Ron Widdows takes his place in International Maritime Hall of Fame
RONALD (Ron) Widdows, CEO of Rickmers Group and Rickmers-Linie, has been inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the global maritime industry.

"I am truly honoured to be selected for this prestigious award and am delighted to accept," said Mr Widdows. "It has been a privilege to be involved in such an interesting and dynamic industry and to work with so many fine colleagues over the years."

Mr Widdows was one of six awarded the honour in a ceremony in New York. Other inductees included Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, former chairman of AP Moller-Maersk (posthumous award) and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The board of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York & New Jersey created the awards, now in their 20th year, "to honour those maritime visionaries who, through excellence in their company, organisation or services, best exemplify the qualities of futuristic thinking that will guide our industry in the 21st century."

Mr Widdows, who joined Rickmers in February 2012, is a former CEO of Singapore's NOL/APL and has more than 40 years' experience in the shipping industry. He is currently the chairman of the World Shipping Council, which is based in Washington DC, and is on the Advisory Boards of the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, and the International Transport Forum, based in Europe. He is a past chairman of the Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement.

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Kenneth Cambie resigns as OOIL chief financial officer from June 1
HONG KONG's Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL), parent of OOCL, has announced that its chief financial officer Kenneth Cambie has given notice and will leave the company on June 1 to pursue other career interests.

Mr Cambie, 51, is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a Masters of Commerce degree from Auckland University. He will be succeeded by acting CFO Alan Tung, 45, who has a Princeton BA in politics.

Mr Cambie was appointed as director of OOIL/OOCL and CFO in 2007. He was appointed a member of the OOCL executive committee since 2011. Mr Cambie holds a B Comm from Auckland University. Mr Cambie joined the group in 2007 and has served the company for five years.

He joined the company following a 20-year career with Citibank. His last position with Citibank was as director, transportation, Asia Pacific Corporate Banking based in Hong Kong.

Before coming to Hong Kong in 2001, Mr Cambie was the corporate banking head for Citibank, New Zealand for seven years and had also spent several years with the bank in Australia in corporate banking and leveraged finance roles.


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GAC opens new offshore logistics supply base in Caspian Sea region
GAC Turkmenistan has officially opened its new Offshore Supply Base and Logistics Support Centre in the Port of Turkmenbashi.

It has been developed in partnership with the Turkmenistan government to generate business for local service support companies, and offer employment and training opportunities in the state.

The company is responsible for all development costs and the entire infrastructure, as built, will revert to the people of Turkmenistan upon expiry of the long-term lease.

"This new Turkmenbashi base is proof of GAC's long-term commitment to Turkmenistan and its people, offering an encouraging and stable business environment in which to operate," said GAC general manager Gerry Rowlands.

To mark the occasion an official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the presence of President and Deputy Minister of State Maritime and River Lines Aman Gurdov, GAC Group president Bengt Ekstrand and GAC Turkmenistan base manager Oraz Kurbanmuradov.

Built on 11,000 square metres within the port leased from the Ministry of Turkmen Maritime and River Lines, the base has a waterfront and main road access. Facilities include clear water access, cargo lay down and storage areas, warehouse facilities and an energy centre supplying backup power and heat facilities.

The company said in a statement that the new base is designed to enhance the speed and safety of its marine and logistics services for the offshore sector operating in the Caspian Sea region, with particular emphasis on the oil and gas industry.


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Ex-'K' Line exec Bob Greulich joins Charleston as Far East representative
THE South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has announced that Robert (Bob) Greulich has joined the Port of Charleston as its new sales representative responsible for marketing the port's marine terminals to shippers and ocean carriers in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Now based in Hong Kong, the 40-year veteran of the maritime industry most recently served as vice president of international sales for Wan Hai Lines, a Taiwan-based container shipping company.

A native of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, Mr Greulich spent the most of his career at "K" Line, where he worked in various roles in sales and marketing, retiring as director of the carrier's Hong Kong operation.

"I can't think of a better sales professional to represent us in Hong Kong," said John Wheeler, vice president of carrier sales for the SCPA. "Singapore and Hong Kong represent a critically important region for the Port of Charleston's long-range strategic growth, and Bob's expertise and contacts throughout the region will be a tremendous asset."

The SCPA has been actively growing its presence in the Asia trade lane. Last year, the Port of Charleston added two weekly container services in the trade, bringing its total to eight weekly services connecting South Carolina to ports across Asia.

Mr Greulich earned a bachelor's degree in business logistics from Penn State in 1967. He joins the SCPA's team of foreign sales representatives based in Shanghai, Seoul and Mumbai.


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Monika Ribar departs as Panalpina CEO, ex-K+N director to take helm
PANALPINA CEO Monika Ribar will step down at the end of May to make way for Peter Ulber, 53, former director at Kuehne + Nagel, who takes the helm on June 1, said the company in a formal announcement.

Ms Ribar, who in addition to her role as CEO of Panalpina also serves on other company boards, "plans to turn her focus more on these non-executive managerial roles for the foreseeable future", said the announcement.

Ms Ribar has been part of Panalpina management for 22 years and she has led the company as CEO for the past seven years during which "she has developed Panalpina into a global and leading provider of supply chain solutions and introduced a compliance organisation and culture".

Said Panalpina chairman Rudolf Hug: "The board of directors expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation. She has guided the enterprise through one of the most difficult phases of its recent history and successfully geared it towards the new challenges."

"Ribar will hand over her responsibilities to Peter Ulber on June 1, and put her focus on non-executive managerial functions outside of the company going forward," said the announcement.


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