Month: August 2018

BLA Profile: Terence Uytingban

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Date of joining Ben Line Agencies: 01 August 2017
Position: General Manager – Marine Agency and Offshore Services
Current location: Ben Line Agencies Philippines

Capt. Terence has sailed across the globe onboard various types of tankers for over 10 years starting from cadetship until he became captain. His shore-based career started in 2005 as a Manager responsible for the fleet personnel of Eitzen Maritime Services through a Filipino-Norwegian JV company called Aboitiz Jebsen. The company handled close to 400 ships and 10,000 seafarers where Capt. Terence subsequently got involved in various senior management positions covering the areas of Crew Management, Ship Management, HSQE, Training & Career Development, and Marketing.

Here we get to know Capt. Terence a little better.

  • How did you get into the shipping industry? I joined the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy in 1992 fresh out of High School with a goal of becoming a Naval Officer. As a cadet, I was sponsored by Mobil Shipping Company Ltd where I did my apprenticeship on two of their VLCCs. Eventually, I got convinced that joining the merchant fleet was a better option, so I joined Shell after graduation and continued sailing thereafter.
  • Who were you with prior joining Ben Line Agencies?I was with Aboitiz Jebsen for 8 years. In 2014, I was invited by UltraShip – a Danish Shipmanagement company under the Ultra group of Chile who wanted to establish a hub in the Philippines. I ran this office as General Manager before joining Ben Line in 2017.
  • What qualities did you bring across to Ben Line Agencies from your previous employer(s)?I was moulded in a highly competitive, fast-paced, multi-culture environment where the default mindset is always move forward and up. I am a strategic thinker who believes in 5 I’s – Insight, Innovation, Influence, Intervention and Integration.
  • What does a typical day involve for you at Ben Line Agencies Philippines?It will always be different but will have either one or a few of below flavours:
    Insight – learn new things and impart knowledge to others (the team).
    Innovation – use technology and creative thinking in delivering better services to clients.
    Influence – bad habits are contagious, introduce new habits to the team.
    Intervention – be aware and act.
    Integration – make every member relevant and their contributions part of the whole.
  • What are the biggest challenges you face in your current role? Matching the existing resources against the business opportunities and time – so much things to do and so little time!
  • How would you describe your leadership style? I am generally a participative leader who would involve and empower my team. However, my professional experience which exposed me to various types of personalities and situations both at sea and ashore makes me shift to situational leadership whenever needed.
  • What has been your finest achievement in your time at Ben Line Agencies Philippines?I have only been part of BLAP for less than a year but have already seen sparks of excellence, passion and shared-vision among the members of the team. For me – it is an inspiration and a source of anticipation for bigger things to come.
  • During your spare time what do you do to unwind? 24 hours in a day is never enough in this kind of business but I endeavour to find quality time with my family to unwind whenever possible. I am also pursuing further studies so that eats up all other spare time available.
  • What is your favourite Filipino food? All-time favourite is adobo – but I also like kare-kare.
  • Finally, what is your message to the team in the Philippines? Vision – Mission – Values: we will define who we are and what we will become.

边行马来西亚公司欢迎广西北部湾港集团

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受广西北部湾国际港务集团委托，边行马来西亚公司代表北部湾港集团于2018年8月16日在吉隆坡万豪酒店隆重举办了路演和晚宴活动。

此次活动由北部湾港集团管理层主持，边行马来西亚/新加坡/中国/香港/印尼公司协办， 邀请了来自马来西亚各主要港口、国际船务公司、国际货运代理、重要货主及贸易商和当地航商等广大客户参加。

北部湾港集团介绍了集团的港口、物流、工贸、地产和投资五大业务板块概况，并隆重推介了中国西南（四川、重庆、甘肃、贵州、云南及广西等省市）经钦州港便捷出海的南向通道，以及集团参股的关丹港、马中关丹产业园和联合钢铁项目。

客商欢聚一堂，活动取得了圆满成功。

以下是本公司董事Kristian Vandermeer的欢迎致辞。

晚上好，女士们，先生们，非常感谢您们参加广西北部湾港务集团今天在吉隆坡的路演，我们非常荣幸地能够参与是次推广活动。非常欢迎来自马来西亚航运和物流界的朋友，更热烈欢迎来自广西省尊敬的客人，他们将帮助我们了解在中国西部，西南和南部地区, 令人兴奋的崭新的航运和物流发展。

边行代理集团非常荣幸能与广西北部湾港务集团合作，促进和发展，通过南向通道，特别是经钦州等港口与通往西部各城市如重庆，成都等海铁联运的进/出口货物流量。随着中国西部地区经济的持续增长，南向通道是衔接“一带一路”倡议的关键部分。南向通道的物流效益非常显著 – 大大节省了运输时间和成本。在马来西亚以及更广泛地在东南亚活跃的进口商，出口商，货运代理和航运公司都需要了解这些物流效益，以便这个崭新的物流通道，为您的供应链和整体业务增加价值。

边行于1859年，第一艘船 （the Araby Maid），首次从欧洲开往远东，该船先在东南亚航行，之后到中国和日本。这是19世纪和20世纪在欧洲，东南亚和中国之间运营的许多边行船舶中的第一艘 ，在这方面，我们感到与中国政府的“一带一路”倡议非常连接，我们非常渴望让我们的客户，合作伙伴能够和北部湾港务集团紧密联系，努力发展港口和周边基础设施，促进北部湾成为中国西南部增长最快的集装箱和杂货贸易的地区。

