the Petronet regasification plant at Dahej in Gujirat, India also
places a demand upon ISS for agency services.
Japan
ISS Japan represents seven LNG projects as well
as spot calls totaling some 700 LNG port calls
annually.
ISS has a dedicated operations team based
in Tokyo handling the company’s LNG business
with each team member having specialist
knowledge of both the operational and market
workings of the trade.
ISS Japan also maintains its own port offices
at Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe with overall
management from Tokyo office where the
dedicated operators deal with over 200 local
terminal and port agents are all well schooled
in ISS’ operational procedures and standards
and working under the supervision of ISS
Japan.
All team operations managers are graduates
of the Tokyo Mercantile Marine University. And
ISS’ own port captains (or marine
superintendents) render their expertise as and
when required.
ISS Japan maintains a full database of port
information in CD and booklet form for
customers. The data is regularly updated giving
a comprehensive guide to the berths, wharves
and terminals of Japan. This includes not only
port information but also weather data and
LNG market news.
“The basic service is of course to set up the
Australia
ISS Vessel Operator, Jordan Low was
surprised to hear so much about his home
town of Aberdeen, Scotland since arriving
to take up his post in Darwin. At first glance
there doesn’t appear to be much in
common between windswept chilly old
Aberdeen and the tropical Australian city,
but it seems there are similarities. Recent
speculation about a major gas deal in
Darwin has prompted an unlikely
partnership, and Northern Territory Chief
Minster Paul Henderson believes they can
learn a lot from Europe’s Energy Capital;
and has subsequently visited Aberdeen to
meet with industry experts, and harbour
officials to discuss the parallels and
possible strategies.
On 13 January the Japanese company
Inpex along with French project partner,
Total, made its final investment decision to
secure a A$33 billion LNG project,
representing a huge boost for the port of
Darwin. As was the case in Aberdeen in the
1970s, there are plans to extend the port
infrastructure and introduce a high tech
VTS among other improvements to deal
with the resulting increase in shipping
traffic. It is hoped that the project will
eventually make Australia the world’s
largest exporter of LNG.
ship's in and out port call in the most effective
way with minimum turnaround time,” says
Tetsuro Kato, LNG/Tanker Operations Manager.
“In conjunction with local parties, we
proactively avoid delays with careful planning
before the ship’s arrival.”
Key features of the ISS service include:
5 Proactive port information with precise ship
movements and prospects advised well in
advance
5 Weekly congestion/line-up reports for all
vessels in Japanese ports
5 Close supervision of terminal port agents to
achieve quick dispatch of the vessel
5 Proactive minimising of port costs and time
in port
5 Close contacts within Japan’s shipping
industry including authorities, cargo suppliers
and importers
5 Regular LNG market news provided to LNG
customers
5 Marine superintendents available on demand
to attend any type of vessels including LNG
tankers at any port
5 ISO 9001 certification.
ISS Japan’s specialist LNG agency
experience makes it the country’s leading
handling agent for these specialised tankers, a
position it is proud to occupy.
19
ISS REPORTER l Local Expertise: Singapore
MARCH 2012
WHEN THE DISCOVERY calls at Singapore, Law Fook Wah and his
colleagues are there to cater to her every need.
As the former ISLAND PRINCESS, she was the sister ship of the old
PACIFIC PRINCESS, TV’s “Love Boat,” and even stood in for her more famous
and almost identical sibling in some episodes. Cruise Critic contributor Dan
Benedict blogged:
I love this ship. She was built during a time when vessels had graceful lines,
when staterooms were designed to fit the shape of the ship and not
manufactured in mass quantities, and it should be declared a historical
landmark. A superb refit in 2003 has retained most of its original charm, and if
you didn’t know this vessel was more than 35 years old, you'd never guess it by
its condition. They really don't make ships like this anymore, and it's a shame.
20
MARCH 2012
Local Expertise: Indonesia l ISS REPORTER
Tackling tough
transportation and
logistical challenges
General Manager for Indonesia,
Amit Bhardwaj, shows how the
company is helping firms capitalise on
Indonesia’s fast-growing coal trade by
providing marine transportation
outsourcing solutions.
COALMINING IS A fast growing industry in
Indonesia and a significant portion of this
activity focuses on the island of Kalimantan.
In 2010, coal exports totalled 291 million
tonnes, up nearly a quarter on the previous
year. Now there are plans to increase overall
coal production from around 320m tonnes
last year to 500m tonnes by 2020.
