House Magazine - also distributed to customers and business relations
No. 101 December 2012
New man at the helm of Blue Water
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
New man at the helm of Blue Water
On 1 December, Kim Hedegaard Sørensen took over as Managing Director from founder Kurt Skov The dream job. This is how Kim Hedegaard Sørensen describes the position as Managing Director for Blue Water Shipping. ”I am happy and proud to become part of Blue Water, which is a fantastic company and a strong brand. One of the primary reasons why this collaboration has been formed, is the convergence between the values of Kurt Skov and myself. Together with the staff, Kurt has succeeded in building a company which is based on a strong team spirit combined with ambitions and the will to make a difference”, says Kim Hedegaard Sørensen, who looks forward to begin his work properly and to gain a thorough insight into the entire business and the many different activities. He has his 100-day plan ready, which consists of achieving an in-depth knowledge of the business areas, the organisation, the most important staff and clients. ”I do, of course, have a range of ideas for the direction in which we could develop, but I feel it is essential that I get to know the company properly, before I intro2
duce them. I would also like to stress that I have no plans to revolutionise. I must contribute to the continuous positive development which the company has experienced over the recent many years” says Kim Hedegard Sørensen, who stresses that the staff and their huge client focus and distinct entrepreneurial spirit are the most important assets and the reasons why Blue Water has a solid footing in the business. The right values Kim Hedegaard Sørensen has completed a Master of Science in Economics from Aalborg University, and has since then worked for the A.P. Moller Maersk Group for 17 years. He has gained an extremely all-round and international background in shipping and transportation due to diverse stationings in Singapore, Russia and the Philippines – until he was called upon to return home to headquarters in 2005 to take over responsibility for Maersk Line’s new strategy. In recent years, he has been employed as European Manager for logistics company Damco, and joins Blue Water from a position as CEO
for Swedish shipping line TransAtlantic. Kurt Skov feels safe in handing over the responsibility for Blue Water to Kim: ”I chose Kim because he is a skilled and experienced man with the right values, and I am certain that he is the right person to head the continuous development of the company”, says Kurt Skov, who is now chairman of Blue Water’s board. The two men will have a close co-operation, and because of this, they have tho roughly balanced their future roles, so that Kim will have the possibility to influence and contribute with his skills and knowledge in collaboration with the enormous experience and sense of business that Kurt possesses. ”Kurt will maintain his pivotal role in business development and clients, which I will naturally also focus on, but at the same time, I will focus my energy on daily ma nagement and the organisation, which is undergoing rapid transformation due to the growth, we experience – in respect of clients, offices and staff alike”, says the new Managing Director, who will assume a very extrovert role towards clients and business partners.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Huge involvement As a person, Kim is very straightforward with a direct and respectful tone. He does, of course, make demands on his colleagues, especially in terms of being a loyal team player. ”Without a doubt, I am a competitive person, who wants to win, but it has to be in a fair and decent way. I am highly committed, but I am also good at showing people trust and giving responsibility with the aim to strengthen team efforts. Privately, Kim is married to Anette, with whom he has two children: Josephine, 12 years old, and 14-year-old Frederik. The family has moved from Copenhagen to Esbjerg, the location of Blue Water Shipping’s headquarters. He spends his spare time with the family, but also finds time to go running and play football. The latter is very important to him – especially following his favourite team FC Midtjylland. The favourite team of Kurt is Esbjerg fB – a local rival of FC Midtjylland – and in this exact area, the two men have accepted a slight disagreement. In all other areas, they play for the same team – Blue Water Shipping.
Educational background:
1987 – 1993: Financial education from Aalborg University: Master of Science in Economics. 1999 – 2006 Different courses in group management and development - MBA at IMD Business School in Switzerland.
Previous employment:
2012 – 2012 Shipping company AB Transatlantic, Gothenburg: CEO. Shipping line activities. 2008 – 2012 Damco, Copenhagen: CEO Europe Region. Responsible for the development of freight forwarding, logistics and warehousing. 2005 – 2007 Maersk, Copenhagen: Senior Director, Head of Strategic Planning Unit. Responsible for the development of the strategies of the
Container Business of Maersk Line with direct report to the CEO. 2003 – 2005 Maersk Filiipinas, Inc.: Managing Director. Responsible for Maersk Sealand’s activities, warehousing, logistics and trucking. 2001 – 2003 A.P. Moller, Moscow: General Manager, Trans Siberian Express Service (TSES) Responsible for rail, trucking and freight forwarding activities. 1996 – 2001 Maersk Singapore: (1996-1998) Asia Region: Manager, Corporate Affairs (1998-2001) Asia Region: Business Development Manager - Related to shipping activities, container terminals and logistics facilities. 1994 – 1996 Maersk/A. P. Moller, Copenhagen: Financial Analyst 3
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Kurt still keeps up
After 40 years as Managing Director, Kurt Skov has stepped down – but Blue Water will still take up a large part of his time and life. Though the company founder lets go of daily management responsibilities, it is only to concentrate on the role as board chairman for Blue Water Shipping. ”I very much look forward to my new role. Large demands are made on the
management of the international company that Blue Water has become, and now, as I have passed on responsibility, I can concentrate on business development, nurture of clients and networks, and I also hope to have more time to travel and to visit our own offices and colleagues”, says Kurt Skov. He can look back on 40 years of ups and downs as well as more than 100 travel days a year, as he has personally been out to evaluate – and this way take responsibility for successes and failures alike. But he is certain that the future will have more successes than failures. ”We are at sound financial health and because of this, we have extremely good opportunities to continue our success in the years to come. If we manage to adapt and be development leaders, Blue Water will grow substantially in the years to come – in terms of earnings, sales, number of staff and offices alike”. Kurt Skov expects to have time for other things than Blue Water – including his family, which in recent years have already received fair attention, but will have an even higher priority. Kurt will also spend much time following sports, which has always been very important to him. He is also loo
king forward to have the time to use the mountain bike, sea kayak and wind surf board he received as anniversary presents. Finally, travelling with his wife Gyrithe could take up more time – preferably as a combination of pleasure and work.
The Foundation In 2007, Kurt Skov, sole owner until then, decided to transfer 75 percent of the company shares to an independent business foundation – the Blue Water Foundation – and retain 25 percent himself. The foundation purpose is to run Blue Water Shipping, and through this ownership ensure the company’s future. ”I wish for Blue Water to have a long, exciting future, and this is best done with the foundation, whose purpose it is to secure the identity, existence, workplaces and company development with headquarters in Esbjerg. Blue Water has never been for sale, and I have never considered selling regardless of price. With the transfer of share majority, and thus the control of the company to the Blue Water Foundation, I hope to have secured the ownership and future”, says Kurt Skov.
New Blue Water movie This autumn, Blue Water Shipping has launched a new presentational film, showing company services, skills and values. ”Blue Water Shipping is a very versatile transport and logistics company, which daily solves many different transport assignments for clients around the world. Sometimes, it can be difficult to present ourselves in a comprehensive way, and this is why we have decided to make a range of presentation films, which show a close-up of our daily operation”, tells Jan Hjortlund Hansen, Marketing & Communication Manager. The first film is an overall presentation film of Blue Water, focusing on the fundamental values and providing a short insight into the seven business areas. Over the coming months, several presentation films showcasing the individual business areas will be launched. ”We are an international company, and films are a universal communication platform which works really well across languages and cultures. At the same time, living pictures say much more than words. The presentation film can be viewed on Blue Water’s website www.bws.dk. 4
Find the vessel Blue Water offers a vessel tracking system, which provides the exact position of any container vessel at any given time. The system is based on AIS transmission, making it independent from shipping line data. All you need to do to use this service, is to select Track & Trace from the front page of Blue Water’s website, and type the name of the vessel, you wish to track.
