Online Chartering News

An online shipping exchange being set up by two of the world's biggest oil firms, a leading agrifood multinational and top shipbroker will transform the way traditional shipping markets work, industry experts said. The company, LevelSeas.Com, being set up by oil majors BP Amoco and Shell International Trading and Shipping with food processor and distributor Cargill and shipbroker Clarksons will potentially control 10 percent of bulk commodity movements from day one. But it aims to be a neutral platform open to all sides of the industry. "This will act as a real catalyst for change in the industry - and change for the better. Nothing else offers a seamless service to take us from the start to the end of a voyage…

An online shipping exchange being set up by two of the world's biggest oil firms, a leading agrifood multinational and top shipbroker will transform the way traditional shipping markets work, industry experts said. The company, LevelSeas.com, being set up by oil majors BP Amoco and Shell International Trading and Shipping with food processor and distributor Cargill and shipbroker Clarksons, will potentially control 10 percent of bulk commodity movements right from the beginning. The independent Internet company will provide freight management services, online chartering and freight derivatives, across the $100 billion market in the global movement of wet and dry bulk commodities by sea, the four firms said.

A U.S. oil majors' Internet tanker venture is merging with a shipping dot-com in a bid to become the first live online chartering exchange for the industry. SeaLogistics, which is backed by five oil groups, is merging with OneSea Direct, which has several major shipowner investors, to combine their efforts in web-based tanker chartering, the two companies said. SeaLogistics currently involves U.S. oil companies Texaco, Chevron, Koch Industries, L.G. Caltex and Coastal Corp. OneSea includes support from leading shipping companies such as A.P. Moeller, Bergesen, Teekay, I.M. Skaugen, OMI Corp., Osprey, Leif Hoegh, Worldwide, Acomarit, and V.Ships.

Much as has transpired in mainstream consumer markets, the dot com craze has recently enveloped the maritime world with promises of cost savings and operational efficiencies. While an attrition and natural process of consolidation can eventually be expected, the world of e-commerce solutions for the maritime market is definitely in its infancy. While it is impossible to judge the full working models in this report, the following text contains synopsis reports on some of the more noteworthy market entrants. Recently launched by Boston-based WebPark Corp., Boat-Park.com is an on-line virtual trade show, which seeks to bring together worldwide participants into its virtual trade show, which is open 24/7.

The failure rate for new ventures in cyberspace is very high, and there is no reason to believe that maritime "dot coms" will fare differently. When e-biz companies fail, the reasons often given are lack of investment ("the money ran out") or failure to find a market ("lots of hits on the site, but few buyers"). But those are not causes of failure, those are effects of failure. Most failing e-businesses fail for the same basic reasons that have sunk non-e-businesses for centuries, such as overestimation of market share, lack of differentiation from competitors and failure to manage vendors and consultants effectively. But there are two areas…

As part of a Group re-organisation, V.Ships, the world's largest provider of ship management and related marine services, has appointed Richard Hext as Chief Executive Officer of the Groups' Marine Services Division. The move follows a restructuring of the Group into two operating divisions; Ship Management and Marine Services. The newly formed Marine Services Division will oversee all activities of the Group other than ship management, including commercial management, ship agency, consulting, travel, insurance, IT and various other support activities. Roberto Giorgi continues to head up the Ship Management Division, overseeing all cargo and leisure ship management activities within the group. Mr. Hext joins V.Ships from LevelSeas, where he was Chief Executive.