Innovation in tanker transportation Stena Bulk

nies such as Carlstam, Fano, Marpol, Nesse, Pabex, Stanwes and Wipak. The key selection of our business partners is always trust and adherence to the word. For our family it is far more important than a contract prepared by lawyers. Therefore, the long-term relationships with our partners, especially in the German market have a major impact on the company’s current high market position. Suempol has certifications including ISO 22000, ISO 9001, IFS, MSC, BIO and the Discover Great Food mark. With many years of proven experience and constant work on creating the perfect product, we guarantee repeatability of taste”, explains Ms Siecinska-Jaworowska.

STANWES TRADE Ltd is a reliable and responsible partner offering innovative solutions.

Stanwes Trade Ltd 145 Poznańska Street, 18-400 Łomża, Poland

Phone +48 862180046 Phone +48 862180047 Fax +48 862199499 www.stanwes.com

STANWES TRADE Ltd.

STANWES TRADE Ltd. For over 20 years we have been a supplier of natural salt products for the food industry.

We cooperate with manufacturers from fish, meat, dairy and many other branches of the food industry.

We guarantee product safety and appropriately high quality. Our work is based on the IFS Food Version 6 Standard. Our products meet the highest quality requirements.

We complement the high quality of products with logistical services at a level that guarantees stable and uninterrupted supply chain, which, in food manufacturing, is of great importance.

We offer our clients innovative solutions of “sodium replacement”, which allow for improving health benefits of consumed food products through reducing the level of unwanted alimentary ingredients.

New companies, new products

At the moment, the Suempol Group has three factories, in Poland, Germany and France. The entire manufacturing process takes place there. “We also own the company engaged in the acquisition of Norway’s best raw materials for our factories. From year to year we creates more new jobs, both in Poland and Europe. Further acquisitions are related to the nature of the market, which involves delivering the freshest products in the shortest possible time. Each acquisition is an opportunity to expand our manufacturing facilities and logistics optimisation. Our plant in Germany allows us to deliver our products to the markets of western Europe within 48 hours and we are fully confident that consumers receive fresh salmon of the highest quality. As for Marcel Baey, the French premium salmon producer that has recently been acquired by Suempol, the primary purpose of the purchase is to strengthen the Suempol position in the premium segment and to introduce traditional technology to other markets in Europe,” adds Ms Siecinska-Jaworowska.

The group’s annual revenue is estimated as €300 million. Exports make up 80 per cent of the company’s sales, while 20 per cent comes from the local market. Vacuum packed sliced smoked salmon is Suempol’s main export product. “Earlier this year we were able to step into new markets, including Japan and Vietnam, and to extend our range with fresh products – fillets packed in MAP. With our logistics centres, placed in the best locations in Europe, we are able to provide consumers with a fresh product. We do not rule out further acquisitions in the future, but for now we’d rather focus on strengthening our brand by improving our existing products and creating new, innovative products, which are yet not available on the market,” reveals Ms Siecinska-Jaworowska. n

www.suempol.pl

INNOVATION IN TANKER TRANSPORTATION

Stena Bulk is building on its strengths as one of the world’s leading tanker shipping companies by consolidating its operations in LNG transportation and establishing partnerships to grow its business in Asia. Peter Mercer reports

IN January of this year Stena Bulk reorganised its operations in the global LNG sector. Having set up a separate company – Stena LNG – in 2012 to take responsibility for the three LNG carriers that it had bought the previous year, Stena Bulk has now decided that, given current conditions in the market, it makes more operational sense to bring the vessels back under the direct control of the parent company.

“For the last three years Stena Bulk, Stena LNG and Northern Marine Management, which has been responsible for the technical management of the vessels, have together built up a very good name in the LNG segment. It is an industry that is undergoing expansive development and one that we judge will be very interesting indeed in the next few years,” says Erik Hanell, President and CEO of Stena Bulk. “In 2011 there were a lot of orders for LNG carriers at shipyards to serve new production projects around the world but many of these projects have been delayed. Developing LNG terminals is a complex and lengthy business and so we anticipate a temporary over-supply of LNG carriers over the next couple of years.

“The three existing tankers will therefore form the basis of future projects. We are active and keep a sharp eye on all relevant projects in the market and we will see what opportunities there are for investing and finding suitable industrial partners in this segment.”

