EPSCO (Cyprus) Ltd

EPSCO (CYPRUS) LTD

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EPSCO CYPRUS

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PROFILE

Epsco (Cyprus) Ltd offers a broad range of safety and support services to the maritime industry worldwide. Andreas Ioannou, Chairman, highlighted the passion and dedication within the company to Phil Nicholls.

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Maria Ioannou (Left) & David Wilson (Right) Epsco Cyprus Directors

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psco (Cyprus) Ltd was founded by Andreas Ioannou in 1995 with just a fax machine and a personal computer.

“Even 27 years later, I still get a buzz out of getting things done,” Mr Ioannou said. “We are in a 24/7/365 business and often get requests that seem impossible at very short notice in places very far away, so the challenge and the joy comes from ensuring that those requests are fulfilled quickly and efficiently. That’s what continues to excite and motivate me.”

From Epsco’s humble beginnings in 1995, the company has steadily expanded. In 2007, Epsco was one of the first companies to develop the concept of managed safety service fleet agreements. “We have since been copied by much larger companies,” Mr Ioannou explained, “But none are as proactive or customer oriented as we are.”

In 2008, Epsco opened a sales office in Hamburg, with a second expansion the following year in Singapore. The company remains headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus, with approximately 40 employees in total. Several of these employees reach 20 years’ service this year, something else giving Mr Ioannou a buzz.

“We have always prided ourselves on being a good place to work, with a happy atmosphere and treating our employees as family,” he said.

Andreas Ioannou Chairman Epsco Cyprus

Marc Tepp Managing Director of Epsco Deutschland GmbH

Marco de Valero Sales Manager at the Netherlands sales office

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EPSCO CYPRUS

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PROFILE

A quantum of SOLAS Epsco offers a broad range of services to the maritime industry, facilitating clients’ compliance with IMO Ship Safety Equipment and SOLAS demands, with direct online follow-up of onboard safety aspects. These services directly contribute to removing hazards from contemporary seafaring life. The Epsco Group is proud to service over 3,000 vessels annually at all major ports around the world, along with 800 vessels under full safety contract.

The company’s safety service network contains in excess of 350 class and manufacturer approved service stations, enabling the provision of services to virtually any port worldwide. Epsco also has a network of over 200 dive stations, all class-approved, covering the main global ports. These outlets provide a range of services from underwater surveys and propeller polishing to in-water repairs.

These diving services are only the tip of the extensive range Epsco offers to clients. Ballast water management systems, ship repairs, drydockings and the provision of spare parts are all within the Epsco portfolio. Demand from long-standing clients lead to Epsco entering into a joint venture partnership with US Security experts RA Security, forming EPSCO-RA, to provide cyber security solutions to the maritime community.

“Whilst we offer a full range of marine services – from spare parts, ship repair and diving services – we are known primarily for safety, and especially for our fleet safety servicing agree-

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ments which give a fixed cost for annual / bi-annual services,” Mr Ioannou said. “Our customers can thus plan their annual safety budgets and have peace of mind that we are looking after their vessels’ safety systems.

“We provide full back-up and reminders of any services due using our own in-house certificate management system to which our customers have their own secure access, so there is full transparency on what we are doing for them.”

From Rotterdam with love The reason for Epsco’s success is clear to Mr Ioannou: “The fact that we now have over 800 vessels under fleet agreement with a growing clientele from all over the world. We are constantly improving our products to offer the best service possible. Many of our customers come to us through word of mouth or as individuals move from company to company and contact us if they go to a company that is not currently a customer.”

Late in 2021, Epsco established a sales office and service station at Rotterdam. This is hoped to be the model for additional stations around the world.

“Competition is definitely increasing,” admitted Mr Ioannou, “but we are still growing our customer base. What sets us apart is that we have purposely remained a small, proactive and agile outfit. We are not playing a numbers game: our customers’ needs are far more important to us than simply ‘selling services’.”

As an established company, Epsco values its partners. Their role in the business is clear to Mr Ioannou: “Our suppliers and partners all over the world are vital to our success. Having been in the market now for well over 27 years, we have formed many close, long-term relationships.

“We much prefer long-term relationships based of course on their standard of service, with companies that we trust rather than looking at their pricing. We do not abandon those relationships just because other suppliers approach us offering lower pricing. We trust them and they trust us.”

A view to a sustainable future Epsco is a member of CYMEPA (Cyprus Marine Environmental Protection Association) and supports all of the company’s locally based activities. CYMEPA is an autonomous, not-for-profit organisation funded solely by its members, with the aim of encouraging

and actively assisting efforts to prevent all forms of pollution of the sea.

Sustainability plays a strong role in the operation of Epsco.

The company is working towards a paperless office and recycles as much paper and waste as possible.

“We insist that all our suppliers use environmentally friendly materials in their packaging,” Mr Ioannou said. “In part, these actions are due to the onset of the pandemic as we have limited our travelling, but have decided to continue that as much as possible by holding online meetings rather than getting on a plane except where absolutely necessary.”

According to Mr Ioannou, Epsco has weathered the current global issues: “We have not been too impacted by global supply issues. We had the occasional issue obtaining supplies for customers, but we have always been able to find alternative solutions.”

Steady expansion continues at Epsco, with the recent investment in Rotterdam proving an effective model for future growth of its customer base. Mr Ioannou concluded by summarising the ethos of Epsco as the company continues to find joy in the challenges of the business.

“For us, the safety systems on board a vessel are one of the most critical aspects of shipping. So, we feel that we are being entrusted with a huge responsibility by our customers that we take very, very seriously and we will always.” n

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