Tugs pulling large barges laden with coal are
a regular sight on the Mahakam and Barito rivers
where they pass Samarinda on the east of the
island every five minutes on their way to
offshore anchorages. A similar sight can be seen
in the southeast at Banjarmasin.
These barges carry between 6,000 to 8,000
tonnes of coal and the volumes on these rivers
are so high there is often congestion at bridges
and other river crossings, as well as tugs waiting
for access to the dredged river channels to take
coal out to loading platforms.
Such congestion is one of many transport
problems that mining companies face on
Kalimantan. Other issues such as poor
infrastructure and unclear rules and regulations,
have created a need for coalmining companies
and buyers to seek expert consultancy and advice.
ISS reinforced its presence in Indonesia in
2009 by forming a strategic alliance with SSY
Indonesia. A joint venture agency company (PT
Equator Marindo) was formed and branded as
ISS-Marindo providing best in class port agency
services across the archipelago.
Besides general agency, ISS-Marindo offers
stevedoring services including grab leasing.
With single window management and
streamlined multiple branch operations, the ISSMarindo network covers Samarinda,
Banjarmasin, Merak, Anyer, Surabaya, Balikpapan
and of course, Jakarta. To ensure quality, service
Coal transhipment operations at Adang Bay, Kalimantan
levels are continuously monitored based on
feedback from customers.
Then, in response to customer demand, ISS
established PT Marindo Indonesia in 2010
launching the only independent company in the
country focusing solely on tug, barge and transshipper outsourcing services. By consciously
steering clear of asset ownership of tugs or
barges, PT Marindo Indonesia prides itself on
offering a fair an independent service that puts its
clients’ interests at the heart of its activities. It has
quickly expanded from its headquarters in Jakarta
and now has offices in East and South Kalimantan.
PT Marindo Indonesia manages the logistics
needed for river transport, including tugs, barges
and related operational issues. Services include
day to day maintenance, supervising drydocking,
repairs and routine inspections of tugs, barges
and trans-shippers. The company also provides
monthly technical and financial reports, showing
how it has spent and saved money for its clients
and how it has performed against agreed KPIs.
With offices in Samarinda and Banjarmasin,
PT Marindo Indonesia shares best practice with
other experts in the same field around the world,
and has established itself as a trusted source of
transportation information, advice and technical
expertise for local mining companies. By taking
care of the day to day operation of coal
shipments from Kalimantan, it has enabled
principals to streamline their operations and
focus on their core business.
It is predicted that, increasingly, mining
companies will find owning their own assets,
such as tugs and barges, and then outsourcing
their operational management to logistics
experts, will be far more cost-effective than
directly employing their own staff to do the job.
PT Marindo Indonesia focuses its attention
on the challenges and opportunities faced by
the local mining and shipping industry. It firmly
believes that meeting such challenges is crucial
for the future growth and prosperity of mining in
Kalimantan and Indonesia at large.
One hundred per cent of PT Marindo
Indonesia’s business currently comes from
Kalimantan, where it has four staff based in its
two offices on the island. The company handled
3 million tonnes of coal for barging and transshipping activities in Kalimantan in 2011 and this
year it expects to carry 5 million tonnes in line
with the continued growth of the industry.
Meanwhile, ISS-Marindo managed around
3.5 million tonnes of coal last year and expects to
handle 4 million in 2012. It employs 10 people in
Kalimantan, where around 40-50 per cent of its
business is focused.
Both companies plan to expand their
operations in Central Kalimantan in the short
term and Sumatra in the medium term
Not content with just offering marine agency
and tug and barge management solutions, ISS,
along with its strategic partner, SSY and
preferred vendors, is developing further services
to provide better control over the supply chain
of a coal shipment from mine to vessel - cargo
agency solutions including quantity and quality
assurance, barge coordination and physical
testing and inspection services. Such a package
of tailor-made services will reduce the risks
inherent in cargo carriage whilst providing a
constant information flow to customers.
21
ISS REPORTER l Staff News
MARCH 2012
number of business
sectors. He holds a BSc
in Business Economics
and an MSc in Cost
Accounting and
Financial Reporting.
And putting faces to
two other senior
management names,
Gustavo Tymruk, Finance Manager, ISS
Argentina, received his South America’s
Employee of the Year, 2011 award from Regional
Operations Manager, Francisco Villagrán.
Gustavo joined the company in 2007 and has
shown dedication, creativity, pro-activity, loyalty
and a great commitment to the company with a
very wide vision of both present and future.
