From Left to Right:
Mark Young CEO of Asia Maritime Pacific (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Nigel Moore General Manager, Business Development Manager of Wallem Group
Raghu Narain Managing Director,Royal Bank of Scotland
Paul Oliver General Manager of China LNG Shipping (Intl.) Co.Ltd.
Bjorn Hojgaard CEO of Univan Ship Management Ltd
Diran M. Majarian Managing Director, Amalia Tankers Inc.
Paul Oliver represented CLSICO on a panel at the “Business Model and Strategies” forum on 21st May 2013, organised by Shipping HK Forum and sponsored by CLSICO’s business partner Anglo-Eastern.
Most attendees were from the wet (oil and chemical) and dry bulk sectors, all experiencing very difficult business conditions. The forum agreed that “commoditisation” was the curse of shipping and that the key to a successful business strategy was differentiation. Paul observed that LNG shipping companies are fortunate that a combination of high value cargos, limited storage capacity, and a very limited voyage charter market mean that LNG charterers value quality operations and security of access to shipping capacity, leading to long term charters and a true partnership between cargo and ship owners.”
Asked about CLSICO’s business strategy as an LNG ship manager, Paul noted that it was very simple to state – ‘Don’t Mess Up’ – but not so easy to do.