Life of Guangzhou - TGC Awards $80m Contract to GZ Wenchong Shipyard

Transworld Group of Companies (TGC), an international leader in providing total logistics and shipping solutions, announced that it has recently awarded a USD 80 million (AED 294 million) shipbuilding contract to Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard (GWS) in a ceremony held at the company's headquarters in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. The move is in line with the group's aim to strengthen its fleet to address the growing demand for sea cargo transportation and fully leverage the booming shipping and maritime industry in the region.

The contract, which was signed by top-ranking company officials including S. Ramakrishnan, Chairman, TGC; He Fang, Deputy Director, China Shipbuilding Trading Company; and Yin Xueming, Chairman, GWS; outlines the delivery of two feeder container vessels that are ideally suited for container feeder trade. Also present at the ceremony was H.E. Venu Rajamony, Consul General of India in Dubai.

The 175-metre ships are custom-built with two 45 SWL cranes and are designed with a maximum capacity of 1740 teu and speed limit of up to 21 knots. The vessels are fully compliant with requirements at different ports, and are particularly suited for TGC's primary operations, which comprise the short sea routes that provide a weekly connection for container trade from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Colombo, and the Middle East to Hub ports in Jebel Ali, Colombo, and Singapore.

"With the trade growth in the Middle East region growing six to seven per cent annually due to the emergence of shipping powerhouses such as India, which has registered 11 per cent growth this year, we can expect more increases in business activities within the region, thereby fuelling the need for efficient logistics and shipping solutions, which has seen an exponential growth within the past years," said S. Ramakrishnan, Chairman, TGC. "To be able to address the ever-increasing requirements and demands of the regional trade, we have commissioned Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard to work on the single largest order placed by our company this year, which will boost our fleet to comprise a total of 24 state-of-the-art vessels by 2011."

The rapid surge in sea and air freight movement in Dubai has geared the emirate towards becoming a major distribution and transhipment hub to serve destinations in India, Middle East, Africa and Europe. This phenomenal development has paved the way for the creation of Dubai Logistics City (DLC), a free zone platform, which offers state-of-the-art infrastructure and services to serve such large-scale ports-based trade activities. Upon its completion in 2009, DLC will directly link seaports to the airport, providing a quick connection for sea-air cargo. In addition, the terminals in Dubai Ports are also undertaking significant infrastructural improvements to address the growth in traffic, which ports officials have projected to reach 20 million teu by 2010.

"As a result of the rapid growth of container trade in the region, it is only a matter of time before expansions within ports/terminals and the emergence of a dedicated multi-phase development for integrated logistics within the region begins to occur. We are optimistic that these developments will increase the efficiency across the industry, thereby saving our customers valuable time and resources through the timely delivery of their goods. We are looking forward to reaping the benefits of trade-friendly initiatives such as these, as we continue towards strengthening our own operational resources," concluded Ramakrishnan.

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