The company said that its Houston office was established to help charterers, owners, and operators to manage their risk in this strategically important high-volume location.
WaterFront's Houston office is managed by newly appointed Director for North America, Lars Westerberg, a port agency industry veteran who was formerly Regional Director Americas for Seven Seas and Managing Director of Wallem Americas.
Prior to these roles, Westerberg also served as Regional Managing Director of Inchcape Shipping Services in North and Central America.
The team in WaterFront's Houston office will attend vessels directly from Corpus Christi to Lake Charles, including all terminals and all facilities. It will also serve as the regional hub for WaterFront in North, South and Central America, including the Caribbean and is linked to WaterFront's existing regional hubs in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur to provide 24-hour coverage to its global client base.
Terry Gidlow, WaterFront CEO, commented: "On a global basis we see how significant political developments, evolving trade policies and rapid shifts in the supply and demand of raw materials and bulk commodities are impacting traditional trade patterns, meaning our clients are faced with a whole new range of opportunities and challenges in executing their day to day business.
“With the opening of our Houston office we are able to bolster the presence we have in other major oil & gas import/export and refining centres such as the Middle East and in Asia," he said.
Westerberg added:"By focusing on specific commodities, we can work with customers operating in this region to add quantifiable value to their businesses. Our work is all about understanding our clients business and their specific needs and then using our local knowledge and relationships to assist them to mitigate their risk, turn their vessels and cargoes around faster and save them money, while maintaining the highest levels of safety and compliance."
Bahrain-based shiprepairer and fabricator, ASRY has announced that Magdy Sharkawy, the current Ship Repair General Manager, has been appointed as Acting CEO, while the current CEO, Andy Shaw, moves over to an advisory role.
HE Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, ASRY Chairman, explained: “Andy re-joined ASRY almost three years ago with the mission to secure its future, and bring stabilisation to ASRY, as it experienced difficult market conditions and internal challenges.
“Since then he has initiated a comprehensive organisational restructuring, as well as an operational overhaul that has reduced overhead costs. Safety levels are now at market-leading levels, and customer retention is now above 90%. These strong operational foundations, and more, have been achieved thanks to Andy’s excellent guidance, influence and leadership, and enable ASRY to move forward with the next phase of its Turnaround. His input in an advisory role will ensure continuity as Magdy Sharkawy moves the company forward as Acting Chief Executive.”
Sharkawy has served 38 years in ASRY, most recently as ASRY Ship Repair General Manager. A transition is already underway to ensure a smooth handover of all responsibilities and projects in progress.
Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) has appointed BM Technologies of St Petersburg, Russia, to represent APC in the Russian market.
“This is an excellent opportunity for APC to grow its international presence and serve a growing market as Russia is one of the world’s leading industrial countries,” said David J Keehan, APC President. “With 15 years in business, BM Technologies adds to the strengths of APC and brings a wealth of local technical expertise for all our customers in Russia.”
Key contacts at BM Technologies will be Konstantin Belousov as Technical Manager and Ivan Medvedev as Sales Manager, both working from the head office in St Petersburg.
BM Technologies also has representation in Ust-Luga, Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, Port Kavkaz, Rostov-on-Don to provide other local services.
Belousov said, “The main focus of our company is to provide customers with technical products and services that provide solutions, and to deliver these with a high level of quality and efficiency.”
Ballast water management system (BWMS) supplier, Ecochlor has appointed Henrik Weiss as Regional Business Development Manager for Europe, Scandinavia and UK.
Weiss said that he believed the sale of a BWMS is a long-term commitment to the client, especially in the marine industry where support and service is a pre-requisite throughout the product lifecycle.
Weiss was most recently Head of Global Sales Support – Aftermarket Service at Alfa Laval. He has also led business development teams at Hamworthy Svanehoej, Hyde Marine and held maritime consulting positions.