Towage company Svitzer is expanding into regions it says have “substantial growth opportunities” by establishing dedicated regional operations from 1 October.
“This increased focus will bring us even closer to existing and new customers in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia” said Svitzer’s chief commercial officer Kasper Friis Nilaus.
Singapore-headquartered Svitzer’s business portfolio currently relies on mature markets in Europe and Australia but it now intends to turn to the Middle East and Africa for greater profitability.
“Both regions are today of smaller weight in Svitzer’s portfolio, but have substantial growth opportunities,” said Nilaus.
“We are looking forward to assisting port authorities and ship owners in reducing turn-around time and fuel consumption in relevant ports,” he said.
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region will be led by Torsten Holst Pedersen, who for three years has managed Svitzer’s AMEA region. The Asia region – which covers Bangladesh in the west, Japan in the east, Russia to the north, to Indonesia in the south – will be managed from Singapore.
MEA will include the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. By having dedicated management and business development resources in the region the company aims for faster growth. “Our strategic objective is to accelerate growth outside Europe and Australia,” said Nilaus.
Svitzer’s former salvage arm, Svizter Salvage, which merged with Crowley Maritime Corp’s Titan Salvage in May to form Ardent, is already one step ahead.
“Africa is a continent that is rising fast,” Ardent CEO Peter Pietka told IHS Maritime.
With offices in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa, the joint venture widens Ardent’s exposure to opportunities in sub-Sahara Africa are prominent.
“It is not as well regulated, which makes it more challenging,” he said, but he was confident that was changing. In June, Ardent also launched a joint venture with Southern African diving and marine services company, Subtech.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