Stena bought the three LNG carriers in 2011 from TMT Taiwan. Renamed Stena Blue Sky, Stena Clear Sky and Stena Crystal Sky, they were all built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering to Ice Class 1C and are currently chartered out on short to medium term contracts. Stena Bulk’s organisation in Gothenburg has, in any case, been responsible for the commercial management of the vessels for the last three years; now Stena Bulk will assume overall responsibility for them.

Looking beyond the next two years, Stena expects the average annual rate of growth in global LNG production capacity to be around 9 per cent. The technology is now commonplace, costs for production plants have been reduced and demand is rising. The gas is available in abundance, with high reserves worldwide and since it is non-toxic, clear-burning and relatively cheap, it can play an important role in reaching emission targets. With more LNG production plants and more receiving

markets across the world, the LNG shipping industry is bound to grow. But LNG tankers cost about three times as much as normal tankers of the same size and take nearly four times longer to build so, as in so many businesses, timing is everything. Stena believes that it can now best manage its strategy in the changing market by assuming complete control of its LNG operations.

Complete tanker operations

Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and with offices in seven countries, Stena Bulk is one of the largest tanker shipping companies in the world. Its fleet of some 100 vessels is active in every segment of the tanker market and its operations cover everything from designing and building tankers to manning them and chartering them out. The company is part of the Stena Sphere organisation, which is active in ferry traffic (Stena Line and Stena Ro-Ro), shipping, offshore drilling, metal trading and recycling, real estate and finance. Stena Sphere has around 20,000 employees in Sweden and abroad.

Stena Bulk’s tankers operate in four main fields – the transport of crude oil from the oilfields to the refineries the transport of refined petroleum products, the transport of chemicals and the transport of LNG. Its crude oil tankers are divided into three different sizes –, Suezmax, Aframax and Panamax. The company’s focus on innovative design and the capabilities of its in-house design bureau Stena Teknik has produced the V-MAX vessels which have the length of a VLCC but the draft of a Suezmax, enabling them to transport large oil cargoes through narrow and shallow waters.

Stena’s petroleum products tankers are of two kinds: the 70,000 dwt Long Range 1 (LR1) are the largest vessels able to pass through the Panama Canal when fully laden while the P-MAXs are Medium Range (MR) vessels specially designed to meet the growing challenges of transporting cargoes into sensitive areas. They can carry 30 per cent more cargo than traditional MR vessels and are built with features such as double hulls, twin engine rooms and double systems for propulsion and manoeuvring that ensure safe operations in confined waters.

New MR concept

Stena’s latest evolution of the MR vessels is the IMOIIMAX sustainable shipping concept. This vessel is designed to carry IMO 2 and 3 cargoes as well as dirty and clean products in

Erik Hanell

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World Fuel Services

World Fuel Services is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of marine fuel products, services and support. With a signature focus on surety of supply, we are committed to consistently deliver quality fuel products with outstanding levels of service and operational support to all of our customers, including Stena Bulk. We provide start-to-finish expertise and on-demand customer service through our network of top-ranked local professionals, renowned technical experts, and our dedicated finance and risk management groups.

Wistrand

“Founded in 1915 in Gothenburg, Wistrand Law Firm has three offices in Sweden and is one of the five largest law firms in Sweden. We are a full service law-firm that provides advice on all aspects of the complexities of business law. We work with corporate clients in a large number of industry sectors as well as with clients in the public sector – both nationally and internationally. Our Maritime and Transport group is based in Gothenburg and advise, in cooperation with other specialists in our firm, a variety of shipping companies, shipyards, carriers, forwarding agents, P/I clubs and other insurers. We are particularly active in areas such as ship financing, ferry operations, charters, maritime claims and ship sale and purchase.

We have acted as legal advisor to the Stena-group and Stena Bulk for over 20 years, advising on a large range of issues relating to the Stena AB group’s shipping operations. We are honoured to be one of Stena Bulk’s preferred suppliers and greatly appreciate the company’s emphasis on long term partnerships. Over the years our close cooperation with Stena has given us a deep and extensive understanding of Stena’s operations, which is of great importance when assisting Stena in achieving its goals.”