You will then receive ETA, the exact location, the next destination and vessel speed. Furthermore, the search enables you to see when the vessel is expected in a named port, and also where the vessel is expected to be on any given date. The system is free to use - the only thing you need to do is to register with your email address the first time you use the system.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
”100th” anniversary in Paris
This year, Blue Water once again had the pleasure of attending the food exhibition “SIAL” in Paris with our own stand. At an informal reception, we marked the company’s 40th nniversary together with the 30th anniversary of Blue Water France and Mogens Nielsen. Clients and busi-
ness partners participated, and it was a good evening during which, to some extent, we had the opportunity to repay the hospitality our clients have shown us at different exhibitions over the years. As in previous years, we were again part of the American common stand. This is in part
Visit at M/V ”Bremen Express” in Rotterdam
The Blue Water office in Rotterdam, Holland, visited German Hapag-Lloyd’s containership M/V “Bremen Express” in November with representatives from Salud Foodgroup, and Hapag-Lloyd. After lunch at Blue Water’s office, we went to the ECT Delta Terminal in Rotterdam where the captain and officers welcomed us and gave us a tour of the
vessel - from bridge to propeller shaft – we saw it all. Especially the 70,000hp engine was impressive. The “Bremen Express” was built in 2008, has a capacity of 8,749 TEU (730 of which have reefer plugs), a length of 335 metres, 42 metres wide, and has a gross tonnage of 93,750 tons. We finished the tour with a chat and some drinks in the galley.
because of our membership of USAPEEC and also the good cooperation, we have had with them and other members. The exhibition received more than 5,900 exhibitors and over 150,000 visitors.
Reefer Market Challenges At Blue Water, we know that the future within reefer shipping is challenging, especially as specific shipping lines have suggested an increase in reefer container rates from 1 January 2013. Even though we already have confirmed information about rate increases, we may even see changes before New Year. In a dynamic market, it is important that we understand the impact of possible changes seen from our clients’ point of view. Therefore, we encourage all of our clients to contact their local Blue Water office for a dialogue about the challenges. 5
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Increased focus on project transports in Germany The Blue Water division for project transports delivers transport and logistics solutions for any types of project cargo – not only very large out-of-gauge units but all cargo types that require special solutions compared to regular groupage and standard transports. In this particular area, Blue Water has strengthened the organisation through increased efforts in the European market. This has e.g. happened through the sales office in Münich which is run by Jörn Gruner, who is servicing the German and Central European market focusing on project transports. Jörn Gruner has wide experience in international project transports and logistics, and he works closely with the rest of Blue Water on specific projects. The company’s experienced employees function as technical support and operational assistance. Project transports also sets high demands for coordination and pre-studies. Blue Water Shipping thus contributes in investigating relevant conditions thoroughly before a customer is presented with one or more solutions. Among the factors that are considered are port facilities, entrance conditions for the building site and crane capacity. In that connection, Blue Water has several specialists at its disposal: project shipping agents, shipbrokers, ship engineers, stevedore foremen with a maritime background, quality, safety and IT personnel who can establish and analyse hurdles and possibilities.
Drilling rig transport Blue Water Tbilisi was appointed freight forwarder when the oil and gas drilling company NAFTA plc signed a contract in June for drilling works for Jindal Petroleum - an Indian oil & gas company with a branch office in Tbilisi, Georgia. The contract includes transportation of the drilling rig IRI 1200 from Poland to Georgia, rig up and further drilling operations. The drilling rig arrived in Poti from Poland on 22 of October, and Blue Water transported the rig from here to the destination Krtsanisi in cooperation with our partner company GiAnti. NAFTA is a company with a noticeable and recognizable image in the surrounding environment. The company has been a member of the International Association of Drilling Contractors since 1996. 6
Succesful completion to Caspian Sea transport Over the years, Blue Water Shipping has become one of the major players within the transport of giant constructions to the Caspian Sea through the Russian river system. Blue Water has just finished a historic transport to the area. The project was a Le Tourneau S116(E) specially designed jack-up rig, which was constructed by Lamprell at the Hamriyah facility in Sharjah (UAE). The rig has been ordered by Eurasia Drilling Company, the largest independent onshore drilling company in Russia. The transport included 85,000 cbm of cargo, totaling 8,205 metric ton, of which the heaviest unit weighs 1,050 metric ton. The individual units were transported on heavy-lift vessels from Dubai to the Black
Sea for subsequent transfer to river barges and the demanding transport through the river system to the Caspian Sea. The entire transport consisted of four shipments including a transport of extra legs for the rig. “Considerable expertise in the handling of transport and logistics assignments of this type is required. Since the nineties, Blue Water Shipping has been present in the Caspian area, and our experiences and skills with these special transports are unique,” says Thomas Bek, Global Manager Oil & Gas at Blue Water Shipping. He can look back at a successful project. Blue Water Shipping is the first company in history to transport cargo with a width of 17.35 metres on the Volga-Don river system.
8,000 metres of anchor chain to Egypt In June, Blue Water transported 8,000 metres of anchor chain and eight anchors. The units were to be installed in the waters outside Abu Qir in Egypt to secure a semi-submersible rig in position while drilling for oil. Different options and solutions were discussed with the client, and the result was a charter of the very modern and sophisticated AHTS vessel (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) MV “Havila Jupiter”. The vessel collected the chain and anchors from four different loading ports in Europe, and during the operation, Blue Water had one of our own port captains on board to supervise and report back. In addition to the 48
day charter of the vessel, Blue Water was also responsible for all port calls and for ensuring a streamlined operation. The entire project was a great success, and once again proves the type of projects and assignments Blue Water can handle.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Royal visit to Rio Oil & Gas In September, Blue Water Shipping attended Rio Oil & Gas – one of the largest, global trade fairs for the oil & gas industry. Transport and logistics to the industry is a very important business area for Blue Water, and in recent years, the company has strengthened its position in the mar-
ket both globally and in Brazil, which is a fast growing market. In this country, the company is involved in several projects - including comprehensive logistics assignments for the reconstruction of FPSOs (floating production, storage and offloading vessels).
Blue Water was represented by staff from Denmark, USA and Brazil with our own stand, which was visited by the crown prince of Denmark, who was in Brazil to promote Danish business.
Thomas Bek, K C Kwok (CEO of BrasFELS and President of Keppel, Brasil) and Leo nardo Lima.
From left: Thomas Bek (Blue Water), HRH Crown Princess Mary, HRH Crown Prince Frederik and Jan Hjortlund (Blue Water).
Erwin Brockmann, Thomas Bek, Ligia Ca rosio (SBM Offshore), Leonardo Lima, Luis Ferreira (SBM Offshore) and Silvio No ronha (ASAP Ronic).
Large logistics feats in Brazil For the recent two years, Blue Water Shipping has been involved in a large logistics task in connection with the project called FPSO “Cidade De Paraty”. The client is SBM Offshore which is among the world leaders in constructing, producing, installing and operating FPSOs – floating production and storage vessels for the oil and gas sector. Blue Water has been responsible for securing the logistics supply of materials and equipment for the modification of the vessel in Singapore and Brazil. In October, Blue Water visited the shipyard BrasFELS in Angra Dos Reis to see and get a tour ofthe FPSO “Cidade De Paraty”, which was having its last mo dules mounted. The ship is expected to be finished in time for the deadline, which is March 2013. Luis Ferreira from SBS in Rio gave a very fascinating and interesting tour during which we saw the almost finished result of two years’ work with different shipments. “At SBS there is satisfaction, and the project is in its crucial phase, so we have to continue delivery at the highest service level and make sure that all shipments reach the destination at the fastest and best way possible”, says Anders Maul of Blue Water Esbjerg.
“Blue Water ensures a high degree of supply security, and with our integrated IT systems, we deliver a unique service be nefiting our clients. At the same time, we have a strong set-up in Brazil with local presence and extensive expertise within the oil and gas industry”, says Anders Maul. The project covers several thousands of shipments and involves Blue Water offices in Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Singapore, Esbjerg, Rotterdam, Aberdeen and Houston. The first part of the project takes place in China, where the tank vessel goes through the first basic changes. Hereafter, the vessel is sailed to SBM’s shipyard in Brazil, where the last part of the rebuild takes place. The rebuild of “Cidade De Illhabela” is expected to be finished in 2014.