“Gustavo’s usual commitment and support
has been outstanding not only to ISS Argentina
but to ISS SAR as a whole,” said Jaime Otero. “The
innovative assistance provided and a very
professional job has made Gustavo an example
to others in the organization.”
Gustavo was selected from a list of
candidates proposed by each country. The other
finalists were: Ida Vargas – ISS Ecuador; Leonardo
Castex – ISS Chile; Gleidson Silva – ISS Brazil.
CEO Claus Hyldager wrote: “Just a short note
to congratulate you for your South America
“Employee of the Year” award. I understand from
Mr. Otero that you have, since you joined,
excelled in a number of key functions and clearly
demonstrated your dedication, loyalty and
desire to go the extra mile that we need in order
to ensure that our overall goals and objectives
are met. Well done.”
Two promotions have been announced at ISS
Freeport, Bahamas: Blanton Kemp becomes
Operations Manager and Alexcine Smith,
Accounts Supervisor.
Jan-Hein Dissel has joined ISS as
Chief Development Officer reporting to
the CEO. Jan-Hein was Managing Director of DA
Desk where he increased year on year
growth of the customer base by 25% whilst
reducing direct costs by 30% and increasing
profitability by 50%. Jan-Hein started his career
in financial management and has experience as
a management consultant for both Arthur
Andersen and Deloitte working across a
22
Eric Moe, General Counsel and Jesper Steenbuch,
EVP Supply Chain Solutions, both based in
Chafford Hundred HQ.
Rohit Sharma is now
carrying out the role of
Vice President - Global
Operations for
Government Services.
His role includes
oversight on global
operations and
optimising operational
service delivery. In
addition he is leading the Naval Engagement
Strategy for Government Services and is
responsible for capture and development of
business lines with the Canadian Government.
Deepak Amin, an old ISS Dubai hand,
has been made Corporate Compliance Manager
for the Middle East, India and East Africa.
“With Deepak joining,” says Bharat Khadalia,
GM, Corporate Compliance, “the operations
audit team is back to its full complement and
ready for the challenges which lie ahead,
topmost being the Group’s ISO 9001:2008
recertification process which is already
well underway.”
Richard B. Ali, CPA,
CMA, Assistant Finance
Manager, ISS Qatar, has
received his Certified
Management
Accountant
certification having
passed the rigorous
two part CMA exam.
He has also been
elected as International Management
Accountant, Doha Chapter Board Secretary of
the organizational body of CMA Certification.
Meanwhile
Prasun Pullambil,
MBA, CMA, Senior
Accountant, ISS Qatar
has also received his
CMA and has been
elected as
International
Management
Accountant (IMA)
Doha Chapter Board VP for Professional
Education.
L-R: ISS Kuwait’s Ahmed Khalif – PRO Dept., Asif Ahmed – Marine Dept., Jim Robb - General Manager,
Zachariah Cherian – Engineering Dept. and Samia Abu Shaqra – Cargo Dept. at a staff lunch and
Innovators Award get together marking Christmas and New Year with managers and supervisors
thanking the staff for their efforts. Christmas carols added to the festivity with ace guitarist Wilson Pereira
on lead.
MARCH 2012
Staff News l ISS REPORTER
ISS Ecuador have won the “Best in Class 2011” for the South America Region. L-R: (back row): Freddy Santander, Antonio Suarez, Freddy Males, Daniel Villalba,
Bolívar Ortega. (front row): Gabriela Ycaza, Luis Cores (GM), Ida Vargas, Maritza Balseca, Sandra Constante. The award states: This is a recognition by Inchcape
Shipping Services South America to those employees that have been working successfully, with high levels of excellence and commitment, in our Anchor Aweigh
Project including its Operational and Administrative processes as well as Quality Assurance during 2011. In the race for Excellence there is no finish line!
L-R: Wilson Pereira, Cargo Services Manager on guitar while Ravi and other managers sing along. It was
also an opportune time for Jim Robb to announce the nominees of the Innovators Award for the 3rd
quarter who received certificates for Exceptional Customer Services, Teamwork and New Business.
Juan Carlos Trujillo has been appointed Port
Manager of our new Venezuela office.
Cleofe Belleza has joined ISS Dubai Service
Centre as Operations Coordinator. Cleofe worked
with ISS Government Services for seven years
following 11 years with Philippines Government
departments. Cleofe is handling Global Hub
agency, assisting with all global and regional
principals.
