Procurement Solutions News

Marine electrical systems provider Vard Electro Canada’s said it is setting up new operations in Houston to serve the North American maritime industry. Vard Electro US Inc. will offer the same marine electrical engineering, procurement solutions, and vessel system integration as Vard Electro, a subsidiary in the Vard Group majority-owned by shipbuilding giant Fincantieri.Andrea Qualizza, general manager for Vard Electro, said, “Vard Electro has over decades served shipyards and shipowners all over the world.

Marine software and platform companies ShipNet and ShipMate announced a strategic exclusive partnership to provide advanced workflow capabilities for crew management and payroll solutions integrated with safety management, planned maintenance services (PMS) and procurement solutions.The partnership brings close collaboration delivering workflow functionality focused on productivity, improving efficiency and streamlining crewing operations – undoubtedly one of the highest OPEX items for maritime companies.This integrated solution will not only provide maritime companies access to every dollar value spent on crew related services, but…

Al-Iraqia Shipping Services & Oil Trading (AISSOT) is shortly commencing bunkering operations at Iraqi Ports mainly at Basra, Khor Al-Zubair and Umm Qasr. AISSOT is a joint-venture company of Iraqi Oil Tankers Company (IOTC) & Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company (AMPTC) to handle plethora of activities ranging from Trading of petroleum products, Ship chartering, Oil terminals, various Marine services, and Bunkering. Iraq ports are growing exponentially as shipping hub over the years and AISSOT is confident to cater to all marine related needs of the shipping lines calling Iraq, anchorage area and nearby ports by offering them end-to-end bunkering solutions meeting international standards on quality and safety.

Marine Procurement Solutions (MPS) has built an electronic platform that aims to enhance the purchasing cycle for the maritime industry. MPS provides software, consultancy services and other customized solutions through its Direct Connect e-procurement trading platform that is designed to unite buyers, vendors and other members of the supply chain via a cloud-based interface that allows users to electronically process requests for quotations, purchase orders, confirmations and documents associated with supply management transactions.

Marine Procurement Solutions (MPS) announced the appointment of Ed Waryas III as Marketing Manager. MPS was created to offer ship owners a cost effective alternative for maritime e-Procurement. “We are pleased that Ed is joining us at this timely juncture when the market is becoming aware of our flagship product “Direct Connect”. Direct Connect enhances the full purchasing cycle” said Mike Scatina, President. Waryas III will be responsible for the marketing and sales of Marine…

OW Bunker, one of the world's leading suppliers and traders of marine fuel, announced its intention to launch new operations in the U.S. With an anticipated commencement date of May, 2012, the move will provide the company with a complete global offering for its customers. OW Bunker already has a significant presence in Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East, and has delivered sustained expansion and growth over the past five years. OW Bunker will launch its first trading operation in Houston with further plans to expand on the East and then West Coast. The U.S. office will also act as an internal purchasing center for the whole OW Bunker Group…

SeaSupplier Ltd. (SeaSupplier), the marine e-procurement subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen S.A. announced it has been chosen by Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., based Seabulk International to provide its total SeaManager e-procurement solution to Seabulk International's three global divisions: Seabulk Offshore, Seabulk Tankers, and Seabulk Towing . cost and time. Gerhard E. Kurz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seabulk, commented, "This is a significant step forward in our ongoing efforts to lower costs and improve service and response time to our customers. We have evaluated several e-procurement solutions to streamline our purchasing process and reduce our costs.

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.

Miami-based Marex.com, a leading marine industry B2B e-commerce company, was selected for inclusion in Forbes.com's first annual Best of the Web: B2B Guide. According to Forbes.com, editors worked with industry experts to sort through more than 1,000 B2B marketplaces. The result was a list of the most promising B2Bs based upon their strategy, execution and financial staying power. "We're very pleased to be included in this prestigious group," said David Schwedel, president and chief executive officer of Marex.com. Marex.com has developed a proprietary set of procurement solutions that together address the entire marine industry purchasing lifecycle, from planning through procurement to liquidation.

Phenomenal is perhaps the only word adequately to describe the rampage of new, integrated e-commerce solutions that have recently swamped the maritime industry. The marine market, which has a solid reputation of following rather than leading technological surges, has gone from "zero to sixty" in record time on the e-commerce front. But while the industry today has a bevy of selections from which to choose — including portals for conducting every transaction conceivable, from fixing cargos to buying bunker fuel, spare parts or a ship's stores — the critical question revolves around not which choices are available today, rather which choices will be available one year from today.

ShipServ announced that Chevron Shipping Company and Seabulk International have contracted to conduct their procurement business via ShipServ’s TradeNet trading platform. ShipServ established a foothold in North America, by adding a number of blue chip clients and breaking into new sectors such as LNG, cruise ships etc. Chevron Shipping, San Ramon, California, signed on its tanker fleet currently at 25 ships, including the, Northwest Swan, an LNG vessel operated by an affiliate of Chevron Shipping on behalf of the North West Shelf Venture Gas Project. Seabulk International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who operate one of the largest USA tanker fleets, will use TradeNet for all purchasing for their fleet of ten petroleum product and chemical tankers.

As dot-com firms that lacked a solid foundation disappeared from the landscape, the strongest are left standing amid the rubble. It is worth noting that at the height of the 'dot-com' boom and phenomenal statistics from various research groups, Gartner Group predicted that 75 percent of e-business projects would fail because of a lack of understanding of technology and poor business planning. Of the companies predominately built on smaller amounts of capital from within the industry such as Oslo, Norway-based MarineProvider — from day one there was a vested interest in not only the day-day operations of the company via its investors, but there was a mission that MarineProvider had — which was to assist companies already within the maritime community.