Blue Water visting BrasFELS. From left: Leonardo Lima, Danielle Montalvao, Louis Ferreira (SBM Rio), Thiago Bitiu and Anders Maul.
Another large project
For SBM Offshore, Blue Water Shipping acts as logistics supplier for another FPSO rebuild “Cidade De Illhabela”, taking place over the next two years.
”Cidade de Ilhabela” 7
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Visiting SBS Worldwide In connection with the start-up of container traffic to the US for our client Brdr. Hartmann, and fine-tuning customs procedures, Blue Water visited New York in July, during which time, we visited our agent SBS Worldwide. The visit was in New Jersey, and the participants are from left: Dean Noble of Noble Foods – one of Brdr. Hartmann’s clients, Kelly & Charles of SBS, Jesper of Brdr. Hartmann, Barbara & Lisa of SBS and Glenn Ludvigsen of Blue Water Esbjerg.
Cooperation meetings with SBS Blue Water Copenhagen has held a stra tegy- and cooperation meeting with SBS at the Danish office in Copenhagen in the end of September. At the meeting, the strategy for 2013 was discussed, and the new Nordic Route Development Manager for SBS, Martin Herholdt, was introduced. The participants are from left: Jesper Hansen & Lars Kloch of SBS, Laila S. Teilhof, Jesper Lisby & Jesper Nielsen of Blue Water and Martin Herholdt of SBS.
Client visits paid off During a stay in Israel with our Israeli agent SNY, Blue Water participated in fourteen client visits. The visit in Israel left a very positive impression of SNY and the first clients have already booked Blue Water’s services. The stay also gave an opportunity for socialising, as we and the employees from SNY competed in making the best Italian dinner at a special event. From right is Blue Water’s Jesper Hansen next to Managing Director and owner of SNY, Yossi Shemesh.
Unique concepts for the fashion industry In August, Blue Water was represented with our own stand at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, which is one of the largest and most important fashion fairs in Europe. The fair gave an obvious opportunity to present unique concepts and solutions targeted towards the fas-hion industry. “This is the first time we have had a stand here and it was a good opportunity to meet our clients and potential clients”, said Anders Olsen, Logistics Manager from Blue Water in Copenhagen. 8
Visit from Bangladesh On 20 November, the Ambassador of Bangladesh, A F M Gousal Azam Sarker, President of the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation, Syed Maahmudul Huq, and Keld Fjord Tarbensen of Nyhavn Vod & Trawl visited us. The visit was arranged by Keld Fjord with the purpose of giving the ambassador and the president of the Fish Foundation an impression of Denmark and the opportunities to expand cooperation. During their two-day visit in Esbjerg, they visited the Esbjerg Fisheries Association, TrippleNine – a factory producing fishmeal, and West Diesel. Keld Fjord owns a company in Bangladesh with 24 employees who produce equipment for the many fishing fleets in Bangladesh. According to Keld Fjord Tarbensen the visitors enjoyed their stay in Esbjerg.
From the left: Claus Bæk (Blue Water), Syed Maahmudul Huq (President of the Bangla desh Shrimp and Fish Foundation), Keld Fjord Tarbensen (Nyborg Vod & Trawl), Am bassador A F M Gousal Azam Sarker and Kenneth Falkesgaard (Blue Water).
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Cruise Agency in Copenhagen
Cruise & Marine Logistic Network local knowledge on a global scale
From 1 October 2012, Blue Water is offering cruise agency in all Danish ports - with special focus on Copenhagen, Denmark. We have hired Henrik Kristensen, who has extensive experience and knowledge of the industry from former jobs at Maersk Broker Agencies and Lemann Junior/G.A.C. In November, Henrik and Lisette Trab Munk went on a sales trip to the USA to visit existing and potential customers. Over the years, the Cruise & Marine Industry has become a specialised business area for Blue Water. We are offering port agency services and worldwide logistics through our own offices or with dedicated partners from our network; Cruise & Marine Logistic Network, which we own together with Priano Marchelli from Italy. For further information about Cruise Agency Copenhagen or Marine Logistics, please contact: Port Agency Manager Copenhagen, Henrik Kristensen hkr@bws.dk - www.marinelogisticnetwork.com Tel: +45-7913 5080 Business Development Manager, Lisette Trab Munk ltr@bws.dk - www.marinelogisticnetwork.com Tel: +45-7913 4196
Courtesy of CMP
National festival
Fast and smooth Smyril Blue Water hosted an open house and the many visitors had a chance to talk business and taste a selection of Faroese specialities. The arrangement was to celebrate the Faroe Islands’ na-
tional holiday in favour of Saint Olav, which is celebrated every year on 28 and 29 July in the capital Torshavn with concerts, shows, singing and regatta.
Blue Water reunites seal family in Aberdeen Two harbour seals named Leif and Nelly were transported by Blue Water from the Fisheries and Maritime Museum in Esbjerg to St. Andrews Aquarium northeast of Edinburgh, Scotland, in September. Blue Water also transported a seal last
year, and that particular seal is the son of Nelly and brother of Leif, so now the family is reunited. From time to time, Blue Water transports various ‘special effects’ for the museum such as whale bones, oysters – and of course seals.
“An upgrade of Trailerkajen (quay for trailers) means fast and smooth loading/unloading operations”, explains Bent Rasmussen from Blue Water Hirtshals. “In addition to the expansion, an area has now been allocated for trailers which means that we can gather all trailers to/ from the Faroe Islands and Iceland on the same quay area by the ro/ro ferry berth”, says Bent. An increase in traffic to the port and a wish from the port management to attract ships sailing in Northern Europe is the reason for the investment in the port. The upgrade provides space for 150 trailers and 4,500 metres of free space for lorries, cars and motor homes. 9
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Clients rushed to the a Blue Water Shipping celebrated its 40th anniversary on 1 September – so did Kurt Skov, who founded the company in humble quarters in Esbjerg Airport back in 1972. On 31 August, the anniversary was cele-
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brated with clients and business partners at the company’s headquarter in Esbjerg with around 2,000 Danish and foreign guests taking part in the reception, which also marked the official opening of Blue Water’s new 10,000 m2 headquarters.
“I knew there would be many people, but actually I did not wonder so much about it in the time up to the celebration. However, it means a lot to me that so many people wanted to come and say hello, and it sure has taken time to read all the
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
anniversary reception gree ting cards because there were so many of them”, says Kurt Skov. He also pointed out that much has happened during the company’s forty years of existence. The company has grown from three persons in one office to more than a thousand in 56 locations in 26 countries.
“As our foundation is living people, Blue Water must be an attractive workplace – and that is an ongoing process. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by a professional board of managers, skilled executives and employees. Many have been here for a number of years”.
“I would like to thank my colleagues as well as clients and business relations for the support that has made it possible to build Blue Water to where we are today”, Kurt Skov finished. See more pictures on our website: www.bws.dk
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Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
The whole world met at a party
In Esbjerg, Blue Water Shipping celebra ted its 40th year anniversary with a grand party for which the 1,000 employees from the offices worldwide were invited. Around 800 employees participated in the celebration. It was quite a special experience for all participants, as it was the first time in the company’s history that all Blue Water employees met at the same place. It was clear to for everybody that Blue Water has grown into a significant international company, and that Blue Water indeed is a very significant company in the Port of
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Esbjerg where it all began 40 years ago. On a daily basis, there is a close cooperation between the employees at the 56 global Blue Water offices, and the party, which was held at the local football stadium, called Blue Water Arena, added another dimension to the unique team spirit of the company. The music video with the new Blue Water song was shown on the big screen at the stadium’s big screen before fireworks marked the ending of the party. “It was a very special experience, and when we all stood together and enjoyed
the song and the fireworks. After a great party, it became even clearer to me that we have built a fantastic company together. Then I became even happier about the decision to bring all colleagues together for this great party”, said Kurt Skov. In addition the party, arrangements had been made for all visitors to attend gui ded tours of the headquarters, Esbjerg harbour and several other interesting sights, enabling everyone to gain as much as possible from the visit.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
The Spirit of Blue Water Where the wind is blowing and tide is growing once upon a time in the West was a man with a vision to beat competition by simply being the best. So he built a lighthouse in the darkness shining bright as a leading star over land and air and road and sea to show us who we are:
As part of the celebrations, a Blue Water song ”The Spirit of Blue Water” had been especially made, and was recorded by the employees on Saturday afternoon at Blue Water’s headquarters. See also www.bws. dk. The song was born with the assistance of Torben Eskildsen/Teamsinging and Christian Dahlberg/Dahlberg Music – who have composed the music and written the lyrics to the song, which is about the company’s history and values. The song has been produced in close cooperation with several Blue Water employees. Technical procedures and video production was handled by Mango Chutney Pictures and Clear Production in co-operation with Danish Television.
