SHIPPING SERVICES
not be continued and concerned that the relevant authorities still do not recognise the need to make drastic changes in the maritime sector’s modus operandi to contribute to its development and take maximum advantage of the 14,000 plus vessels transiting the waterway. The problems lie mostly in the
inadequacy of the facilities when chandlers need to deliver orders being solicited by the ships on both sides of the Panama Canal. On the Caribbean side, ‘we are not even able to perform deliveries 24/7-365 days a year. We have at various occasions been rejected access to load the launches in case a cruise vessel, for instance, is alongside at the present launch facility,’ he says. ‘It is difficult to make a captain and the ship owner understand they did not get their order of vital provisions and spare-parts delivered before the vessel left for an 18 day crossing from the Atlantic to West Africa [where supplies are limited], because the access to the launches was blocked, as the presence of our type of business may not be to the liking of cruise passengers,’ comments Nielsen.
of six companies dedicated to the maritime industry for the most important ship registries. Intermaritime Certification Services
T
(ICS Class) giving class and statutory services to ships flying Panama, Belize, Honduras and Kiribati flags as Class Society, Recognised Organisation (RO) and Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) for the issuance of Class & Statutory Certificates. ‘Our vast experience and large network within the industry has allowed us to maintain the highest quality standards and customer’s satisfaction,’ says Santiago Torrijos, president of Intermaritime Group. ICS Class is a classification society with headquarters located in Panama, Republic of Panama. ICS Class is an independent and non-commercial organisation carries out its classification activities in an impartial and objective way in compliance with the ICS Class Rules and Regulations. ICS Class Rules and Regulations set appropriate standards for the Classification and Construction of Ships providing all the information for classification purposes. ICS Class was approved by Ecuador’s
Directorate of Aquatic Spaces of the Naval Forces to act as Class Society for ships under Ecuador Flag and is a company
62
he Intermaritime Group, founded by Eng. Santiago Torrijos, is composed
‘A lot of things still need to be taken care of in order to continue to improve and stream-line the service industry.’
Erik Moller Nielsen Centralam gm
Unfortunately, there is still a high
number of ‘coyotes’, who misrepresent themselves as ships’ chandlers, even though Panamanian Authorities have specific requirements and regulations requiring all chandlers to be officially approved with operating licenses, he continues. ‘A lot of things still need to be taken care of in order to continue to improve and stream-line the maritime service industry, but had it not been for all the obstacles and headaches, it would probably have been too boring during the last 30 years,’ concludes Nielsen, adding that without improvements to come in the future, it would also be too boring for the next 30 years.
The Intermaritime Group
certified by Bureau Veritas as per requirements of ISO 9001:2008 Standard ‘Following our priority to guide our clients and surveyors timely in order to comply with all relevant International Conventions, our technical manager obtained an important title as Certified Training of Trainers by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) and we have certified a team of specialists from ICS Group for the MLC, 2006,’ says Torrijos. ‘We are now offering two training packages of courses related with MLC, 2006 addressed to marine surveyors, auditors, flag state/port state surveyors, representatives of seafarers, lawyers, owners, operators, to be familiarised with the Convention requirements and obtain the qualification for the MLC, 2006 surveys and certifications,’ he adds. It is expected that the Maritime Labour Convention will come into force in 2012, and ‘we are well prepared to ensure our customers compliance and correct smooth implementation.’ Intermaritime Group has also a
training centre Panama Maritime Training Services (PMTS) with more than 15 years of experience since, certified by the Panama Maritime Authority and IMMARBE (International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize), as well as the Panamanian Ministry of
Education, to conduct out STCW78/95 courses and assessment. To respond to clients’ demands, the
Group has built a strong business structure that includes a law firm, Panama Maritime Lawyers & Co. The firm has great expertise in Maritime Law and Corporate Law, namely vessel registry, financing, fishing, and claims, offshore company formation, opening of bank accounts and relocating companies to operate from Panama. As Deputy Registrars and Maritime Registrars, the Group represents the following Maritime Authorities: Panama, Belize, Bolivia, Honduras, Vanuatu and Sierra Leone. The Intermaritime Group has
launched 4 years ago World Maritime CommunicationPG16, for billing, handling, and satellite communication as Radio Accounting Authority authorised by the Panama, Belize and Honduras Authorities. The company offers a wide range of services, Point of Service Activation for INMARSAT and agents for LRIT testing. ‘Fast response times are a highly valued commodity in this business. Our customers have come to expect expedite service from us on a daily basis because we deliver consistently,’ says Juan Jose Torrijos, manager of World Maritime Communication.
PANAMA MARITIME REVIEW 2011/12
MEC Stores is a subsidiary of the MEC Group, with the representation of CSMEC – the largest China-based material supply for the shipping industry and several other sectors. In 2010, the group moved to the former Howard Base Panama-Pacific, administered by London & Regional (L&R). The move united all its companies under the same roof, with the building hangars to carry HAZE certification, approved by the US’ FDA for a safer and better storage of products. For MEC Stores, which is the group’s
ship supply arm, 2010 was a year of challenges that showed the company that times were changing. This forced the organisation to re-invent itself – a process that brought great benefits since MEC Stores has a projected growth of 40% for 2011 thanks to a diversification of its markets and renewal of services to Latin America. Marine service provider MERCANSA
group encompasses Mercansa Panama (Mercantile ships stores Panama), Mercansa Dominicana (Mercantile ships stores Dominicana) and Ocean Safety. The group offers a wide range of standardised marine products and services to ship
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112