Amran bin Hassan has been appointed
Boarding Officer with ISS Pasir Gudang, Malaysia.
23
ISS REPORTER l Corporate Social Responsibility
MARCH 2012
ISS Lighthouse Relay Voyage gathers momentum
At time of press the baton has arrived in Singapore to begin its voyage around the Asia Pacific. Over US$86,000 has been raised so far
– a terrific result and still a long way to go. Again, our thanks to ISS staff, our customers and our suppliers for their generous support.
In Bahrain Kim Ulrich presents a cheque for BD1,619 (US$4,300) to Captain
Ali Al Ghawas, Chairman of the Bahrain International Seafarer’s Society and
Bryan R. Levett, the Society’s Treasurer. Kim commented that the Society has
made tremendous efforts for the welfare of seafarers while they are in
Bahrain waters. Funds were raised through a coastal cleanup at the Al Jazaer
Beach, well supported by ISS staff, our suppliers and the ISS office (see ISS
Reporter 22 page 26).
explaining the roots of the organization, how it operates and the targeted
members of the community that it seeks to help. The cheque was handed
over to Mr Abdel Aziz by Robert Walker, General Manager of ISS Oman,
accompanied by Ajith George, Assistant General Manager.
Robert Walker, ISS GM Oman said: “It is a great privilege to be able to
contribute to our host country, Oman. We enjoyed our meeting with Mr Abdel
Aziz and the local team and will look for other ways of raising additional funds
for the charity throughout the year. Inchcape Shipping is a wonderful
community of like-minded colleagues. The Dar Al Atta’a community share our
values of determination, fellowship and a desire to make change for the better
and we are proud to have supported them today.”
Kim passes the baton to the Master of the SIDRA QATAR for safe onward
carriage to Qatar. Hassan Abdullah looks on. Our thanks to the vessel’s owner,
Qatar Fuel (Woqod Marine Services).
In Qatar, through donations of gifts, which were then auctioned off to staff,
and from donations from ISS Staff themselves, the sum of UD$3,635 was
raised for their chosen charity, the Qatar Cancer Society.
L-R (above right): Ajith George, Robert Walker and Ahmed Abdel Aziz of Dar Al
Atta’a. ISS Oman presented a cheque to Dar Al Atta’a in Muscat for US$3,338.
Dar Al Atta’a is a holistic charity which provides assistance to Omani families in
need – ranging from food parcels to health care, training, scholarships,
hospital volunteer services and a “lets read” initiative, which encompasses the
whole community.
ISS are very proud to have assisted Dar Al Atta’a with this donation, at the
suggestion of our local sponsor, Mr Shawqi Sultan. Ahmed Abdel Aziz,
Financial Controller of the Foundation spent some time with the delegation
24
In India the chosen charity was the Prerana Charitable Trust, founded in 1994.
Prerana in Sanskrit means ‘inspiration which comes from within’. This is an
initiative led by the wives of the senior management of the Shipping
Corporation of India for their philanthropic work of catering to the needs of
the underprivileged by not only providing financial help but also a healing
touch in times of their need. A cheque for INR135,880 (US$2,758) was
handed over to Mrs Pranita Hajara, President of the organisation in a
ceremony at Navi Mumbai. Pradeep Mishra of ISS India, thanked all ISS staff
and sponsors who so generously donated funds for this noble cause towards
the Prerana Charitable Trust.
MARCH 2012
Corporate Social Responsibility l ISS REPORTER
The ceremony was followed by the handing over of the baton onboard
Hapag Lloyd’s VALERIE SCHULTE. The baton was passed into the safe care of
Captain Litvinov Aleksandr to continue its journey on to Singapore.
Sailors Society
We are proud to announce that ISS teams are competing in both the
London Marathon (22 April) and the Three Peaks Challenge (15 June) to
raise money for the Sailors’ Society. Tormod Ognedal and Eddie Filus will
run the Marathon whilst Dan Whysall, Diana Vilarino and Graham
Pearson will climb the Three Peaks. Please visit Athena or contact the
participants themselves to learn how you can support this worthy cause.
L-R: Mr. Prasanna from the
Ma Foi Foundation, Ganesh
Gururajan – Head - Agility
Centre of Excellence and
ShipNet’s Marcelo Espejo. The
ShipNet family from Oslo and
Chennai came together to
raise US$2240 for two worthy
causes. The Oslo team had set
aside money from their Christmas gifts budget for the deserving children
at the Christ Faith Home at Manappakkam and to the MaFoi foundation for
its Disha scholarship Programme. The Ma Foi Foundation is a Voluntary
Organization, mainly supporting education and medical insurance for
Children. ShipNet’s donation will enable 25 children to complete one year
of their education. The cheque was handed over during the ShipNet Family
Day function.
