HEAVY LIFT\\\


There has been a definite up-tick in the amount of project business worldwide, says chairman and founder of the Project Professionals Group (PPG), Kevin Stephens. “There’s definitely been an upward trend, especially in the past 4-6 months, and our US partner says they have had quite the best period for some time,” is his analysis. Power generation - including wind - construction and mining are especially strong, he adds. “There’s also been increases in the UK, Ireland, the Philippines – but really, it’s across the board,” says Stephens. China is also doing well,


especially in the North and Mongolia regions, while PPG’s Saudi member, the Almajdouie Group, received a Guinness World Records certificate for Heaviest Item Moved by Road Freight – for a series of eight evaporator units for a desalination plant, each weighing over 4,891 tonnes


delivered from South Korea. Each piece is about the size of an big office block laid on its side. This impressive effort


notwithstanding, the average size of pieces moved is not increasing, in Stephens’ opinion though. But thanks to the ingenuity of PPG’s members, there is really nothing these days that can’t be shiſted by land or sea. Pieces of 1,000 tonnes are not that exceptional any more. There are also more outsize


loads moving around the world, says Stephens. Low labour costs in Asian and other countries where machinery is built mean that manufacturers are much more likely to build up pieces at their premises and then move them to destinations like Europe or Australia where labour and material costs are higher. For example, plant for the burgeoning Australian mining and oil industry is oſten assembled in south-east Asia and then transported by sea


to site. “Over the past five to eight years


there has been a trend towards modular transport a against greenfield construction.” PPG itself continues to prosper,


says Stephens. It operates a one member per country policy in most of the world – China and India are the main exceptions, being divided into four regions – so it has most areas of the world covered. “The main exceptions are in less developed regions of the world such as Africa or Central and South America, where there really are no identified project forwarders,” Stephens explains. PPG also has a number of Project Support Members such as ports and airports or airlines, so total membership is still growing. It also runs an extensive


educational programme including a well-regarded two- day (shortly to be upgraded to three-day) non-technical course


Issue 3 2013


33 Things are looking up, says PPG


in project forwarding; the next European event will be held in conjunction with the Breakbulk conference in Antwerp on 13- 14 May - www.wwproject.net/ certificate-course.html. (This will be followed by the Project Professionals Group’s own annual conference in Le Havre, France on 20-22 May.) The Certificate of


Achievement in Project Cargo Management courses are open to all, not just members. “We made the decision to open it up to all and at least half the people who attend are from the large global forwarders,” says Stephens. He handles the shipping


side of the course while his colleague, Rodger Hall, explains to students how to communicate


effectively. “The course is aimed very much at middle managers and rising stars, although we have also had senior managers attend,” says Hall. “There are significant communications issues in the project forwarding industry because many medium and


smaller companies are


beginning to pitch for some very big projects these days.”


Energy boost for AV Dawson Davies Turner ships real-life plane kit


North-east logistics firm AV Dawson says it is enjoying unprecedented demand from the sub-sea energy market and has won business with another four offshore support companies. The business is moving towards a 24/7 operation on the quayside to meet the needs of its growing list of clients. Managing director Gary


Dawson said: “We are experiencing an unprecedented level of enquiries for quayside and associated warehousing and open storage land. A lot of these are related to the energy markets, both traditional oil and gas, and more recently in renewable energy, particularly relating to offshore wind. The new quay will support these clients’ growth ambitions and confirm that their


decisions to enter into long term agreements with AV Dawson were well advised.” Capacity has been boosted with


a £2m Gottwald harbour crane, capable of lifting up to 100 tonnes and complementing Dawson’s other two mobile harbour cranes, the heaviest of which can lift 215 tonnes. The AV Dawson North Sea


Supply Base is home to offshore module fabricators and outfitters, as well as companies offering cutting edge technology, engineering and management in sub-sea projects. This includes marine survey, trenching and ROV support in addition to submarine power cable and systems installation. Gary Dawson explains that AV


Dawson is well placed to assist projects


in all of the offshore


sectors including oil & gas, renewable, hydrographic and telecommunications. “We are in advanced discussions with two further sub-sea businesses who wish to set up their marine bases on the River Tees. This is all very satisfying, having set our stall out several years ago to diversify the business away from our traditional cargo handling and transport roots. We will continue to improve our facility to remain fit for purpose while keeping both existing and new customers happy.” He adds that the River Tees is particularly well positioned geographically to benefit


from


Forewind’s Dogger Bank Teesside wind farm development, which at its closest point is just over 100 miles offshore.


Freight forwarder Davies Turner has delivered a full-sized ‘Airfix kit’ from Britain to South Africa. Parts from a de Havilland DH


100 Vampire parts discovered in a Dorset garage were moved to South Africa as part of a project to rebuild two classic post-War British fighters - one of the largest international movements of ex-military aircraſt spares for a foreign private buyer,


requiring


seven ocean containers. Philip Stephenson, group at Davies


chairman Turner,


said: “Our Rotherham office was contacted nearly a year ago by our South African partner, WorldNet on behalf of a shipper that was searching for a means of delivering a collection of vintage aircraft parts to South Africa where two examples of the Vampire will be rebuilt.


“Another of these aircraft flew for


the South African Air Force and has just been repatriated intact back to South Africa. There is enormous historical interest in these aircraft which were found in pieces in someone’s garage in the UK.” While the paperwork


associated with the shipment was straightforward, a problem developed following the kitting- out of the containers with


wooden shelving and drawers or compartments that were not heat-treated, as required by South African regulations - resolved by sourcing a fumigation expert that could meet the South African requirements. Davies Turner secured space on


the MACS containership, Atacama for six 40ſt containers and one 20ſt open-top out-of-gauge container that included the wings.


International Freight Forwarders • FCL/LCL - EU + Worldwide Services • Warehousing


• Road/Sea/Air/Breakbulk/Projects • Paperfree Trading • AEO Certified • Customs Brokers & EU Customs Compliance Specialists


Email: sales@celticfwd.ie Web: www.celticfwd.ie Tel: 353-1-865 6000 Fax: 353-1-874 6745 Ofices - Dublin, Waterford, Drogheda


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