Climate change makes the waters above Canada and Russia navigable and the exploitation of minerals becomes profitable. The Arctic is a top economic priority for the arctic countries. As the trade is growing around these areas, also shipping activity is increasing. The North Pole region is becoming a playground for Wagenborg, see chartering directors Hans Kroon and Marco Renzelli who are involved in deep sea shipping at Wagenborg.
The Ballast Water Management Convention came into force in 2017 and applies to all seagoing vessels that carry ballast water. It requires these vessels to be equipped with a ballast water treatment system. The Convention has had far-reaching consequences for Wagenborg, with its fleet of around 180 vessels, as it has for many other shipping companies. We talked to Mike Settels about the process of installing a ballast water treatment system on board the Reggeborg.
If you thought the paper industry was going to disappear, think again. Although the worldwide demand for graphic paper declined in 2015 for the first time ever, the paper and forest-products industry as a whole is growing. Especially, packaging is growing all over the world. We talked with Sture Öberg, logistics director for Smurfit Kappa, about the common future of ‘his’ kraftliner trade from Piteå to the continent with Wagenborg.
Lower power output, greater efficiency and smarter shipping: for now, that’s the approach Wagenborg is taking towards the energy transition. “And in the meantime, we’ll be thinking very hard and testing fuel alternatives.” Fleet Manager Theo Klimp talks to us about accepting responsibility in these unusual times.
Shipping dry cargo from the US East Coast to the Far East is nothing special. What is unusual is when inbound and outbound trade turns out to be similar in terms of volume, frequency and vessel needs. And what is even more special when a shipping company succeeds in bringing two businesses together and optimises shipping logistics for both. This is the story of Wagenborg, Alcoa and Rayonier Advanced Materials.
On 1 January 2020, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will implement the new fuel Sulphur regulation. Sulphur 2020 is arguably the most impactful environmental regulation to date in ocean transport and has far-reaching technical, commercial and operational consequences. We spoke to Sebastiaan Verstappen, Senior Chartering Operator and responsible for bunker procurement at Wagenborg, to find out more.
The champagne bottle had just shattered on the bow of the Kasteelborg when we talked to NAM director Johan Atema and Egbert Vuursteen, standing proudly side by side. Egbert Vuursteen tells us about the successful naming ceremony for Wagenborg’s second walk-to-work vessel for NAM/Shell. “Today is another highlight in the close, constructive relationship between NAM and Shell on the one hand and Royal Wagenborg on the other.”
Wagenborg is a company that has literally broken the ice in the harshest and desolate environments in the world. Its early operations mainly involved the timber and salt trade to the Baltic, but today Wagenborg sails the seven seas. Even so, the majority of its fleet movements can be traced back to the Baltic, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Great Lakes, and Arctic waters. Why is that? Despite global warming, those areas are still characterised by harsh winter conditions, and it’s in those conditions that Wagenborg’s largely ice-reinforced fleet operates extremely well. That may sound pretty simple, but in practice, things are rather different.
