 |
| N Sankar, Chairman, the Sanmar Group, greets
Torm Erik Klaveness, Chairman, Bulkhandling, Oslo, at the Pool
Meet. |
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| The visitors were treated to a taste of Indian
culture. |
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| One big happy family. |
 |
| A meeting of minds. |
|
| A pool is a joint effort where a limited number
of relatively small ship-owners bring their fleet together to
form one large pool of ships, and market them as a single commercial
brand. The large size of the pool would enable the owners to
develop a significant brand image, command market share and
presence, negotiate large contracts of affreightment, and benefit
from economies of scale. At the same time, with technical and
operational control remaining with the individual owners, they
could maintain optimum control, flexibility and response to
change in a way that only small companies could do. |
| Torvald Klaveness, a shipping major from Norway,
formed such a pool called the “Bulkhandling Pool”, which Sanmar
Shipping joined in 1996. The Bulkhandling Pool leveraged on
this “win-win” concept and Sanmar, has contributed in no small
way, to its success. With twelve partners from all parts of
the globe including Japan, Greece, the UK, India, Norway, United
Arab Emirates and Turkey, the Bulkhandling Pool controls 37
ships and is a formidable force in the world of dry bulk cargo
shipping. Every six months, the owners or representatives of
the pool meet together to take stock of what has gone by and
review what lies ahead. |
| This year, Sanmar Shipping hosted the pool
meeting which was held on 21st and 22nd October, 2002, at the
idyllic locale of The Taj Fisherman’s Cove at Covelong Beach
on the outskirts of Chennai. |
| The meeting involved deliberations by the
best minds in the industry from around the world. The diverse
partners discussed matters of future strategy, exchanged their
views on their study of the markets, ironed out any minor differences
of opinion and finally agreed on a roadmap for the short and
long term. |
| The delegates were treated to a wonderful
cultural mural and dinner hosted by N Sankar, Chairman of the
Sanmar Group. All the international visitors were given a taste
of Indian hospitality and cuisines. When the curtains were brought
down on the night of the 21st, all the delegates were given
a warm farewell. From the feedback we have received, they have
not yet stopped talking of their sojourn in the land of mystical
cultures and professional managers. |
| By Capt N J Nair, General Manager-Operations,
Sanmar Shipping. |
|
