HEAVY LIFT\\\
In contrast to many sectors of freight, shipping operator SAL Heavy Liſt had a good year in 2020, says head of marketing, Christian Hoff mann. “We were very busy – 2020 turned out to be very solid. Volumes were there, despite short slumps in Asia and then Europe.” In fact, 2020 marked something
of an upturn for the heavyliſt shipping segment, which had been in something of a recession for the previous decade, with a glut of tonnage chasing the available cargo. “People saw the necessity to transport goods, and there was also quite a pressure on getting projects going in order to keep up productivity in many countries,” Hoff man analyses. Governments around the world
see large infrastructure projects as a good way of kick-starting Covid- hit economies and are likely to continue doing so as long as interest rates stay at their current very low levels. Renewables, and especially
wind-power, have emerged as the single biggest segment for SAL, accounting for about 50% of its total business and now far outstripping oil and gas as a revenue generator. “I believe it will remain the biggest segment for the next decade,” says Hoff mann. While building of new turbines might reach a peak at some time in the future, older turbines will need to be repowered and re- bladed, which should help keep up momentum. In January this year, SAL
launched a specialist arm, SAL Renewables to serve the off shore wind services and installation market, focusing on the off shore maintenance and installation of wind turbines and components, as well as supplying specialised vessels to the industry. SAL Renewables also launched
a specialised vessel in its fl eet: the Wind Liſt I – a 2010-built dynamic positioning (DP) jack-up crane vessel ideally suited for off shore wind maintenance projects as well as the installation of wind turbine parts. With a 500-tonne capacity, high outreach off shore crane and a fully equipped accommodation block for up to 50 people, it can also handle initial installation of smaller turbines. SAL’s own operations were not too badly aff ected by the
Covid distancing rules, Hoff mann continues. “We
very quickly
implemented home working, so it had very little impact.” Given that SAL is a global business with team workers in diff erent continents, online working was already a way of life. But it’s hard to imagine how business and industry would have coped before introduction of online meeting systems such as Zoom or Microsoſt Teams. Covid’s main impact was felt in
increased congestion in ports and the resulting delays, along with complications in moving ships’ crew around the world. Last year, SAL Heavy Liſt came with
together Intermarine, to
create a shipping setup within the Americas and for cross- Atlantic trade. For over 30 years, Intermarine has provided breakbulk liner services between North America and South America and in the Caribbean, and SAL sees great value in enlarging its footprint in the Americas. SAL’s customers can benefi t from more vessels being able to operate not only in and out of South America, but also into off site river deltas, where SAL would otherwise have had limited access. Intermarine customers will in turn get access to the highly advanced heavy liſt fl eet of SAL. One of the fi rst fruits of the
partnership is in Brazil, where Intermarine Brazil and SAL Heavy Liſt Brazil are to open a joint offi ce. A team of fi ve will be headed by Natalie Jones, who has worked for leading carriers, including Intermarine, for more than 25 years. She stated: “Brazil holds plenty of opportunities – especially within the power, energy and infrastructure arenas. With the combined services of Intermarine and SAL, our team has a very strong product to market, and I look forward to growing both business and brands together with the rest of the international teams.” SAL Heavy Liſt will continue
to add further vessels to its fl eet as and when opportunities arise, although they are currently somewhat limited at the moment, says Hoff mann. New builds are rather limited at the moment, and there aren’t too many available on the second hand market. What
new vessels are MM21 exhibitor & connect ad
176x245.indd 1 02/03/2021 03:35
being constructed tend to be increasingly specialized for specifi c roles while the need for new technology such as exhaust scrubbers also pushes up prices. Ships are also becoming bigger, both in terms of the weight and volume of cargo they can carry,
Issue 2 2021 - Freight Business Journal
17
but are also able to liſt heavier cargo pieces using their own onboard cranes. However, a number of owners will need to replace vessels that are reaching the end of their 25-30 year useful life in the near future, so that will stimulate the market.
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