Branch Office News

Swire Shipping commemorated the opening of its new Japan branch office in Tokyo on February 21,2024 with an event at The Palace Hotel in Tokyo, marking Swire Shipping’s official return to Japan with a physical presence.A highlight of the evening was the Kagami-biraki ceremony – the customary breaking open of a sake barrel – a tradition steeped in respect and appreciation. Esteemed long-serving former employees of Swire, who had served the company with dedication in the past, shared a toast of sake alongside the current Japan team onstage.

Swire Shipping announced that Westwood Shipping Lines, a niche vessel operator it acquired in June 2022, has changed its name to Swire Shipping.According to Sire, the rebrand—which took effect February 1—will help Westwood to leverage synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network to better serve customers throughout North America, Japan, South Korea and China.“The integration of Westwood Shipping Lines reflects our continued investment and expansion in the North Pacific.

Jifmar Offshore Services and Acta Marine have concluded an agreement where Jifmar will acquire all workboat activities of Acta Marine, a deal with includes all 26 workboats, the crews (200 employees), the Netherlands based organisation and all existing contracts. Acta Marine's Offshore Wind Construction Support and Walk-to-Work activities are excluded from the transaction.Acta Marine's Workboat activities will continue to operate from its Den Helder office in the Netherlands as a branch office under the Jifmar brand. This branch specializes in shallow water and near coastal marine projects.

Crewing agency Boreas Maritime, headquartered in the Netherlands, announces the opening of a new branch in Croatia. The team has been expanded with two new, dedicated team members to run the branch in Rijeka, Croatia.The branch office will be largely focused on the offshore industry, offering new employment opportunities to Croatian seafarers.Marina Frkovic, senior account manager and co-owner Boreas Maritime Croatia, and Ivan Plisic, senior account manager and co-owner Boreas Maritime Croatia, will run the new branch.

Greek ferry operator Saronic Ferries has partnered with the ship design company C-Job Naval Architects, to develop the design of the first fully-electric Ro-Pax ferry in Greece.Saronic Ferries, the largest ferry operator for the Saronic islands, plans to operate a purely emissions-free fleet by 2040 to all destinations.C-Job delivered an initial design to Saronic Ferries following an extensive sustainable fuel feasibility study.The zero-emission passenger Ro-Ro ferry has a capacity of 800 passengers. The ferry will recharge in the port of Piraeus.

Swedish battery systems for maritime electrification company Echandia announced its intention to expand in the Norwegian market through opening of a new branch office helmed Roy Storeng, who was recently hired to lead business development.Echandia is a developer of zero-emission energy solutions for heavy-duty maritime electrification, with customers in Europe, Asia and Oceania, including Cochin Shipyards, building the world's largest fleet of electric ferries in Kochi, India, and Damen in the Netherlands.

The Korean Register (KR) awarded approval in principal (AIP) to two green ammonia-fueled ships at KR’s Seoul branch office on December 15, 2021. One of the ships is a 60,000m3 ammonia-fueled ammonia carrier and the other is a 38,000m3 ammonia carrier/bunkering ship, developed by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD).The AIP is the first result from the ‘Green Ammonia Marine Transport and Bunkering Consortium’ which was launched in May 2021.

The Netherlands based ship design and engineering company C-Job Naval Architects said it will open an office in Gdansk, Poland this July.The Gdansk office will pursue new markets particularly in the Baltic and Scandinavian region, with a particular focus on functional and detail design as well as retrofits and laser scanning, the company said. The new office will be spearheaded by general manager Slawomir Graban.C-Job currently has seven offices worldwide with its headquarters on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

With the current international efforts to contain the spread of COVID19, travel restrictions are in place globally. However, ASA has determined that it is not an obstacle to have Yuichi Sonoda picked up his role as ASA newly appointed Sec-Gen with effect from May 1, 2020. This is a role he is thoroughly familiar with. As he had served as ASA Sec-Gen during the period between 2010 to 2014, he was instrumental in numerous initiatives and conferences.Involving in the work of ASA since its inception in 1992, (known then as Asian Shipowners’ Forum : ASF) Yuchi Sonoda had been tirelessly supporting and promoting ASA's vision and missions. In 1996, he was appointed as the Secretary of Shipping Economics Review Committee (SERC), one of the five Standing Committees of ASF.

