Lre News

From 1 January 2015, Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) will increase prices on all products and services by the OECD* global average inflation rate of 1.9%. “In order to consistently deliver quality products and dependable services throughout our global network it is necessary to cover at least a portion of the inflation costs we incur”, says VP Sales and Marketing, Thomas Smordalen. The 1.9% increase will affect list prices on all types of liferaft rental exchange (LRE) safety products and services, marine products and chemicals as well as agency services. Contracted customers will be OECD-inflation-adjusted in accordance with agreed Terms and Conditions.

Andrew Sheriff, Business Director Safety at Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) spoke to leading cruise industry representatives at the recent CLIA Leadership Forum in Miami, explaining what drives his team when it comes to continuously developing its portfolio. During his presentation “Navigating Change - Innovation on equipment and life cycle”, Sheriff offered views on innovation from a supplier’s perspective. He stated that only by creating real value through the development and implementation of new ideas would WSS…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) opened a new FRS (fire, rescue & service) Center and Safety Training Academy in Antwerp, Belgium. “The opening of new safety service training facilities around the world will play a vital role in the growth of our total safety offer,” said. Andrew Sheriff, Business Director Safety. “Centers also housing a Safety Academy, such as this one, allow us to focus on specialized training alongside the ongoing development of our safety technicians. Antwerp was seen as a key location for expansion.

Despite tight budgets and uncertain economic forecasts, demand for WSS services in Japan remains solid, the company said. Speaking after last week’s Bariship Japan event in Imabari, General Manager WSS Japan Yoshihiro Iizuka said that for ship-owners and vessel operators, a combination of increased regulation and continued pressure on budgets means that the cost of products and services is more crucial than ever. However, according to Iizuka, the company has seen steady demand for its services such as Life Raft Exchange program and Ships Agency Re-Defined.

Iino Marine Service, a ship management company in Japan, has been a customer of the Liferaft Rental and Exchange program (LRE) since 2010. Mr. Araki, Director of Iino Marine Service said, “Operating a high number of vessels on global trading patterns means that we are constantly looking for ways in which we can improve the efficiency of our operations. As WSS exhibits at this week’s Bariship 2013 event, Gen Takamatsu, Sales Manager for WSS Japan said, “For shipowners, managing the maintenance, repair and inspection of liferafts can be an expensive, unpredictable and complicated challenge. Across north-east Asia, the number of rafts being exchanged and serviced by WSS is growing quickly, with the number of exchanges increasing month on month.

With the earning of ABS global approval for its safety services and the opening of a Houston Training facility, Wilhelmsen Ships Services (WSS) passed two critical milestone’s in a quest to build and operate an efficient, technically superior maritime and offshore services juggernaut. More than a decade ago Wilhelmsen Ships Service planted the seeds for what today is growing one of the world’s premier providers of services to the maritime and offshore markets globally. The company celebrated two significant milestones in its quest…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has expanded and upgraded its premises and service station facilities in Darwin in direct response to market demand for the Life Raft Exchange (LRE) program. Geoff Brown, General Manager for the Northern Territory and South Australia said, “This new facility in Darwin will service vessels operating within the region’s growing offshore and oil and gas market ... The new premises are well placed to supply and exchange rafts in major resource ports in Australia’s North West Shelf…

Wilhelmsen Ships Services (WSS) late last month obtained global approval for its safety services from ABS (American Bureau of Shipping). The approval comes after a two year process involving the entire safety services team and covers all safety services worldwide. “Along with Radio Holland, we are now the only maritime service provider in the world with global approval from ABS, and indeed, the only service provider within the safety sector. We are immensely proud of this,” said John Sanford, Technical Sales Manager Safety for the Americas.