L-R: Elizabeth Shiney, Mrs.
Vasanthi from Christ Faith
Home and Marcelo Espejo.
ShipNet’s people donated
US$1,218 to buy a Washing
Machine and an electrical
inverter for the Christ Faith
Home For Children which
helps orphan children and deprived women. They also donated clothes
and toys for the children.
In Charleston ISS delivered 1,000 hand knitted
caps to the crew of the CARNIVAL FANTASY. The
caps were donated by the International Seaman’s
Ministry and the Charleston Port & Seafarers
Society of which Gary Santos is a Board Member.
Here Cheryle Bagamaspad, Manager Staff
Administration, models a cap with Gary. Staff
Captain Eloardo Beraldo was very happy with the
gift saying that the crew would all benefit from
the gifts, particularly the deck crew during the
cold winter months.
L-R: Michael Barnes, Operations
Director for the Crisis Ministry;
Captain Francesco La Farina:
Gary Santos and CARNIVAL FANTASY
Housekeeping Manager Juny
Regalado. In a subsequent
endeavour, ISS Charleston
coordinated the donation of
27 mattresses from the CARNIVAL FANTASY to the Charleston Crisis
Ministry. ISS recommended that the mattresses, which were scheduled to
be discarded, be donated to the Crisis Ministry which operates the local
Homeless Shelter. Michael Barnes, Operations Director of the Ministry,
personally collected the mattresses and was thankful to Carnival for the
opportunity to replace the old mattresses at the Shelter. Captain Francesco
La Farina, Master of the CARNIVAL FANTASY, gladly attended the donation
to the Crisis Ministry.
29 ISS Dubai staff from
various business
streams participated in
the Dubai Marathon
10km run for the fifth
time. Antony Irungu
from Cargo Services
finished with the best
ISS time of 51’ 34”.The
event ended with a
social gathering over breakfast. The fee of US$50 per entrant was donated
by ISS to Seeing is Believing, Standard Chartered’s global initiative to
tackle avoidable blindness. It funds projects through eye care
organizations to develop eye care capacity and provide services for
communities in need.
ISS Dubai staff continue supporting the social group in Dubai by
donating blood. Every quarter more ISS members are joining this campaign.
There are as many ways to raise money for charity as the human
imagination allows. In Head Office, Name the Cuddly Toy (a bear) was
chosen as the initiative to gather funds for the Lennox Children’s Cancer
Fund. Nick Stoffell of Group Finance chose the winning name – Oscar! It is
not clear whether Nick actually received the cuddly bear or not since
there is no photographic evidence….
25
ISS REPORTER l Staff: Life on a Lighthouse
MARCH 2012
Learning hard work
and independence
Moko Hinau Island
The ISS Lighthouse Relay Voyage has
reminded us all of this iconic symbol of
safety at sea. Vicki Te Amo, formerly of
ISS-McKay in Tauranga, NZ and more
recently a Vessel Operator at ISS
Brisbane, has a closer affinity than most,
having spent her childhood living on
them in New Zealand.
VICKI SPENT HER primary years from five to
twelve on three different lighthouses – the
iconic Cape Reinga at the top of the North
Island, Moko Hinau Island in the Hauraki Gulf
(now a wildlife protected area and renamed
Burgess Island), and Centre Island in the
Foveaux Strait, one of the most dangerous
stretches of water anywhere.
Her father had been in the Navy and her
mother in the Air Force (which is why she
eventually joined the Army but that’s a whole
other story!) The Marine Department, as it was
known then, were keen on ex Naval personnel
and with six children to bring up the Lighthouse
Service was an attractive option. Vicki takes up
her story.
“Growing up on a lighthouse had its
challenges,” recalls Vicki, “but I have fond
memories of our times there. Cape Reinga is
accessible by road at the very top of the country,
and a favourite tourist destination along Ninety
Mile Beach, so supplies and schooling were not
such an issue. However Moko Hinau was
restricted to a fortnightly supply boat, and
Centre Island a fortnightly light plane drop and
six weekly boat service – so a certain amount of
self sufficiency has to be learned.