Hamburg Süd is now exclusively represented by its own offices in Italy and Spain after business was previously partially handled by agents and joint-venture organizations. Furthermore, in Egypt the company has taken full management of Hamburg Süd Egypt.“We are thereby investing in the Mediterranean markets that have traditionally been of strategic importance to Hamburg Süd,” says Poul Hestbaek, General Manager of Hamburg Süd’s Region Europe. “By having owned organizations, we…

The Korean Register (KR) has appointed Hyung-chul Lee as its 24th Chairman & CEO. His term began on December 23, 2019 and runs for three years until December 22, 2022.Hyung-chul Lee joined KR in 1988 and has until now held the position of Executive Vice President of KR. He was elected as Chairman & CEO at KR’s General Assembly meeting held on December 23.Over his 30 years with KR, Hyung-chul Lee has held many senior roles, including head of Statutory Service and head of Overseas Business Development Team…

C-Job Naval Architects said that Mario Gitte has been appointed Vice President Engineering and Edward Verweij has been named Vice President Sales. Together they will be the executive management team that will run the company’s new branch office in Houston, Texas.Gitte is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas and previously served as Senior Principal Engineer in the Advisory Services Group at American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Mario is a graduate from the United States Coast Guard Academy who prior to joining ABS worked at a shipyard in south Louisiana.

C-Job Naval Architects will expand its business to the United States by opening a dedicated branch office in Houston, Texas this summer.Basjan Faber, CEO at C-Job, an independent ship design and engineering company in the Netherlands, said “At C-Job we believe clients should be closely involved in the entire ship design process as it benefits the design which is why we work in close cooperation with ship owners and shipyards.“Opening an office in Houston, Texas allows us to be…

The shipping services company GAC Denmark has opened a new branch in Kalundborg to better serve the needs of GAC’s global principals in the liquid bulk and other sectors.Kalundborg, located 100 km west of Copenhagen,  is a key location for liquid and dry bulk cargo with a perfect setup for larger projects for industry players such as Equinor, Yamal LNG and Chevron.The new Kalundborg office, following the opening of a branch office in Aarhus last year and another in Esbjerg in 2015, brings GAC Denmark’s total number of offices to four, enabling the company to meet client needs throughout the country.Sebastian Jonsson, General Manager of GAC Denmark…

The construction of the first onshore power supply plant for commer-cial vessels at the Norwegenkai Terminal in the port of Kiel has begun.Taking part in the official first-cut-of-the-spade-ceremony marking the start of the construction works at the Norwegenkai Terminal were the Economics Minister of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Dr Bernd Buchholz, Kiel’s Lord Mayor Dr Ulf Kämpfer, Port Director Dr Dirk Claus und Color Line GmbH Managing Director Dirk Hundertmark along with Lars Nürnberger, head of Kiel’s Siemens AG branch office.As of spring 2019, it will be possible to supply big cruise ferries with all the electrical power they need during the time they are berthed in Kiel.“We are taking action to make a substantial contribution to air purification”…

Kenz Figee, supplier in the design, production and maintenance of innovative lifting- and hoisting solutions for the offshore- and harbor industries, recently opened its branch office in Abu Dhabi, UAE.Together with partner NAMA development enterprises, Kenz Figee will operate from its own office in the Fotouh Al Khair Centre in Abu Dhabi. From this new office Kenz Figee will expand its presence in the Middle East region.Jan-Pieter Klaver, CEO of Kenz Figee, said: “With almost 200 years of experience in designing and building marine cranes and offshore equipment, the presence of Kenz Figee in Abu Dhabi will enable us to extend our global footprint as a specialist lifting and hoisting supplier in the Middle East region.""The office will be led by Willem Misdorp…