That’s the spirit of Blue Water we can conquer the world together We cross any border we’re all for one and one for all. We can reach our goals, it’s not a dream ‘cause we’re playing as a team: That’s the spirit of Blue Water We know we’re just the best!
That’s the spirit of Blue Water we can conquer the world together. We cross any border we’re all for one and one for all. We can reach our goals, it’s not a dream ‘cause we’re playing as a team: That’s the spirit of Blue Water. We know we’re just The Best in Town in ev’ry town we work and we have fun. The course is set, the world is ours the future’s just begun Ev’ry son and daughter of Blue Water North and South and East and West by land and air and road and sea our customers know we’re the best: That’s the spirit:
Now the business is growing with customers knowing that the colour of service is blue. We’re a team with a mission to beat competition creating solutions for you. We have built a world of competence founded on trust and excellence. No challenge is too big or small of course we can carry them all:
That’s the spirit of Blue Water we can conquer the world together. We cross any border we’re all for one and one for all. We can reach our goals, it’s not a dream ‘cause we’re playing as a team: That’s the spirit of Blue Water. We know we’re just the best!
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Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Good development for Wind Logistics Wind Logistics is one of Blue Water Shipping’s major business areas, and the overall strategy is to follow and participate in the business development – and to focus on developing regions, enabling us to provide the best service and quality. This has e.g. resulted in Blue Water opening an office focusing on wind logistics in Hamburg, but is far from the only activity this autumn. In November, an internal development and strategy meeting was held in Manchester with Mogens Nielsen and Marianne Giraldin representing France, Michael Rud from Germany, Rob Ballance from England, Mark and Michael Ewings from Northern Ireland and finally, from Denmark, Jacob Kjærgaard and Niels Tolstrup, Director for Wind Logistics. The close internal cooperation in Blue Water Wind Logistics is essential to the conti nuous development and growth in a growing business. ”The offshore wind sector is in an exciting development, and many new initiatives from clients and subcontractors alike make the industry and processes more efficient, which is why the offshore sector is rapidly moving forward in these years. Blue Water has a strong position, as we continuously develop our products and services, and at the same time have substantial, internal
The offshore wind-team of Blue Water gathered in Manchester. skills for all parts of the transport and logistics phase”, says Jacob Kjærgaard, Head of Offshore Wind Europe. Within the offshore sector, Blue Water is represented by our own offices in Denmark, France, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Germany. The Blue Water Ewings office in Belfast is operational and ready to provide service to contractors and operators for the upcoming projects, which are to be erected outside Belfast in the Irish Sea. In England, expectations to the cooperation with Blue Water Danbrit are high in respect of wind farms in the British sec-
Belfast to became major player In Oktober, Niels Tolstrup and Jacob Kjærgaard from Blue Water Esbjerg vi sited the Blue Water Ewings office. The visit was an obvious opportunity to see the new terminal and quay “D1” which has been constructed for handling and storing of offshore foundations and turbines. The area has great access to the Irish Sea and there is both confidence towards, and an expectation of Belfast becoming an important player within the planned offshore wind projects in the Irish Sea in the future, including West of Duddon Sands, where 108 turbines are to be installed to ensure energy for more than 300,000 households.
China Wind Power 2012 Blue Water participated with an own stand at the China Wind Power Conference and Exhibition in Beijing. Seen here are Carol Liu (BWS Shanghai), Jason Goh (BWS Asia Pacific), Alice Sun Nicolaisen (BWS Singapore), Roy Zhai (BWS Shanghai).
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tor – especially the UK Round 3 Offshore programme. The French market is still developing, and Blue Water has strengthened our set-up and focus in this growing market. ”We have and are involved in many projects – e.g. load-outs from Esbjerg to London Array and Lincs, and in respect of the Anholt project, we act as one-pointof-contact to all suppliers and operators throughour Grenaa office. We have a positive outlook on the future, as we experience that our services and products create value for our clients”, says Jacob Kjærgaard
The world’s biggest wind exhibition Blue Water Shipping attended Husum Wind with an own stand as part of the Danish Pavilion, which was visited by HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark. Husum Wind is traditionally a very good exhibition attracting companies from all over the world for network and business, and this year was no exception. ”We had a fantastic week, during which we met and spoke with many existing and future clients and business partners. The number of visitors and participants shows that the industry is growing. We did introduce new services and initiatives for the market, and they were welcomed by the many visitors at our stand”, says Head of Offshore Wind Europe Jacob Kjærgaard.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
New activity for offshore wind The number of offshore wind farms will expand in the years to come, and Blue Water is ready with a new service for the wind industry: the transport of foundations for offshore wind turbines. “Transportation of foundations fits well with our current portfolio of products and services for the wind turbine industry, to which we supply transport and logistics solutions worldwide. Additionally, Blue Water Shipping has extensive experience with large project transports to other industries, an experience which we can utilize when transporting the large foundations, which require specialised know ledge,” says Brian Sørensen, Business Development and Sales Manager for the new product Brian Sørensen has developed a large network and great insight in the industry
over the previous decade. “We can supply project management which contributes to optimising the entire transport flow for our clients. We have developed on our current solutions, so they can be adapted to the needs and requirements of individual clients, and our solutions are based on our large technical and in-house competencies as well as our long-standing participation in global wind turbine and project transports.” Blue Water Shipping will provide transport of foundations to the entire world, but the primary focus area is Europe, where the company is currently involved in the installation of several wind turbine farms. The operational set-up consists of a close relationship between Blue Water’s departments for Wind Logistics and Oil, Gas & Industrial Projects.
New office in Hamburg In September, Blue Water established a sales and representative office in Hamburg, Germany. The major activity is transport and logistics to the wind industry. “Hamburg is becoming the wind capital. An increasing number of manufacturers and suppliers to the wind industry are establishing offices in Hamburg, where more and more decisions will be made and contracts entered into - including transport contracts. It is therefore important that Blue Water is present here and ready to service existing as well as new clients in the best way possible”, says Kurt Skov, Chairman and founder of Blue Water Shipping.
The Hamburg office is managed by one of Blue Water’s experienced specialists – Michael Rud. Michael has strong competences and wide experience in wind turbine transport and logistics, which were his main responsibilities while he was working at the headquarters in Es bjerg and also during his recent statio ning in the USA. He has therefore gained a solid and comprehensive knowledge of the wind industry and related industries, and will be able to provide high quality services and consultancy. Together with Blue Water’s global wind set-up, Michael Rud will contribute to strengthening and enhancing Blue Water’s position from his base in Hamburg.
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Blue Water åbnede i september nyt salgsog repræsentationskontor i Hamburg med fokus på transport og logistik inden for vindmølleindustrien. ”Hamburg udvikler sig til at blive en meget vigtig lokation for vindmølleinHave you remembered to sign up for dustrien. Flere og flere producenter og Blue Water’s newsletters? leverandører til vindmølleindustrien har Find the registration-link on the website kontorer i Hamburg, hvor der i fremtiden for: vil blive indgået mange kontrakter og af• Global Newsletter - with news about taler for branchen – også transportkonour international activities and a setrakter. Derfor ønsker Blue Water at være lection of stories from our business til stede også i Hamburg for at kunne areas. servicere nuværende og nye kunder på den bedste måde”, siger Kurt Skov, be• General Cargo Newsletter – with styrelsesformand og grundlægger af Blue news from our scheduled services Water by Shipping. road, sea, air and rail. We focus on current market conditions in Europe, legislative changes, new initiatives, driving restrictions, news and activities.