“With six children to be reared and educated,
my mother’s efforts are what spring to mind. I well
remember her making bread, baking plain but
nourishing food all on temperamental coal
ranges. A large vegetable garden, sometimes in an
inhospitable climate, was a must and our diet was
supplemented by fresh seafood. To this day I have
26
no interest in fishing; it’s hard to see it as a hobby
when it used to be compulsory, especially when
the stores plane was cancelled because of bad
weather. In addition, Mum was expected to
provide morning tea, and cater for any visiting
workmen such as the shearers who came yearly
to shear our small flock. We had milk cows, a
cranky old bull which meant calves for us to rear,
and an old cart horse called Dolly who once must
have hauled scrub and cleared land, but by the
time we got there only hauled over-active
children who had seen “National Velvet” and reenacted that ride on our long suffering champion.
“Schooling was by correspondence: three or
four weeks of work was sent at one time to
ensure you never ran out and those lessons were
meant to be spread out over a normal school
week. However our mother was a born teacher,
and fairly keen to get us out from under her feet
as she had plenty of work to do during the day
besides supervising reluctant scholars. So the
rule was, as long as the work was completed
satisfactorily, we were excused. Hence one hour
was usually sufficient to whiz through it, and the
rest of the day was spent on more exciting
things: there were rocks and trees to climb,
animals to rear, picnics and fishing expeditions,
war games (six kids means two armies) and
plenty of hiking through (pretend) jungles and
of course, swimming.
“When we did finally leave the lighthouses it
was for me to start College. Interestingly, we
were all put up a year in class from where we
should have been so the one hour homework
must have been ample education - the rest was
learning on your feet. I have fond memories of an
idyllic childhood with both parents around all
day and I cannot speak highly enough of the
lifestyle that sadly doesn’t exist now in the age of
automated lighthouses and unmanned stations.
“Living in isolation teaches you
independence and hard work; my family are
closer than most because brothers and sisters
had to be our friends too so you learn how to get
on with people and work as a team.
“These and many other experiences build
character, and, in addition to the many skills
we have to possess as ships agents, our “life
skills” brought about by our upbringing and
previous experiences enhance our more
tangible daily skills.
“In addition to knowing the meaning of hard
work and independence, my stint in the Army
taught me a few things too – pathological
punctuality for one, and an ability to prioritise
and roll with the punches! If you can learn how
to dodge an armed solider in the middle of the
night after two or three enforced sleepless
nights and 100 km of terrain to cross, you can
certainly adapt to life as an agent!
“All our ISS agents have a story to tell, and it is
surprising to find out things about your
colleagues that they think are everyday but to
you are not. This wide range of people with rich
lives and experiences are what makes Inchcape
Shipping Services what it is, so the next time you
are talking with your colleague, share your
experiences – you may be surprised.”
Noticeboard l ISS REPORTER
MARCH 2012
The peace and joy of Christmas brought together the entire Cargo Team, of
ISS Dubai for a celebration around the Christmas tree exchanging gifts with
each other in a spirit of sharing.
ISS Taiwan staff with their families enjoyed an outing to Nan-Tou, location of
the famed Sun-Moon Lake and Ali Mountain, before the retirement of
Lawrence Chen (2nd from left).
ISS Singapore folk enjoyed a
little light relief at their Aloha
themed annual dinner
dance. “We work hard and
play hard,” said Darrell Wee
(pictured here building her
lighthouse). “We had a team
building game during the
event using straws to build a
lighthouse. During that
event, Das Nair also
kickstarted the fundraising
for the ISS LRV and all were
encouraged to contribute.
An iPad was auctioned and
the highest bidder was Das!”
ISS Cambodia’s family day was held in the eastern province of Mondolkiri,
bordering with Vietnam. GM Wathna Oeurn reported the weather was
perfect and a great time was had by all.
L-R: ISS Kuwait’s soccer team Raul Carneiro, Ishaq Mohammed, Nithin Ashok
and Gafoor Chougle who participated in the Kuwait Shipping Freight
Association Soccer Fiesta with a strong performance raising their own bar
over last year. The team bagged trophies for Best Disciplined Team (what do
you expect from ISS?), Best Veteran Player, Best Goalkeeper and Best Team
Manager amongst 10 teams that participated.
Employees of ISS Kuwait and their families enjoyed a trip to the Kuwait Scientific
Center with the chance to see 10 penguins who were finding the weather in
Kuwait a bit of a surprise! The day finished with a visit to the IMAX theatre to see
a 3D movie that told of the exploits of the famous Middle Eastern explorer, Ibn
Batoutah, one of the greatest writers and explorers of the 14th century.
