MEET THE MEMBER – BLUE WATER SHIPPING
This time we take you right next to the port of Turku where Blue Water Shipping have their Road (continent) and Sea freight & Customs clearance office. Erkki Valtonen, the Country Manager, visits here regularly, the company Finnish headquarters being located in Vantaa.
Who are you?
Erkki Valtonen, Country Manager of Blue Water Shipping Finland.
What is your company specialized in?
Blue Water Shipping is a global provider of international logistics and transport services required in a modern supply chain management. Our operations are founded on in-house competences and comprehensive network of partners and sub-contractors.
Our general cargo and special projects departments transport anything between 50 kg and 500 000 tons. We also have freight solutions to the Cruise and Marine industry with 24/7 one-point-of-contact, logistics, warehousing, customs clearance, port agency, stevedoring and crew change services. There are Blue Water offices in all major cruise hubs, and we have our own Cruise & Marine Logistic Network (www.marinelogisticnetwork.com).
Tell us about your clients and other key shareholders or partners? Blue Water Shipping was founded in 1972 in Denmark. We are privately owned with Blue Water Foundation governing the majority of the shares.
Our partner network with own offices and hundreds of local forwarders cover all world and we can serve our customer to/from any country in the world.
Our clients are companies with various types of foreign trade and business; manufacturing, import, export and transit of general cargo as well as of projects or special services.
What services or products do you offer to other YardMate members? In Finland our main services are – General Cargo; Road freight, Air freight, AOG, Sea freight, Courier – Project transports and forwarding – Marine Logistics for Cruise vessels – Government & Defense Logistics (GDL) – Customs services – Terminal & warehousing services.
What are your expectations for YardMate? Our aim is to get in contact with companies dealing with ship building and marine logistics. We can provide these companies with full service based on our long experience and comprehensive network. Our service covers the full logistics chain and we can provide our customers with the most efficient transport method and ensure the correct customs process both at shipyard and in-house.
What are your future needs regarding personnel?
We have a clear target of growing and developing our business in Finland. Investments in resources, including operational and sales staff are part of our plan.
And your needs regarding sub-contractors and partners?
We wish to meet and establish contacts with companies serving the ship building and marine logistics.
We are also always willing to discuss with potential new logistics network partners regarding transportation and forwarding. Please contact Kai Hermiö (Manager Road), +358 40 350 3110 or Ville Sulonen (Head of Air & Sea, Finland), +358 400 38 4430 to discuss your offering.
Anything else you wish to say to us? We look forward to becoming an even more active member of YardMate, to establishing contacts across the network and getting acquainted with professionals of the Cruise and Marine industry.
And so it is! Networking is the key both for YardMate and Blue Water Shipping. In 99.9 % of their transport projects they do not see themselves the actual items transported. Instead, they have an extremely well-functioning partner network and together they enable the full logistics solution. We look forward to seeing how being part of YardMate network benefits Blue Water Shipping’s business!
Photos by Annika Perho