As one of the world’s biggest MPP (multi-purpose) shipping companies, Thorco Shipping takes a keen interest and invests heavily in the wind industry. We caught up with the organisation’s CEO, Thomas Mikkelsen, to find out more about the current operations and future plans.
PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Would you like to take this opportunity to explain a little about the company and how you serve the wind industry?
Thomas Mikkelsen: Thorco Shipping is a young and dynamic shipping company engaged in Ship Owning, Commercial Ship Management, Time Charter Operation, Ship Brokering and tailor-made transport solutions.
PES: When did the company decide to diversify into the wind market? Has the sector lived up to your expectations?
TM: We have always focussed on the wind market, which always has been and remains an important market within the MPP industry.
PES: We note that yours is a truly international business. Which regions are performing strongly for you right now?
TM: Asia and Europe are our main areas since we started, however over the last two years South America and, recently, North America are both markets that are performing very strongly for us.
PES: What was your involvement with the recent consignment for the Chilean wind park?
TM: We have counted several projects in the area. As a part of our strategy to be close to clients and the local market, we established an office in Chile at the end of last year. We have through our office in Santiago seen/received (and already fixed) various turbine cargoes linked to the Chilean turbine park. We are still very positive about the South American turbine market and particularly in Brazil we are keeping a very close eye on this segment.
PES: Your fleet list is extensive. Which are typically employed to transport turbine components and how are they equipped to carry out this task?
TM:In principle, all our ships is fitted to carry turbine cargoes – we do not have a special part of our fleet that is specially made for windmills. However, turbines and related cargo (nacelles/turbine, etc.) is very different with special lengths, weights, and so on. Therefore, it does make sense to have a flexible fleet
PES: There has been some organisational change at executive level in recent months. How will this enable you to serve your customers more effectively?
TM:Correct – after a successful merger with Clipper it was time to change our management level (although not so as to serve our customers more effectively, as we feel we are already doing what we can). That being said, while we cannot do better in this regard, we feel that with regard to the opportunities we are presented with, it was in our company’s best interest to improve the management level.
PES: Similarly, the newly-merged company is just over a year old. Has it been a successful pairing?
TM:Yes very much – with a fleet of more than 100 ships we are now one of the leading MPP carriers/operators in the world. With a big fleet ranging from 5,000 dwat up to 20,000 dwat, we are now able to service our clients with a flexible fleet. On top of this, being a bigger company allows us to justify various support functions such as HSEQ dept., naval architects, port captains, etc. This is now all within our company after the merger – we can offer a service which few other carriers can.
PES: If you could pick one, what is the defining advantage of Thorco Shipping over its competitors?
TM: Thorco is a young, flexible and dynamic company. We understand our clients and understand that in this segment, and especially in turbines, the need for a flexible counterpart is very important. On top of this, we have invested a lot of money in support functions and having experienced port captains/cargo planners employed to make sure that we can offer clients the best possible support in handling their cargoes.
PES: Is security ever an issue in the parts of the world in which you operate?
TM: I assume you mean security onboard the vessel? We use security when passing Gulf of Aden and in certain areas in West Africa.
PES: Just how competitive is your corner of the wind market? Would it be fair to say that it’s an area that’s set to grow still further?
TM:We are confident that the turbine market will continue to be a very important segment within our industry and we expect also that this will continue to grow.
PES: What are your thoughts about prospects for the long term with regard to your organisation, and the wind industry in general?
TM: Our strategy is to maintain our role as a leading company within our segment. Our aim is to maintain a modern/big fleet serving clients worldwide. We wish to maintain a global network of own offices to service clients locally as well. As to the wind industry, this falls very well into above comments as to strategy.
We will continue to focus and invest in the wind energy industry and have special focus on this segment through dedicated staff to give clients the best possible service and feedback.
From China to Chile
An important shipment with modular pieces for a wind park that will be installed in Chile’s central region has recently docked at San Antonio’s Puerto Central, on board the Thorco Denmark vessel, coming from the Chinese port of Nangtong.
The cargo, being transported in a full charter multipurpose vessel, took some 50 hours to unload, and it included a total of five windmills, each made up of four tower sections, three blades, the wind turbine rotor cover and the main rotor axis (nacelle), all of which reaches a total of 20,000 cubic metres and 2,000 tons.
Michael Dragsbaek, Managing Director of Thorco Shipping Chile, which began operating directly in Chile last November, said: “This is the first complete wind park that we have brought to Puerto Central in a full charter vessel for our customer DHL Global Forwarding.”
The executive also explained that the company “expects to generate regular traffic by bringing in a ship from the Orient once a month, a second one from Northern Europe and, finally, a third one from the Mediterranean.” In fact, he said as requested “the ship that will come from the Mediterranean has already set sail with the Chilean coast as its final destination.”
The company is developing this sector of the business in coordination with several company offices.
Michael Dragsbaek highlighted that, “Until before last November our operations in the South American west coast were Rio de Janeiro office, now our Chilean office opens new business opportunities for us. This type of shipment is our company’s specialty, along with different types of project cargo. In the case of Chile, specifically, we are also interested in aiming at mining and energy project cargo.”