我们非常希望所有与会者今晚与我们北部湾港务集团的朋友紧密沟通，以了解更多有关北部湾港口的基础设施，发展计划和相关的物流通道信息。我们边行代理集团的团队也致力于帮助提高市场对南向通道的物流效益和钦州作为国际枢纽港的认识，促使来往马来西亚的货物流量在未来稳步增长。

非常感谢大家今天来参加我们的路演和晚会，并支持北部湾港务集团的持续发展。祝愿大家有一个愉快的晚上。

Ben Line Agencies Malaysia welcomes Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group

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On behalf of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group, Ben Line Agencies Malaysia organised a roadshow and dinner event on 16th Aug 2018, in JW Marriot Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The event was attended by Beibu Gulf Port Group management team, Ben Line representatives from Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and distinguished guests from Malaysia port terminals, international shipping companies, international freight forwarders, major shippers and local forwarding companies.

Beibu Gulf Port Group presented their group business profile of 5 business sectors: Ports, Logistics, Industry & Trade, Real Estate and Investment. It also illustrated the Southern Trade Corridor which has swift connection in and out of Southwest China to Sichuan, Chongqing, Gansu, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi provinces via Beibu Gulf Ports.

Beibu Gulf Port Holding Company also holds substantial shares in Kuantan Port and Malaysia China Kuantan Industry Park (MCKIP).

Below is the welcome speech of Ben Line Agencies’ director, Kristian Vandermeer.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for attending this event where we are pleased to be promoting the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group in Kuala Lumpur. I welcome our guests from the Malaysian shipping and logistics industry, and I also welcome our esteemed guests from Guangxi province, who will be giving us all further insight into what is an exciting development for any business that is moving cargo to / from the western and southern regions of China.

Ben Line Agencies is very honored to be partnering with the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group to promote and develop the volumes and flow of cargo through the Southern Trade Corridor, particularly through the main container port of Qinzhou and the rail connections through to various cities in Western China, such as Chongqing and Chengdu. The Southern Trade Corridor is a key part of the broader One Belt and One Road initiative, particularly with the continued economic growth in the Western part of China. The logistical benefits of this Southern Trade Corridor are significant – resulting in both transit time and cost savings. Importers, exporters, freight forwarders and shipping lines who are active in Malaysia and more broadly, in Southeast Asia, need to be aware of such benefits so that this new logistics corridor can add value to your supply chains and business in general.

As we look to future opportunities, allow me a moment to reflect on some history also. Ben Line had our first ship sailing from Europe to the Far East in 1859, the vessel (the Araby Maid) called in Southeast Asia, before sailing to China and Japan. This was the first of many Ben Line ships that traded between Europe, Southeast Asia and China throughout the 19th and 20th centuries – in this regard, we feel rather connected to the current Belt and Road Initiative of the Chinese government, and we are very eager to link our customers and partners into the Beibu Gulf Port Group’s efforts to develop the port and surrounding infrastructure to facilitate what will be a growing container and breakbulk trade into the fastest growing areas of Western China.

I would encourage all attendees to meet with our friends from the Beibu Gulf Port Group tonight, to find out more about the plans for their port infrastructure and to learn more about the logistics connections through this area. Our team at Ben Line Agencies is also committed to helping raise awareness of the benefits of this Southern Trade Corridor and the hub port of Qinzhou, which will see the cargo flows to / from Malaysia only continue to grow for many years to come.

Thank you all very much for coming and for supporting the ongoing development of the Beibu Gulf Port Group’s terminals and logistics services. Please enjoy your evening ahead.

Ben Line Agencies Philippines Handles Voyager of the Seas in Manila

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The Voyager of the Seas on its arrival at Pier 15, South Harbor, Manila

Despite weather conditions, Voyager of the Seas, with an overall length of 311.12m and breadth extreme of 47.4m, successfully made its maiden voyage with Ben Line Agencies Philippines on July 20, 2018. Voyager of the Seas is the lead ship of the Voyager class and was the largest cruise ship in the world when it was built in 1999.

Tyler Parker, guest service manager for Voyager of the Seas, remarked that Ben Line Agencies Philippines was very efficient and professional in assisting the crew’s family and guests, most especially in handling clearance procedures. They are looking forward to more Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ships to call other ports around the Philippines.

At the bridge, Capt. Sindre Borsheim (Voyager’s Master) and officers from Asian Terminals Inc. and Philippine Ports Authority and Ben Line Agencies Philippines Cruise Ops team during the Welcome and Plaque Exchange Ceremony.

Ben Line Agencies Indonesia Compliance Poster Competition

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Contestant winners: Michael Target from the Jakarta office, Suci Ramadhani from the Medan office.

In line with Ben Line Agencies commitment to improving awareness and adherence to all matters related to compliance, our Indonesia office recently held a nationwide poster competition that was open to all staff. An orientation of compliance and HSEQ policies is part of the induction program for new hires, followed by regular training, conducted by our compliance officer.

The two winning posters have been printed and distributed to all offices across the country, and will serve as a daily reminder to all our teams, as well as everyone who visits our offices of the importance of compliance to our daily activity as we strive to execute all our activities in accordance with local country regulations, and Ben Line’s own policies.