A COMPANY FOR ALL SEASONS

There are no seasons here at Marfret! It's summer in Marseilles but the middle of winter in Oceania, globalization or no globalization!    

In southern Europe, business activity drops off sharply in summer. In August, it's even a month-long siesta! The introduction of the 35-hour working week and days off in lieu have lessened the effect of the annual summer closure in France, with our countrymen now taking shorter breaks spaced out throughout the year. In Italy however, factories continue to shut down for almost a month, causing sea freight volumes to plunge.

This year, the low season effect will be exacerbated by Ramadan, the Muslim fast due to take place throughout the month of August. It just so happens that, due to the "Arab Spring", the Algerian economy had already slowed down. May, June and July have seen little activity; in August, our forecast load factors are poor and the port of Marseilles' trade with this zone is sure to plunge. read more

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TARRAGONA STOP-OFF

Some freight is worth taking a detour for… The Ro-Ro vessel Marfret Niolon, which plies the route between Marseilles and Algiers and Mostaganem in Algeria, made an exceptional port call at Tarragona's Carport Terminal on 6th July last. The read more

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YACHTS HITCH A RIDE

When yachts can't be bothered moving under their own sail, Marfret steps in and gives them a ride! The shipping of yachts from one continent to another has become a fully-fledged activity for the company with ever-frequent consignments. read more

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BRAZIL FRUIT SEASON LOOKS PROMISING

The fruits season is about to kick off in Brazil and will continue through to January. This is an extremely busy period for export shipments from Brazil and of prime importance for our South America - Europe line. read more

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REEFER CAPACITY BOOSTED

Marfret has increased its refrigerated container capacity on its South America-Europe line. Last year, the line carried 1100 40' reefer containers between Fortaleza and Natal. read more

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ALGERIA: TOWARDS AN EASING OF IMPORT REGULATIONS?

After a tightening of import restrictions in 2009 and 2010, there now seems to be a wind of change blowing in Algeria, with a more lenient Supplementary Finance Act announced for 2011. As a long-time vector of Franco-Algerian trade, Marfret is thus looking forward to re-conquering the market.    

A side-effect of the "Algerian Spring"? "Since the start of the year, pressured by the Algerian business community and the need to develop the Algerian economy, we have seen the government ease regulations slightly, with the announcement of the end of documentary credits for pieces for manufacturing purposes," points out Guillaume Robert, in charge of Marfret's Algeria branch.

The compulsory use of documentary credit imposed two years ago has severely impacted company cash flow, with a portion of the sums being frozen in a bank account. The government's new tack should start to take effect within the next few weeks when the Supplementary Finances Act is passed. read more

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"PORT STATE CONTROL" HERALDS NEW SHIP INSPECTION CRITERIA

Since 1st January 2011, vessels have been subject to a new inspection scheme. According to the terms of the Paris MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on inspection by the port State, inspection visits are now targeted rather than systematic and an overall score is given to the ship owner's fleet.

The twice-yearly inspection of vessels is now a thing of the past… Since 1st January this year, the date the new rules came into effect, inspections in the ports of the Paris MoU's 27 signatory states are now carried out at random. The controls are now targeted and are based on the history of inspections by maritime authorities and data held on the ship owner. This information is centralised in the new "Thetis" database shared by all 27 signatory states to the Paris MoU and managed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). To coordinate inspections in the Paris MoU ports, the information system has been merged with the SafeSeaNet* system in the case of EU member states. read more

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MARFRET DEVELOPING ITS MADE-TO-MEASURE OFFER

Marfret's new SMIS (Special Industrial Maritime Services) department will be taking charge of the stevedoring and shipment of more than 4500 tonnes of steel resulting from the dismantling of an old Ariane 4 launch pad from French Guyana to Bilbao.

The story has come full circle. Marfret, which thirty years previously had shipped the entire steel superstructure of the second Ariane launch facility to Kourou in French Guyana for the MAN industrial manufacturer, has just been selected to take charge of the stevedoring and shipping by sea of these components to Europe for DSD Démolition, the company contracted to dismantle the launch pad.

The pad had outlived its useful life by 2003, with a new launch pad suited to the Ariane 5 launcher having taken its place. ELA2 therefore has been dismantled and the steel is to be melted down. Marfret is handling its transfer form French Guyana to Bilbao in Spain. To do this, it is chartering three bulk carriers that will be carrying 1500 tonne loads at a time starting next October, again in November and finally in January 2012. read more

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