Kontoret i Hamburg styres af en erfaren Blue Water-specialist - Michael Rud. Han har omfattende kompetencer og erfaring inden for vindmølletransport og -logistik, som han har arbejdet med på hovedkontoret i Esbjerg samt de seneste år gennem udstationering i USA. Han har derfor et solidt og bredt kendskab til vindmølleindustrien og relaterede brancher, og vil være i stand til at levere service og rådgivning af høj kvalitet. Michael Rud skal således, i samarbejde med Blue Waters globale vindmøllesetup, medvirke til at styrke og udbygge firmaets position med udgangspunkt i Hamburg.
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Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Agent for the world’s largest installation vessel Blue Water is pleased to be acting as agent for the world’s largest wind turbine installation vessel ”Pacific Orca”, which is undergoing minor adjustments at Lindoe Industrial Park before duty calls. Blue Water Lindoe is responsible for coordination with the port authorities as well as with the customs authorities, transport of the ship’s crew in connection with medical attention and various other practical business while the new vessel is being prepared for its first job in the North Sea. This involves transport of a Norwegian drilling rig cut into smaller parts, for reuse at a steelwork. The Danish shipping line, Swire Blue Ocean, has built the ”Pacific Orca” for installation of wind turbines etc. The vessel’s giant crane has a lifting capacity of 1,200 tons in one jib and a radius of 30 metres. The large deck can carry 12 x 3.6 MW wind turbines.
DONG Energy contract extended by 3 years Blue Water has won the bid for a threeyear stevedoring contract in connection with DONG Energy’s offshore base in Es bjerg. The contract is an extension of an existing contract, and it runs until September 2115, at which time DONG Energy has a two-year extension option. The assignment will be exciting, as DONG Energy is about to begin development programs in the North Sea. In the spring of 2012, the assignment was extended to include handling the operations of the Hess Corporation as these activities are assembled with DONG in Esbjerg. This means an even larger quantity of cargo, more ship’s operations and thus more work, which we are looking forward to.
CEO Lars Blicher and Manager Johnny Lykke from Swire Ocean Blue, the owner of ”Pacific Orca”
Crane barge dry-docked Blue Water was in charge of lifting and logistic services when the huge crane barge ”Pelicano I” dry-docked in Brazil. The month-long operation took place at Inhauma Shipyard in Rio de Janeiro, and Blue Water was involved in area preparation, positioning of keel blocks and all lifts during the maintenance period.
Impressive special vessel
Subsea7 Norway & Scotland have called into port with the impressive special vessel “Skandi Acergy” in order to mobilize at Semco, and load various offshore equipment for a large project carried out at the Ekofisk installations in the Norwegian part of the North Sea. We acted as agent for the ship and chartered a barge and a tugboat. The photo shows the equipment being loaded from the barge on to “Skandi Acergy”. 16
Container art in Brest One morning in August, the Blue Water employees from Brest were met with a spectacular sight, and a new way of storing containers, on their way to the office. The giant container man seen on the photo was part of the annual festival ”Les jeudi du port” which has been held for more than 20 years. The festival includes free concerts and has never before had anything to do with the shipping industry – until now. All employees had fun counting the number of 20’ and 40’ containers, and betted to see how long time the containers would remain standing. Luckily, the container man stood up for the whole festival in front of more than 10,000 visitors.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Global development for an international company
mon mindset and practical framework for environment and safety-related work in a multicultural company with several local systems. Therefore, the new employees in HSSE & Quality have great international experience, and are not afraid of challenges and hard work to achieve the goals.
Near miss reports resulted in new safety procedures
There are many challenges ahead for Blue Water Shipping’s HSSE & Quality department. From left: Dorte Mundt Andersen, Kenneth Lykke Lauritsen, Heidi Berntsen, Susanne Veie Svenningsen and Kim Beyer Pedersen. Within a short period of time, Blue Water’s HSSE & Quality department has grown from two to five employees. There are many tasks to be solved as the department is working to achieve defined goals. “Basically our focus is on Blue Water’s global activities to create a common framework for how we do business. We want to renew ourselves and expand our certificates within quality, environment, safety and corporate social responsibility”, says Dorte Mundt Andersen who is head of Group Quality & HSSE. At the same time, the department focuses both on what Dorte calls “best practices”, and good health and safety for all employees and partners. “Not all offices have the same needs, so it is an interesting challenge, but we have to make sure that all initiatives, we imple-
ment work in practice”, says Dorte. According to Dorte, it is important that Blue Water can add changes to the way knowledge and experiences are shared internally in order to create ongoing success.“There might be good solutions in one of our offices which we haven’t fully benefitted from globally – as our exchange of experience is not good enough yet. That has to improve, so we remain competitive and can continue the good development of the company”. The department also follows the development in the market, to be able to handle the clients’ expectations of very high standards in all quality, environment and safety issues. “This is one of the reasons why we are working on achieving the OHSAS 18001 certification in the near future.” It is a big challenge to incorporate a com-
Good activity with installation vessels Blue Water Agency has had the pleasure of acting as agent for A2SEA’s “Sea Worker” which arrived in the Port of Esbjerg on 5 November to be mobilised for its next assignment: installation of wind turbines at Anholt Offshore Wind Farm, which will become Denmark’s largest wind farm with its 111 x 3.6 Siemens wind turbines. On 19 November, “Sea Worker” sailed to Grenaa where Blue Water is also acting as agent. As the two tugboats “Sea Bravo” and “Sea Echo” assisted the “Sea Worker” at arrival and departure, we also had the pleasure of those two boats, and at the same time, we are agents for “Sea Energy” in Esbjerg. A2SEA’s newly built “Sea Installer” will call at the Port of Esbjerg around 5 December. The ship is to transport two 6MW Siemens test turbines
A recent near miss incident in Nyborg, Denmark has resulted in new safety procedures being implemented by one of our large clients. On four out of nine port operations Blue Water’s port crew experienced loose bolts on the lifting lugs/lifting points. The loose bolts were discovered by our staff before lifting the racks, the client was informed, and the necessary steps were taken to improve operational safety. Based on action taken by Blue Water’s Port Service crew, our client has now implemented a new safety procedure, ensuring that lifting lugs/lifting points are tested prior to delivery in the future.
Potatoes from Esbjerg
to be installed at Gunfleet Sands. Hereafter the “Sea Installer” will be part of the project where A2SEA will have four vessels working with installation.
Foto: A2SEA
The potato season in the port of Esbjerg has started and Blue Water has arranged the loading of Seatrade’s M/V ”Nova Bretagne”. Our client, Danespo in Give, who is in charge of the export of seed potatoes to several North African countries, expects a volume of app. 18,000 tons distributed on seven shipments. 17
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
The fastest Blue Water employee On a sunny day in September, the “traditional” go-cart championship for Blue Water was held at the go-cart arena at Vandel in Jutland. The winner was Michael Holme from Esbjerg who finished first after an exhausting battle. Arnt Jensen from Esbjerg and Eddie Pedersen from Kolding came in second and third. The championship is a contest held between the offices in Herning, Billund, Kolding, Padborg and Esbjerg, and the contestants are already looking forward to next year’s competition.
Golf team finally won the trophy Seven years without a trophy has come to an end for Blue Water’s golf team. In keeping with tradition, they participated in the yearly golf tournament in August arranged by the ice hockey team “Herning Blue Fox”, and this time they got what they came for. After a good day with sporting teamwork and time together, the team triumphed as they won the tournament by two points.
The best golfers in Blue Water The Blue Water golf championship took place at Fredericia Golf Club in September with 30 employees who fought against each other to put the ball in the hole with the fewest strokes. The group for experienced golfers was won by the apparently unbeatable Arne Iversen. The competition for not taking last place was, however, hard. Robert Høegh won the group for beginners, and after the championship, there was dinner and an award ceremony. The tournament is already planned to be held next year on 15 September – further information about this will follow.
The golf team from the left: Mogens Møller (Blue Water Herning) John Lau ridsen (Blue Water Esbjerg) Per Madsen (tidligere Blue Water Aarhus) and Ronald Hansen (Blue Water Odense).