German wind turbine servicing company Deutsche Windtechnik AG said  it is creating a subsidiary in Taiwan where the company will service Wpd’s 640-MW Yunlin offshore wind farm upon completion.At the offshore wind farm Yunlin, Deutsche Windtechnik Co. Ltd. will be in charge of a large part of wind turbine maintenance above and below water as well as technical management.In the medium term, the newly formed Taiwan team will comprise about 25 professionals, most of whom will be Taiwanese, including service technicians, HSE managers, administration as well as the crew of the Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), which has been newly built in Taiwan.The managing directors of the Taiwanese unit will be Carl Rasmus Richardsen, Hendrik Böschen and Jens Landwehr.

Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc. (SCB), Managers of the American Club, has announced several senior appointments which have been made to enhance the capabilities of its global service teams.At the Club’s headquarters in New York, Margaret Lee has been appointed as Lead Counsel. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Lee is a New York-admitted attorney who worked in private practice before joining the Club’s management several years ago. Lee has particular expertise in occupational disease claims and, in addition to overseeing the wide – and diverse – range of legal matters which attend the operation of the Club and its Managers,…

Maritime and heavy lift ropes company, Lankhorst Ropes, has appointed Mark Pieter Frölich as commercial director for Lankhorst Ropes USA. Based in Philadelphia, Frölich will head the development of Lankhorst Ropes’ sales in the maritime and offshore markets in the United States and Canada.Lankhorst Ropes is part of Kansas based WireCo WorldGroup, a steel wire and synthetic ropes maker. Previously regional manager for Lankhorst Ropes in the Middle East, Frölich has spent the past seven years successfully founding and growing the WireCo WorldGroup branch office in Dubai.

The global network of Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCC ) is expanding with a number of branch offices and becoming an integral player in implementing International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s initial strategy on the reduction of GHG emissions from ships. This is especially true when it comes to capacity building, technical cooperation and R&D, said a press release form the United Nations agency.A 250-strong crowd attended the MTCC-Africa side-event on Capacity Building for Climate Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry (27 November), during the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.Attendees included representatives from the European Union…

China Navigation Company (CNCo), part of the Swire Group, has expanded its presence in North America by establishing a branch office in Vancouver, Canada.The opening ceremony was graced by Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade & Technology, British Columbia, who unveiled a plaque in the CNCo office located at W Hastings Street.Minister Bruce Ralston said, “The Province recognises the significant contribution that The China Navigation Company makes to the shipping industry worldwide. We look forward to this new regional North American office in Vancouver contributing to increased trade between B.C. and the Asia Pacific. A strong shipping industry will create good jobs for people and increase opportunities for B.C.

Svitzer will provide marine support services for the Excelerate Energy FSRU at Bangladesh’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal. Excelerate Energy Bangladesh Limited awarded Svitzer the 15-year contract following a competitive tender process. The contract also includes a five-year option. Bangladesh’s first LNG import terminal, located offshore Moheshkhali Island in the Bay of Bengal, will enable Petrobangla, the state owned energy company, to increase natural gas supply in the country by up to 20 percent, sufficient to support up to 3,000 MW of power generation capacity. The construction of the terminal will commence in the fourth quarter of 2017 and is anticipated to be in service by mid- 2018.

German ship manager NSB Group  has added 31 new ships under its management. In the course of the new joint venture named PT Asia Marine Temas fleet of NSB grows up to 96 vessels in total. At the same time NSB extends its business in Southeast Asia. Partner of the new joint venture is Indonesian shipping company Temasline. Headquarter of the company is located in Jakarta. Until 2020 the corporate structure of the group of companies will undertake further changes. REEDEREI NSB is extending international ship management activities under corporate brand name NSB GROUP. Thereby the company from Buxtehude takes key steps forward to establish its transformation from a national manager of KG vessels to an international ship manager and maritime service partner.