In a significant review of their safety operations, Exmar Shipmanagement has awarded a contract to Wilhelmsen Ships Service to handle all safety-related business throughout their fleet, including their successful liferaft rental programme and complete port agencies service.
The most significant development in this contract is Exmar Shipmanagement’s decision to sign a liferaft rental agreement for their full fleet with Wilhelmsen Ships Service. This follows a year of successful liferaft rental trials with two Exmar vessels "Brussels" and "Flanders Loyalty".
This agreement means that Exmar managers no longer have to buy liferafts for their vessels, and they do not have to pay for annual liferaft service. Instead, they just pay a fixed annual rental fee, and Wilhelmsen Ships Service takes care of supplying replacement exchange liferafts when they are due for inspection. This results in a dramatic reduction in turnaround time in port, and gives Exmar the benefit of predictable annual budget forecasting.
“In the present economic climate, shipping companies are looking for partners who can offer realistic advice and cost-saving global solutions,” said Exmar Shipmanagement’s Technical Director, René Jungbluth. “Wilhelmsen Ships Service was able to meet both these criteria, and have been extremely helpful in finding solutions that meet our specific needs.”
Marcel Lambert of Wilhelmsen Ships Service believes that the liferaft rental solution is really starting to take off. “In 2008 the turnover on Rental exceeded US$3 000 000, which is more than double that of 2007. Over 600 vessels worldwide have now signed up to liferaft rental agreements.”
Exmar Shipmanagement’s Preferred Supplier for port agencies
This latest agreement not only includes liferaft rental, but also awards the company Preferred Supplier status for port agencies (husbandry, OPA and dry-dock calls).
Wilhelmsen Ships Service and Exmar Shipmanagement have been doing business together for many years. Exmar Shipmanagement is a member of the Exmar group. Exmar NV is a diversified and independent shipping group serving the international gas and oil industry with a strong presence in the LNG and LPG midsize fleet. Apart from providing the ships for the transportation of these products, it also performs studies and undertakes the management of commercial, technical and administrative activities for the industry.
Further information from:
Capt. Marc Nuytemans, Managing Director Exmar Shipmanagement NV, management@shipmanagement.exmar.be
Mr. René Jungbluth, Technical Director Exmar Shipmanagement NV, management@shipmanagement.exmar.be
Marcel Lambert, Sales Manager, BeNeLux, Wilhelmsen Ships Service
Tel. +32 3221 6160 E-mail : marcel.lambert@wilhelmsen.com
Solveig Saether, Market Communication Manager, Wilhelmsen Ships Service,
Telephone +47 67 58 45 78 (office), +47 90 63 49 77 (mobile) solveig.d.saether@wilhelmsen.com