ISS Charleston’s Gary Santos (bottom row, third from left) was named 2011
Volunteer Coach of the Year by Mt. Pleasant’s Recreation Department.
27
Inchcape
Shipping Services
A World of Local Expertise
ISS in Guam & Saipan
With some 255 offices in 66 countries, Inchcape Shipping
Services provides a global resource delivered locally and
tailored to customers’ individual needs across the oil,
cruise, container and bulk commodity sectors as well as
serving naval, government and NGO clients.
Services include port agency, transits, offshore support and
landside logistics as well as outsourcing services
such as global hub agency and vessel supply chain
management; the latter including crew and marine spares
logistics and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.
We publish a comprehensive range of country brochures
detailing the key features and benefits of our services as
well as frequently asked questions, trade data and a
useful map. The brochures are available on request from:
[email protected]
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• Chemicals
• Motor vehicles
• Textiles
Italy
NORTH
SUDAN
9 How can bunkers be supplied in Saudi Arabia?
There are a variety of bunker options available in both Western and Eastern Region ports and anchorages.
Many terminals offer bunkers directly via pipeline, while a number of bunker operators can supply via bunker
barges. With any port call, 48 hours’ notice of bunker requirements should be sent to ISS Saudi Arabia.
We also have the capability to supply bunkers in Saudi Arabia through our partner company.
Khartoum
Other
Mecca
ARABIA
2596
As Sulayyil
Rub
ERITREA
al
Abu
Dhabi
Muscat
Kh
al
i
O
M
YEMEN
San’a’
Djibouti
Inchcape Shipping Service
s (Saudi) Company Ltd
Office No. 603, 6th Floor
Al Salam Business Center
Hail Street, Al Baghd
adia
Next to Baghdadia Top
Ten
Jeddah, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
24/7 Telephone contac
t +966 538025989
E-mail: YourISS.KSA@
iss-shipping.com
V1
Doha
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
Layla
DJIBOUTI
You will find a wealth of further information on our Saudi Arabia port
microsites at www.iss-shipping.com/microsites.aspx
BAHRAIN QATAR
Riyadh
N
SAUDI
Medina
ETHIOPIA
9 What is the Customs duty amount applicable on cargoes?
Most of the basic consumer products are duty free, e.g., sugar, rice, tea, unroasted coffee, cardamom,
barley, corn, livestock and meat (fresh or frozen). Customs duties of 20% are imposed on some imported
commodities to protect national fledgling industries. Import duty on other items is 12% ad valorem on the
c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) value. A limited number of items are subject to Customs duties calculated
on the basis of weight or capacity. However, the rates for these items are fairly low. Signatories to the
Agreement to Facilitate Trade and Exchange and to Organize Transit between the Arab League States are
granted special concessions. Imports from the Arab states with which Saudi Arabia has bilateral trade
agreements are entitled to further reductions of duty. There is no Free Trade Zone.
Microsites
RAS AL KHAFJI
JUBAIL
RAS TANURA
Al Manamah
DAMMAM
OMAN
Asmara
9 Is it permitted to transfer or store weapons in Saudi Arabia?
There is currently no permission to conduct arms and ammunition transfers for security teams boarding
or leaving merchant vessels in Saudi ports. Any arms and ammunition on board are to be declared by the
Master, along with pre-arrival information prior to calling at Saudi Arabian ports. Once declared, the Master
has to submit an undertaking stating that all arms/ammunition are sealed in the ‘gun safe locker’ and will
remain under Master’s custody until the vessel leaves Saudi waters.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, Inchcape Shipping Services accepts no liability nor makes any
representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to its completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability.
YANBU
Kuwait
The
Gulf
Haïl
Buraydah
EGYPT
JEDDAH
France
Top Commodities
• Petroleum and
petroleum products
Tabuk
Al Wajh
RABIGH
9 Does ISS service Aramco’s remote offshore terminals?
With a dedicated launch boat stationed in Ras Tanura port, ISS has a distinct advantage when handling
tankers calling at these dedicated crude oil and petroleum products terminals. Our team in Ras Tanura
efficiently handles agency nominations and coordinates with local authorities and surveyors to ensure that
tankers are attended to without delay.
