Shi.E.L.D. Services eyes Africa, SE Asia for transhipment logistics

July 15, 2019: Shi.E.L.D. Services, a transhipment logistics start-up is planning to develop new opportunities all over the world with a particular focus on Africa and South East Asia.

"Barging is still very much an essential part of the shipping industry and despite advances in the ocean and air cargo sectors, it is one of the most economical ways to move almost any kind of cargo. We have built relationships with the major mining groups in Europe, Africa, South America and Asia for the last 40 years through Coeclerici and we have been able to maintain those relationships as we have kept the same team together at Shi.E.L.D. Services," said Corrado Cuccurullo, CEO and Founder of Shi.E.L.D.

Launched in 2018 and born out of Coeclerici Logistics, Shi.E.L.D.'s model is to take ownership of each project, working directly with mining companies and importers of raw materials such as power stations and factories. Currently, many of the producers and importers own the vessels and manage the technical and crewing in-house.

With more than 30 years in naval architecture and barge transshipment, Cuccurullo is optimistic about the future of the specialist services they offer.

"Wherever there are depth restrictions alongside major bulk exporting regions there is an opportunity to use transshipment facilities. We see transshippers as an integral part of the port loading and unloading process and with careful planning, we can optimise offshore loading performance," he added.

"Our expertise is in all aspects of technical and crew management for transhippers and we believe that we can improve the performance of each vessel, driving down costs and increasing profitability. We can offer an integrated solution, so our customers can outsource all aspects of the transshipment operation to us, including design, supervision during construction or conversion and on-site management," said Cuccurullo.

The management team can all boast a wealth of experience through decades of working with Coeclerici Logistics and that continuity has provided the company with a good platform to further develop their business potential.

Currently, the company is engaged in several projects in Indonesia including four floating transfer stations owned by ABL Logistics and one floating transfer station owned by Transcoal Pacific. The vessels can handle 50,000 tonnes of coal day and are all equipped with heavy-duty cranes and conveyor systems.

Another project is the design for the conversion of a 57,000 deadweight tonnage (dwt) supramax vessel into a floating transshipment platform for deployment in Guinea for the bauxite trade.

Shi.E.L.D. Services is also working for RINA Consulting on a logistics project in Pakistan for the importation of coal for a newly built coal-fired power plant near Karachi.

Projects the team have managed in the past include transhipping coal from Maracaibo Lake in Venezuela; designing and managing two sophisticated custom-built supramaxes in Africa, which enabled the transportation of coal from shore to an anchorage 25 kilometres offshore to load onto the ocean going vessels as well as projects in Italy and Russia.