Strategy seminar in Aarhus On Saturday 27 October, all the Mana gers in the Danish sea and air group gathered at a seminar in Aarhus, Denmark. All twenty employees started the day with two presentations about Blue Water’s future with the headline “Where are we now – and where are we hea ding”?. After the presentations, all participants had the chance to discuss strategy and work in groups on the future strategy for the sea and air group, before the day ended with dinner and a few hours of social time together.
Bike sponsorship renewed Blue Water Shipping is main sponsor for Blue Water Cycling, a Danish continental cycling team with a number of young talents and with the goal to develop future Danish cycling stars to become part of the top of international cycling. With the renewal of the sponsorship, Blue Water remains name sponsor. “We fit together in the way we brand ourselves. Both Blue Water Shipping and Blue Water Cycling focus on unity and on developing talents. There is no doubt that we will get exposure in exchange for lending our name to the team. Mostly in 18
the national press, but following Lasse Norman Hansen’s Olympic Gold medal, our international colleagues have also noticed the team”, says Carsten Steffensen, Director in Blue Water Shipping with responsibility for Reefer Road. Naturally, Blue Water Cycling is enthusiastic with the continuing support. “We are really pleased that a large corporation like Blue Water Shipping wants to sponsor our cycling team and enter into an agreement, which we will all hopefully benefit from”.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Jubilees 30 years On 1.2.13, Hans Poiesz, General Manager of Blue Water Shipping Holland, will be celebrating his 30th anniversary. Starting his career as freight forwarder in Rotterdam, in the French department of Damco van Swieten, and ready for a new challenge, he was hired by Kurt Skov and joined the team of 4 other people at that time at Sluisjesdijk in Rotterdam. Over the years, Hans turned from water clerk for Lauritzen Reefers in Flushing and general freight forwarder into general manager of the office in Rotterdam (Barendrecht), nowadays employing 23 people and Amsterdam (Schiphol), 5 people. Pronoun cing Hans’ last name always gives people a headache and over the years, we have heard the funniest versions. Therefore his Dutch colleagues gave him his nickname ”Poes” (pussycat)! Hans is a big soccer and Feyenoord fan and likes to have a beer. As a father of 3 grown-up sons named Karsten, Bas and Sven (the youngest one just left the nest recently), he and his wife, Denise, are able to spend more time on travelling the past few years and enjoy holidays to ”historical” far-away destinations.
10 years On 1.1.13, Lars Rieks will be celebrating his 10th anniversary with Blue Water. Through all the years, Lars has formed part of our domestic department serving as carrier for both internal and external clients. Lars is a grown man enjoying the fact that his children have flown the nest. Unfortunately, they have flown a bit far away – Aarhus and Holland (his son Søren is playing for Nijmegen)– which makes it difficult to just drop in. Lars hopes that one day his son will sign a mega football contract so that daddy will be able to enjoy life in sunny Spain. Lars is always visible from far away, wearing his fluorescent safety vest and yellow bicycle helmet. The car belongs to Joan, the mistress of the house, so Lars uses his bike in all weathers. His standard equipment also includes a green lunch box, which has apparently followed him through his entire working life. Lars is a football enthusiast and in his spare time, he looks after his holiday home, and enjoys to be out running, but NOT together with Joan - she runs MUCH too fast. Lars is not a great dancer, but give him a few beers and he is ready. As a colleague, Lars is a thoroughly good pal – with a BIT of a temper. Lars is always ready to help a colleague, relieving him/her of a piece of cake, chocolate or a piece of candy.
On 6.1.13, Anna Byrne will be celebrating 10 years of working with Blue Water Dublin. When Anna joined the company in 2003, she worked alongside Rhona in the sea freight department for app. 6 years, before she was transferred to the Danish road freight department, where she is now the Operations Manager. Anna and her team look after the traffic between Ireland, UK, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and they have greatly increased the traffic between all destinations. Anna spends her working time between the office in Clonshaugh and our warehouse a few kilometres away, and ensures that both sections are running smoothly with the cooperation of the road freight department in Denmark. Anna is a very busy girl, always running back and forth. At home, she has two wonderful children – Leon and JamieLeigh – who keep her on her toes (as we do in the office), and they are, no doubt, with the great characteristics and style that their mother holds. Anna is a great team member and always appreciated and much respected in the office. Lindsey Flett will finally reach her 10th year of continuous service with Blue Water Aberdeen on 8.1.13. In fact, Lindsey has served more than this, as she was previously with Blue Water when the Aberdeen office was located centrally and was involved in the transportation of fish. Unfortunately, the office closed due to a drop in the fish transportation trade. However, the Aberdeen office - now involved in the oil & gas activities - re-opened near Aberdeen Airport a couple of years later, and we contacted Lindsey to tempt her back. She is a great asset to the office - and indeed to the company - and, until recently, she was dealing with all the Aberdeen accounts issues herself. We would certainly find it hard to cope without her. Lindsey has two lovely Labradors, ”Logan” and ”Rannoch”, which she walks on a daily basis with her friends by the river Dee in Aberdeen. Lindsey was also a keen horse rider, but unfortunately does not get the chance to do this so much now after undergoing surgery on her back a couple of years ago. She indulges once a week in the local ”Cloggy House” where her order can be pretty much guaranteed to be chicken fillets and chips with loads of mayo. 10 years ago (21.1.03), Peter Steffensen started working at Blue Water’s warehouse in Copenhagen. In the beginning, his daily duties mainly consisted in swee ping the floors and tidying up. Peter is quick to learn and strong despite his nickname “Pomfritten” (chips), and is an authority within his field and a dab hand at loading/unloading trailers and emptying containers. Peter is also very flexible and masters all aspects of logistics: terminal,
airfreight and courier. It is hard to find a hobby that Peter has not tried yet. When he finds a new hobby – which happens app. every other month – he only focuses on this specific thing. For the time being, he plays hard ball (he could not join the élite troops due to his allergy to grass and tough training). Peter is married to Nathja and they have a son Nicklas. On 1.2.13, Jacob Juel Christensen will be celebrating his 10th anniversary with Blue Water. Jacob has always been part of department 03 in Esbjerg – road transport to Spain, Portugal, France and Poland. Over the years, he has been involved in and arranged the full range of traffics and is therefore one of the driving forces behind the development of these traffics. In addition to looking after road traffic to Portugal and import from Spain, Jacob today performs the function of Team Manager and is very hands-on, taking care of the day-to-day operation, administrative matters etc. Furthermore, Jacob takes good care of his family living in Sønderris (suburb of Esbjerg): the two daughters, Caroline and Sofie, his wife Dorthe, and their dog Sofus. Jacob tries hard to become a runner, but feels more at home when watching EfB (Esbjerg Football Club) playing home matches at Blue Water Arena. Jacob stopped at the peak of his active spor ting career after the latest Offshore World Cup, won by Blue Water! If Jacob should ever decide to leave the freight forwarding trade, he has a great future ahead of him as a model in various hairstyles. Jacob changes hairstyle every month. Lene Steenberg/Blue Water Aarhus will be celebrating her 10th anniversary on 10.2.13. From day one, Lene has formed part of our Sweden department and she still does. Lene takes care of the accounts, estimates and checking of files – a sort of controller job. Her straightforward manner makes her respected among her colleagues – especially with the freight forwarders – which is a great advantage in her job. For many years, Lene has performed the function of superuser of our Mocha system. She shows great interest in IT and has taken part in the start-up of booking templates. Lene lives together with Ole Hermansen and her twins, Frederikke and Sofus, and is also stepmom for Ole’s two children. Lene is an old hen following her children here, there and everywhere. She loves to travel and surfs the internet frequently for package tours to exotic destinations. Lene is also called “Cola Lene”, as the day has hardly started before she buys the first coke. She also enjoys being served (breakfast for instance) at the office. Lene has for many been in the staff club committee and is an active and cheerfull girl. She is also the initiator when, in December, the staff 19