UK
South Korea
KUWAIT
a
4.6%
4.4%
4.2% 4%
Other
9 Are crew changes possible? What are the visa requirements?
With the Port of Jeddah prominently located in the Red Sea, a major shipping corridor of vessels sailing
to/from North America and Europe to the Middle East and Far East, Saudi Arabia is an ideal location
for carrying out crew changes. Our longstanding relationships with the local authorities allow ISS Saudi Arabia
to minimize delays and ensure smooth crew changes. For seafarers holding a valid CDC and passport,
a transit visa is issued on arrival. For crew members not holding a valid CDC, a visa invitation letter is
processed in Saudi Arabia and followed by a formal visa application at the local embassy/consulate in the
resident country of the passport holder.
Al Jawf
An Nafud
e
Japan
I R A N
JORDAN
Sinai
S
Singapore
Germany
Baghdad
Jerusalem
d
India
China
4.9%
Tehran
IRAQ
Amman
jaz
37.4%
4.3%
US
12.8%
8.1%
6.4%
Damascus
Hi
South Korea
7.7%
10.6%
China
US
10.4%
IMPORTS
Japan
15.4%
SYR IA
Beirut
e
EXPORTS
CYPRUS
Nicosia
LEBANON
R
9 ISS Saudi Arabia staff enjoy close and cooperative
relations with the various national authorities
at all levels. We work with preferred and vetted
service providers and we actively manage our
relationships with third parties to ensure that
customers benefit fully.
9 We work closely with our colleagues across the
ISS Global Network, thus taking advantage
of the expertise we have around the world. This
teamwork translates directly into best services
for our customers.
9 As a major global agent, we offer security and peace
of mind to our customers. We are financially robust,
operate to well-defined QMS and HSSE procedures,
and have disaster recovery and business continuity
plans in place. We use the ISS in-house operational
and financial management application to support our
QMS processes.
9 We provide a 24/7 in-house service, using
state-of-the-art technology. We can attend to clients
needs at any time, including weekends, public
holidays or overnight. Our systems allow for the fast
and accurate creation of D/A accounts.
9 Through our own set of KPIs, we benchmark
response times to client enquiries, pro-forma
estimates, D/A turnaround times, etc., and any
other information requested, enabling both sides to
make informed and accurate decisions. Where
appropriate, we are happy to adopt clients’ KPIs.
Saudi Arabia’s Trading Partners
12.5%
9 Can ISS handle vessels calling at any port in
Saudi Arabia, including offshore terminals?
Yes, with our own offices spread throughout the Kingdom,
we offer coverage in the Western Province and the Eastern
Province, including the offshore terminals and oil jetties.
9 What about launch/offshore services?
Launch services are available, especially catering to the offshore terminals. ISS Saudi Arabia, through its
partners, has owned marine assets positioned at various terminals and ports to assist customers with
bespoke solutions for launch and offshore projects
Key Features and Benefits
12.3%
A World of Local Expertise
FAQ Saudi Arabia
Inchcape Shipping Services has recently established its own network of 7 offices in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. This extensive investment demonstrates our commitment to our customers and the economy
of Saudi Arabia and reflects the value we place upon this important market. We have created a highly skilled
team carefully selected to provide a balance of local expertise and industry professionalism who are committed
to delivering a full range of quality-assured maritime services to our clients.
9 ISS Saudi Arabia has its own offices with
multi-stream capabilities. Our carefully positioned
network is provided to support our clients with a
market-leading range of services at all major ports in
the Western and Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia.
9 In a challenging location, our team’s ability
to navigate the local way of working, yet maintain
globally set standards, has time and again
demonstrated our operational effectiveness.
It enables faster vessel turn around resulting in
cost-savings for our customers.
9 We provide dedicated teams with exceptional
expertise in the hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon
sectors, who provide a full range of industry specific
support services to our customers.
9 Through our local partners, we provide launch
services at various terminals and ports and are
able to provide bespoke solutions for launch
and offshore projects.
9 We offer a single point of contact to every client.
This customer-focused approach ensures we deliver
cost-saving initiatives and a personalized
knowledgeable service. By communicating closely,
we can anticipate and resolve any potential
problems and risks.
9 We can arrange the clearance and transportation of
all types of goods, from the smallest fuel samples to
project heavy lifts, to destinations throughout Saudi
Arabia – whether by land or air.
Shipping Services
A
Our Value Proposition
Inchcape
Gulf of
Aden
Socotra
(Yemen)
ISS offices
© Oxford Cartographers 97231
E&OE/jp

Project Endeavour - Inchcape Shipping Services

Transcripción

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GAS Today / August 2012