Page 36 - Layout 1

Port and Agency Services

The

service

that

never

sleeps

T

he Port of Singapore is a bustling ships service companies in Singapore “Simply put, a ship cannot dock or
and vital logistics hub, connected harbour, providing every type of service anchor up without the assistance of

to 600 ports in 123 countries, imaginable, from crew changes, the port agents and their boarding
however for Jason Chin, newly bunkering, IT repairs and general officers. Without port agents, there

appointed Ships Agency Manager for supplies to customs and arrival and would be chaos!”

Wilhelmsen Ships Service, working departure reports.”However, despite the world’s global
within the world’s largest transhipment Mr Chin added that with every fleet on the increase, Mr Chin says the

hub is just part of business as usual.boarding officer coordinating on average number of vessels calling at port in
Just a couple of months into his 15 ships per week, it was essential that Singapore has levelled off and this in

appointment, Mr Chin, who joined WSS operations ran as smoothly and itself brings challenges.
in 2006, has taken the helm of a business effectively as possible. The WSS “It’s essential that we can offer a

that handles ships agency services in the Singapore team carries out over 3,700 market-leading service, which
port where, in 2013 alone, just under ships agency services on a yearly basis.differentiates us from local competition.

140,000 ships called – equating to an “Each vessel requires a tremendous By benchmarking our service levels with
average of 380 vessels calling at port amount of preparation and the rest of the WSS network we ensure

every day.coordination before it reaches the that our service quality is world class

He said WSS’s port agents were harbour,” said Mr Chin.and, above all, cost effective.
operating a service that never sleeps: “Whilst an operations manager He added: “A port such as Singapore

“On a typical day, there will be hundreds might board four ships in one day, he will is never closed, and neither are we. Our
of ships waiting at anchorage. Each one have spent many hours beforehand port agents work in a 24/365 operation

will be visited and assisted by boarding preparing for each arrival, while in every sense of the word. In terms of
officers from a variety of companies. simultaneously preparing for the vessels recruitment and training, young

WSS is one of the three most prominentexpected during the following days.Singaporeans are keen to learn the

Issue 63 2014
34 The SHIP Supplier