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Jubilees enjoy the Danish tradition: gløgg (a sort of Christmas punch) and æbleskiver (similar to doughnuts) in the canteen. Lene is a thoroughly committed colleague, always ready to lend a helping hand. Nikolaj Josefsen will be celebrating his 10th anniversary with Blue Water Greenland, Nuuk on 1.3.13. Nikolaj was originally engaged as a driver/warehouseman, but as early as 1.2.04, he was transferred to a job as warehouse foreman. Nikolaj runs the warehouse with a heavy hand and enjoys when things form a synthesis. Through his 10 years with Blue Water Greenland, Nikolaj has built an extensive knowledge of the clients’ needs and requirements to the benefit of the other Blue Water offices in Greenland. Nikolaj lives together with Tina and their four children. Nuunu, aged 19, Marie and Tuuperne, aged 11, and Angunnguaq, aged 2. Nikolaj spends most of the summer in the bay catching lots of lumpfish. On 5.3.13, Wesley Peters/Blue Water Rotterdam can celebrate his 10th anniversary. Wesley started in 2003 and was our first warehouse employee. We needed a warehouseman because we had moved the HAL business from Amsterdam (Schiphol) to Rotterdam (Barendrecht). In 2003, we were still in our old premises with only 450 sq.m. of warehouse. However, Wesley got very well acquainted with the HAL system, and he soon became an artist in moving the heavy 5,000 kg forklift which was too big for such a small warehouse. Furthermore, he always had to load and discharge trucks/containers outside on the
street. Through this development, Wesley has contributed his (important) share of the job. Wesley’s hobbies include bodybuilding and paintball, and he once had a passion for buying and selling second-hand mopeds and motor cycles On 17.3.03, Torben Nielsen started at Blue Water’s then existing yard (for storage of arms) in Esbjerg for NEG Micon. The first year, he moved, loaded and prepared arms from the storage place and was a good and reliable substitute at our groupage warehouse every Friday eve ning. Keeping check of the cargo and packing, stowage and placing of same are Torben’s strength. Torben has often been in control of our potatoes during the season. Last year, however, he had to stop after just one week. Something with a sack of potatoes on forks – not boiled! Torben is very persistent and stands up for his rights. Whether this is the reason why his colleagues call him mean, we do not know. Torben is not the first one to go to the bakery to buy a cake, and the last time he had to buy a new car, it took him three years. Beer is not Torben’s favourite drink, he prefers girlie drinks, but is a real good and popular colleague, whom we value highly. Torben is married and has two lovely children. Another 10th anniversary will take place on 17.3.13, namely Nino Arkania’s from Blue Water Tbilisi, Georgia. Looking back 10 years, Nino was taken on as a trainee at the Tbilisi office and in the shortest possible time took over the responsibility for supervising all transit cargoes. Her cur-
rent role as deputy general manager involves full administration and overseeing of all day-to-day activities within the unit. Nothing escapes her sharp eyes. Nino’s willingness to go above and beyond is well-known to everybody in the office. We are fortunate to benefit from her contributions on a daily basis. No doubt this duty demands much time and energy and all of her efforts are deeply appreciated. It is great to know that we can always count on her to go the extra mile when various projects require huge support and action from her side. Nino is married and has a wonderful son Andria, who is 7 years old. Henrik Andersen/terminal assistant at Blue Water Aalborg will be celebrating his 10th anniversary on 18.3.13. Henrik is extremely well-liked among his colleagues – always in a good mood, open and with a positive attitude. He is also incredibly steady and reliable. When the North of Jutland was hit by a snowstorm, Henrik walked 12 kilometres to attend his job. However, we must admit that he was a bit late that day. Henrik is a sports fanatic. He gladly spends the whole night watching Superbowl. He watches almost all televised football matches, especially when his favourite teams, Brøndby and Liverpool, are playing – and he always remembers the results of the weekend’s matches. Henrik is a regular in the tent at Hjallerup market (he always takes the whole week off) and another week goes by before he is back to normal. Henrik also enjoys tra velling with his friends to Thailand or Copenhagen. When he was a trainee, he one day received four pallets of ice, left them on the warehouse floor and forgot all about them until the ice was melting on the floor.
Celebrated Olympic Gold and silver anniversary Lasse Norman Hansen, who is a rider in Blue Water Cycling, had a great triumph by winning a gold medal at the Olympics in London. The triumph was celebrated in Aarhus, Denmark, where Lasse came to thank Blue Water for the support, and at the same time congratulate Poul Aarre who celebrated his silver anniversary. The event was held in the spirit of cycling, as the riders in the bike race named “Tour of Denmark” arrived in Aarhus the same day. Since the Olympics Lasse Norman Hansen continues to impress with his fine results: He has won two World Cup victories in track cycling where he took home the gold medal in men’s individual and team pursuit. The cherry on the cake for Lasse’s season was being awarded the title of “bike rider of the year” in Denmark. 20
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
New Employees Aalborg Karina Terttu Kidmose Nielsen, 33 years old, is employed as assistant since 20.8. Karina already knows our Aalborg office from her contact with our seafood department through her previous employments with Lundsøe Køl & Frys and Ocean Seafood A/S. 24-year-old Steffen Bjørn Andersen started as trainee in airfreight/export on 17.9.
The former furniture remover from Øbro, 57-year-old Erik Kjær Nielsen, started in job training in June and became permanently employed on 1.10. Aarhus Peder Langergaard, 54 years old, is appointed manager of our sea freight department as from 15.10. Peder has wide experience within sea freight export and import as well as personnel management. Peder comes from a job with Scan Global Logistics A/S. Esbjerg 18-year-old Frederik Fisker Jespersen started as IT support trainee on 20.9.
27-year-old Michelle Berntsen Andersen is employed as assistant in our marketing department as from 1.10. Michelle comes from a job as sales supporter at Syddanske Medier in Esbjerg. Carsten Lindegaard Iversen, 32 years old, joined our marketing team as communicator on 1.10. Carsten used to work for Per Aarsleff A/S as an editor/writer.
As from 1.10, Louise N. Rasmussen, 27 years old, is permanently employed as accounts assistant. Louise has worked with Blue Water as a temp since December 2011. Before that, she was employed with Mamorini in Holsted. Having served as a temp with Blue Water since May 2012, 27-year-old Ida Josiassen was transferred to a permanent job as finance assistant in our accounts receivable group on 1.10. Ida used to work as a financial adviser in Andelskassen, Varde. 50-year-old Kirsten Jensen forms part of our human resource team since 1.11. Kirsten’s career includes a job in the wage administration of Arovit Petfood A/S and most recently a job with Blaavand Lys. Kolding On 1.9, Heidi Malene Neumärker returned to our Kolding office after a few years with Mercuri Urval. Heidi will be taking care of the dayto-day administration in connection with our groupage services. Copenhagen 21-year-old Patrick Hermann started as trainee in road transport Europe on 1.9.
As from 1.9, 49-year-old Malene Deleuran has taken on the duty as operations manager in our deep sea department. Malene comes from a job with Scan Global Logistics. 47-year-old Gitte has joined our team as from 1.9. used to work for Gobal Logistics.
Feldt sales Gitte Scan
Another salesperson, 43-year-old Lars Warnisch, started the same day, 1.9. Lars was previously employed with TNT.
On 12.11, Rasmus Krohn Hansen, 20 years old, started as trainee in airfreight import.
