Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), a major maritime services provider,willopenanewofficeinBangkokon1March. The opening of the ISS Thailand office, with newly recruited management and staff, follows the ending of a franchise agreement between ISS and ISS Thoresen Agencies.
The new team is drawn from large international shipping agencies and their experience encompasses all vessel and cargo types in all major Thai ports. They will be led by general manager, Thaveesak Chowchankit, who joins ISS from the Bangkok Shipowners & Agents Association. The operations manager is Captain Sunchai Sanguanpao, who since coming ashore in 1997, had worked for ISS Thoresen for over a decade.
Tony Brazenor, regional operations manager of ISS Asia Pacific, said:“Following a period in which we have relied exclusively on partnership and franchise arrangements in Thailand, the opening of a well-staffed Bangkok office marks a real commitment to shipowners using Thai ports.”
ISS is also set to capitalize on local and global customer demand for services in Venezuela with the opening of its first office in the country. The new office is part of ISS’s South America expansion strategy which will see it open more offices in Venezuela and other parts of the subcontinent.
ISS, which has worked in Venezuela for many years through qualified sub-agents, has opened the office in Puerto La Cruz to meet the country’s growing demand for shipping services,
particularly in the tanker, offshore and liner sectors. The office will also enable ISS to take advantage of the growth in cruise business in the country.
Juan Carlos Trujillo of ISS Venezuela, said: “The Venezuelan economy is steadily expanding and we are now well-positioned to service the needs of shipowners and operators using her ports.
“The new office enables us to capitalize on market opportunities and also enhance the service to existing customers. In seeking to become the largest proprietary agency network on the subcontinent, this will be the first of a number of new offices in the Venezuela and across South America.”
Inchcape Shipping Services is a renowned maritime services provider. With over 270 proprietary offices in 67 countries, and a workforce of over 3,500, the company’s diverse global customer base now includes owners and charterers in the oil, cruise, container and bulk commodity sectors as well as naval, government and inter-governmental organizations.
ISS provides landside commercial and humanitarian logistics, transit, offshore support, informational and other associated marine services. The company also provides a growing range of outsourcing services including global crew and marine spares logistics; port hub agency management; and sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning solutions through its subsidiary ShipNet.