Lake Michigan-Huron sets all-time record for lowest monthly water level. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District through its Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office reports a preliminary new record low water level for Lake Michigan-Huron for the second month in a row. The new record low of 175.57 meters or 576.02 feet is not only the lowest January monthly average water level ever recorded, but also the lowest monthly average ever recorded for any month over the official period of record for Great Lakes water levels, which extends back to 1918. The Corps issues water level forecasts for the Great Lakes in coordination with Environment Canada…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has announced the appointment of John Sanford as Technical Sales Manager for Safety covering the Americas. Andrew Sheriff, Business Director Safety said: “Getting the right people and competence in place is critical in the changing market place today. Adding John to our team is part of our plans to further develop our safety offering across the region.” “We have seen a significant increase in sales of the LRE (Liferaft Exchange) Programme across both North and South America in the last year.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has opened a new liferaft service station in Suez, Egypt, which will service vessels transiting the Suez Canal and Egypt’s main ports. Russell Dinwoodie; General Manager WSS Egypt said: “With over 17,000 vessel transits per year in the Suez Canal, this new Liferaft Service Station is an important addition to our global network. Its’ strategic location will benefit ship operators by allowing them to utilze our full range of liferaft services whilst waiting to transit the Canal…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has reported  consistent growth and increased market awareness over the last few years for its world-leading portfolio of  Marine Products in New Zealand, according to Nigel Smith, WSS General Manager for New Zealand and Pacific Islands. Recently relocated from central city offices to a new warehouse complex, WSS New Zealand is now able to concentrate on delivering a stronger mix of marine products, as well as new initiatives such as the innovative LRE (Liferaft Exchange Program).

Liferaft Exchange concept continues to expand globally. Wilhelmsen Ships Service’s (WSS) market-leading global Liferaft Exchange Programme (LRE) is set to hit 15,000 exchanges since its launch just over two years ago and continues to expand, according to Dave Evans, WSS product marketing manager for liferafts. The LRE concept, which exchanges service-due liferafts and life-saving appliances for operational ones, allows vessel operators to take better control of costs and reduces…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has reported the rapid growth worldwide of its Liferaft Exchange Program (LRE) since the start of 2011. The maritime services provider has opened eight new liferaft servicing stations since January. These stations are a vital component of the LRE offer, providing ready-serviced liferafts to vessels that have signed up to the scheme. The liferaft rental and exchange concept (LRE) has been a great success since its launch with over 12,000 liferafts now operating but it has not been without its challenges. To enable the scheme to work effectively, WSS has strategically placed 42 service stations covering 900 ports across the globe, equipped with service and liferaft exchange stocks to meet customer demands.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) New Zealand has announced the signing of its first Liferaft Exchange Program (LRE) contract with Neptune Pacific Line. “When we introduced them to the LRE concept they were extremely interested to see how it could work for their business," says Nigel Smith, General Manager WSS New Zealand and Pacific Islands. WSS New Zealand’s first assignment for Neptune Pacific was an exchange in Shanghai, where the crew were working to a very tight schedule with little more than 24 hours to deliver the complete set of five liferafts before the vessel sailed for Australia. According to Smith, the smooth exchange was carried…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service has secured a five-year agreement with Delphin Kreuzfahrten GmbH to supply 16 liferafts to the MS Delphin cruise liner. The liferafts are being supplied to the Germany-based company as part of Wilhelmsen Ships Service’s Liferaft Exchange Programme (LRE). The LRE programme is a system of exchanging service-due liferafts on the dockside to avoid the delays of servicing. The LRE programme takes service-due liferafts off vessels and immediately replaces them with serviced ones. By avoiding a delay period where a vessel would have to wait for a liferaft to be serviced, the system both saves money and increases the operational efficiency of each single vessel. The system ensures that each vessel is always prepared for annual inspection and meets safety legislation.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service is pleased to announce that their Liferaft and Marin-Ark service station in Miami, Florida is now fully operational. It is a stand-alone station conveniently situated between the port of Miami and Port Everglades in South Florida, approximately 4 kilometers from the current Wilhelmsen Ships Service premises in Miami. The station is certified to service all Unitor branded rafts as well as Marin-Ark MES Systems, which are among the largest rafts in the world, with a life-saving capacity of 430 persons per evacuation system.