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