Odense On 1.9, Malene Randrup, 36 years old, started working in the administration. Some of you may remember Malene from her time with Blue Water Esbjerg and Odense back in 1998-2002. Malene comes from a job as internal logistics coordinator with Andresen Towers, Nyborg. Christina Hansen, 40 years old, joined our accounts department on 1.10. Christina comes from an accounting job with contractor N C Hansen in Odense. Doha We have taken on 33year-old Prasad Sampath Ilangarathnege as sales and marketing coordinator as from 25.8. Prasad was previously employed with Reliance Freight Systems, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Helsinki Markku Kalevi Sommelo, 48 years old, is employed as freight forwarder on 10.9. Before joining Blue Water, Markku had his own company offering warehousing and domestic transport services for containers. Houston Nate Reed, 45 years old, is our new general manager in Houston since 9.10. Nate has 15 years of experience from DHL, 2 years from MSAS and most recently 4 years from CEVA Logistics in Houston. Bo Christensen, 31 years old, forms part of our operations team since 2.11. Bo was previously employed with HCS Transport in Denmark and in the recent 5 years, he has been working for DSV, Toronto and Houston. 21
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
New Employees New York As from 1.11, Ellen Hura-Balog, 49 years old, is employed in our export department. We already know Ellen from our cooperation with her through her latest job with APA Logistics, LLC. Oslo As from 3.9, Per Rune Holmøy, 44 years old, has taken up the challenge as Sales Manager. Per comes from a job with Geodis Wilson. Port Klang 32-year-old Josephine Chan Siew Yeen is our new Customer Service Manager. Josephine joined our team on 17.9 and comes from a similar job with STX Pan Ocean. As from 15.10, we have employed Jeremy Lazaroo, 28 years old, as Business Development Manager for projects. Jeremy was previously employed with logistics company GAC. Shanghai On 1.9, Andy Liu, 32 years old, joined our project team. Andy used to work for ShangHai Jun Zhen Shipping Service Co., Ltd. Torshavn Hjørdis Djurhuus Thomsen, 49 years old, started on 1.7 as assistant in our customs department. Hjørdis comes from a similar position with Posta. Eydun Midjord, 35 years old, started as warehouseman on 1.7. Eydun used to work for our haulier OCD as a driver.
On 1.9, the 25-year-old saleswoman Linda Næss Gunnarsson started in our import department. Linda comes from a job with DSV. 22
Ari Jogvansson Olsen, 19 years old, started on 1.9 in our airfreight department. Before joining Blue Water, Ari completed his Higher Preparatory Examination Course. 23-year-old Bogi Lydersen forms part of our export department since 17.9. Bogi’s latest employment was with Eik Bankin.
Staff redeployment On 1.1.13, Jesper Stampe from our Herning office will be transferred to Blue Water Oslo, where he will join the airfreight team. On 1.1.13, Christian Rode Hansen from the deep sea department in Esbjerg will move to Australia to start up Blue Water’s new office in Sydney.
Teambuilding strengthens teamwork
In October, staff from Terminal, Stevedore, O&E, Agency and Wind participated in a teambuilding trip to Oksbøllejren – a training area for the Danish Army – to strengthen the teamwork between the departments. In spite of just four degrees Celsius, the weather was fine with clear skies, and we experienced a windless day, which is quite unusual on the Danish west coast. During the day, we tried an obstacle course, axe throwing, wall climbing and various exercises that called for the participants to cooperate. The limits were tested, for instance when climbing up a 22-metre tall tree and finishing with every participant standing on a platform and stretching out their arms – what a view from 22 metres.
The same day – 1.1.13 – Kenneth Falkesgaard Hansen will, together with his family, move to Sydney for a six-month period to help starting up the office. Kenneth is part of our deep sea team in Esbjerg. Mathias Sidenius has from July until October performed the function of substitute in our airfreight department in Nuuk, Greenland. Mathias has now returned to his former job in the Greenland department, air/ sea, in Copenhagen. Kasper Junge, who is stationed in Nuuk, Greenland, has from July until October been assisting with the Polarcus project in Upernavik. Kasper is now back in Nuuk.
Retirement André Le Garrec/Blue Water Brest retired on 31.7 after six years of employment with Blue Water. We thank André for his efforts and wish him a long and happy retirement.
Knowledge-sharing between the sales staff On 25 October, the Danish sales staff gathered for the last time in 2012. The sales meetings are held to ensure that the sales staff is constantly updated in regards to what Blue Water offers, and the meetings are used as a forum for internal specialists to contribute, and discuss effective marketing and much more. Furthermore, the meetings give the newly arrived salespersons an opportunity to meet the existing sales personnel. The last sales meeting of the year was held at the Copenhagen office which had sponsored an impressive cake for the occasion.
Blue Water News | No. 101 | December 2012
Birthdays January Morten Plauborg Sørensen, Aarhus – 30 years old Nikolaj Josefsen, Nuuk – 40 years old Anthony Vernon, Odense – 30 years old Pauli Hansen, Torshavn – 40 years old Ann-Lis Rosenbæk, Esbjerg – 50 years old
5.1. 17.1. 18.1. 19.1. 27.1.
February Arnbjørn Madsen, Torshavn – 60 years old Jeppe Rind Stentoft, Aarhus – 30 years old Svetlana Nikolayeva, Baku – 50 years old Niels Bolding Hygom, Esbjerg – 30 years old Natalya Volkova, Aktau – 40 years old Susanne Eskildsen, Holstebro – 50 years old Lisette Trab Munk, Esbjerg – 40 years old
1.2. 5.2. 7.2. 9.2. 14.2. 24.2. 26.2.
March Marianne Høxbroe Samuel Bech, Odense – 40 years old Merete Daubjerg Roug, Odense – 40 years old Jesper Lisby, Copenhagen – 30 years old
5.3. 5.3. 7.3.
Palwasha Sahag, Oslo – 30 years old Steingrimur Sigurdsson, Reykjavik – 50 years old Carol Liu, Qingdao – 40 years old Malene Deleuran, Copenhagen – 50 years old Frodi Biskopstø Poulsen, Hirtshals – 30 years old Hjørdis Djurhuus Thomsen, Torshavn – 50 years old Jytte Laursen, Esbjerg – 40 years old Nasim Malik, Dubai – 60 years old Ole Hermansen, Aarhus – 50 years old Brian Sørensen, Esbjerg – 40 years old Frank Larsen, Grenaa – 50 years old Gema Varela Costa, La Coruna – 30 years old Francis Yeo Kian Lok, Singapore – 40 years old
8.3. 10.3. 16.3. 16.3. 18.3. 18.3. 19.3. 27.3. 27.3. 28.3. 28.3. 28.3. 31.3.
April Ib Emil Westergaard, Esbjerg – 40 years old Mette Sønderskov Christiansen, Billund – 40 years old Helena Gustafsson, Esbjerg – 30 years old Joanne Cruz, Fort Lauderdale – 30 years old
06.4 07.4 17.4 27.4
Births On 7.5, Charlotte D. Olesen/finance department, Esbjerg became a mother, for the first time, of a little girl named Emma (2,710 kgs / 48 cm).
Sara Vendelbo Matthiesen/canteen, Esbjerg increased her family by a baby boy (4,410 kgs / 56 cm) on 17.9. Two proud older brothers were ready to welcome baby brother home.
On 24.9, Raimond Lodder/Blue Water Rotterdam and his wife, Cynthia, increased their family by a baby boy (4,340 kgs / 52 cm). The family also includes little Nout, who is two years old. On 22.10, Brian Illum Hansen/Blue Water Odense became a father of a boy, Oscar Luis (3,280 kgs / 51 cm). The family also includes the very proud big sister Melissa Victoria.
Weddings
On 31.10, Jannie Kjær/finance department, Esbjerg gave birth to a baby boy (2,580 kgs / 49 cm). It is Jannie’s first child and both mother and child are well.
On 1.9, Sonny Jensen/Blue Water Man chester and his bride, Nikki, were married in the beautiful town of Ashbourne in the Peak District National Park.
On 19.10, Sergey An/Blue Water Aktau entered into matrimony with Gulmira at Aruan Hall.
Published by: Blue Water Trafikhavnskaj 9 DK-6701 Esbjerg Tlf.: +45 79 13 41 44 Fax +45 79 13 46 77 Layout: Claus Simony
Christopher Jessen/Blue Water Aarhus married his girlfriend Lise in Søften Church on 15.9.
Nivi Sort Høgh/stevedore foreman at Blue Water Esbjerg married Kim Holck in Grim strup Church on 20.10. The couple’s sur name is now Sort Holck.
Editors: Jan Hjortlund Hansen: jah@bws.dk Kurt Skov Published in 9.500 copies E-mail: bwsebj@bws.dk www.bws.dk Print: Jørn Thomsen Elbo A/S 23
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year