London, UK, Monday 17th October, 2016. Navigator Gas, one of the largest LPG vessel operators in the world has recently signed up to use ShipServ for all its procurement activities.

The London-headquartered company recently took its ship management activities in-house based out of its Polish office in Gdynia and is now managing three vessels from Poland.

The procurement tools and services available to Navigator Gas include ShipServ’s SpotSource and Supplier Recommendations service.  The LPG operator will also use ShipServ’s range of purchasing KPIs based on the trading activities of over 9000 vessels.

Navigator Gas is connected to ShipServ via its ABS NS5 enterprise software suite.

Frederik Krause, VP of Sales for ShipServ said:

“We are delighted to sign one of the leading LPG operators to our platform.  With a new in-house team set up to manage the vessels, we are able to assist Navigator Gas in ensuring that they have access to key business intelligence as they move vessels to in-house management.”

Joanna Dziegielewska, Senior Technical Buyer for Navigator Gas said:

“ShipServ allows us to automate our entire procurement platform and allows us to get a full overview of our procurement metrics in one simple interface. We can also make savings through its new spend management tools.”

ShipServ already has a number of leading gas vessel operators using its platform including BW Fleet Management, Epic Ship Management, K Line LNG Shipping and NYK LNG Shipmanagement.

—ends—

About Navigator Gas

Navigator Gas is a global leader in seaborne transportation of liquefied gases. They play a vital role in the liquefied gas supply chain. Their sophisticated vessels provide an efficient and reliable floating pipe line connecting producers and end users. They have a modern and versatile fleet.

About ShipServ

ShipServ is the largest e-marketplace for the marine, oil and gas industries, connecting purchasers (shipowners, managers, yards and oil rigs) with suppliers of spares, stores and anything else that is used on a ship. In 2015, ShipServ facilitated US$2.6bn of annual trade from over 200 buying companies, managing over 9,000 vessels and trading with over 60,000 suppliers in over 100 countries around the world.

For buyers, ShipServ works with existing ship management software and helps shipowners, managers and yards to reduce operating costs by enabling seamless trading with maritime suppliers globally.

For suppliers, ShipServ offers effective solutions to build their brands, get more RFQs, improve their quoting efficiency and increase their win rate with purchasers worldwide.

For more information visit:  www.shipserv.com.

Media enquiries:

For ShipServ: Rayana Choudhary: rchoudhary@shipserv.com  +44 (0) 203 051 0266

To see all ShipServ’s recent media releases in one place, please see: http://www.shipserv.com/news

New Jersey, USA, Wednesday 25th August, 2016. ShipServ, the leading procurement platform for the marine industry, has built further on its trusted position in the cruise sector with the signing of one of the world’s leading cruise operators, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) operates 24 cruise vessels under three leading cruise brands including Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have been ShipServ clients since 2010 and, in 2016, NCLH chose to expand the use of the procurement platform to cover all the brands in the group.

The cruise operator will take particular advantage of ShipServ’s transaction efficiency solution, sourcing tools and range of business intelligence/ purchasing benchmark KPIs based on the trading activities of over 8000 vessels.

NCLH connects to ShipServ via SpecTec AMOS 9.2 and went live on the expanded procurement platform in May 2016.

Mikael Weis, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for ShipServ said:

“We are delighted to welcome such a prestigious cruise operator as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and to assist them in automating their entire procurement process allowing them to have a single procurement platform across all three of their cruise brands.”

Olivier Buton, Senior Director, Technical Purchasing & Strategic Alliances for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. said:

“With all three of our brands in the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings group now using the ShipServ platform, we have standardised procurement plus have the added benefit of using ShipServ’s features to provide us with key business KPIs to monitor our procurement activity.”

—ends—

About Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: NCLH) is a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands.

With a combined fleet of 24 ships with approximately 46,500 berths, these brands offer itineraries to more than 510 destinations worldwide. The Company will introduce four additional ships through 2020.

Norwegian Cruise Line is an innovator in cruise travel with a history of breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising, most notably with the introduction of “Freestyle Cruising,” which revolutionized the industry by giving guests more freedom and flexibility. Norwegian Cruise Line offers The Haven by Norwegian, a luxury enclave with suites, private pools and dining, concierge service and personal butlers. Oceania Cruises offers an unrivaled vacation experience that features the finest cuisine at sea and innovative epicurean enrichment programs.  Its fleet of intimate and luxurious ships sails on destination-rich itineraries that span the globe.  Regent Seven Seas Cruises is the world’s most inclusive luxury cruise line. The line’s fares include all-suite accommodations, round-trip air, highly personalized service, acclaimed cuisine, fine wines and spirits, Wi-Fi, sightseeing excursions in every port, all gratuities, and a pre-cruise luxury hotel package for those guests staying in concierge and higher suites.

About ShipServ

ShipServ is a procurement platform that connects buyers in the marine industry (ship owners, managers, yards and oil rigs) with over 60,000 suppliers of spares, stores and anything else that is used on a ship.

In addition to servicing bulk, tank, and other marine segments, ShipServ has a number of leading cruise operators using its platform including Carnival Australia, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Star Cruises and Windstar.

In 2015, ShipServ facilitated $2.6bn of annual trade from over 200 buying companies managing over 9000 vessels and trading with over 60,000 suppliers in over 100 countries around the world.

For buyers, ShipServ works with existing ship management software and helps ship owners, managers and yards to reduce vessel operating costs by enabling seamless trading with maritime suppliers globally.

For suppliers: ShipServ offers an effective way to sell and market in the marine industry.

For more information, visit:  www.shipserv.com.

Media enquiries:

For Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings: publicrelations@ncl.com +1 (305) 436-4713

For ShipServ: Rayana Choudhary: rchoudhary@shipserv.com +44 (0) 2030510266

To see all ShipServ’s recent media releases in one place, please see: http://www.shipserv.com/news

As we are all aware, shipowners, operators and shipmanagers face unprecedented pressures to improve operational efficiency, act more sustainably and maximise revenues. Furthermore, Purchasing Managers are expected to manage the supply chain and negotiate the price of supply and drive up competition where necessary. All within the context of a commercial environment defined by low margins and little liquidity.

Over the past few years, with the increase in digital technology spend we have seen how this has helped to alleviate these pressures; improvements in high-speed connectivity, clean technologies and an exponential growth in business data and intelligence.

With this in mind, a collective group of experts from across the industry including shipowners/managers: Rickmers Shipmanagement, OSM Ship Management, Berge Bulk, NYK, AET, Wellard, service providers: HanseaticSoft, ShipNet and major ship suppliers such as Cobham SATCOM, Schneider Electric, Edwardo Marine and RS Components brought their own viewpoints on a range of topics from the changing role of procurement, reducing OPEX with smarter procurement, future spending trends across types and product categories, the future of supply chain, the impact of IoT, connectivity software and cyber-security and much more.

Rickmers Shipmanagement’s Vice President for Procurement, Saurish Nandi, reflected that challenging times meant adopting new approaches to manage procurement ‘up and down’ the value chain. At the heart of the changes is a policy to allow ships to maintain contact with suppliers directly and participate in the purchasing process, where once both ship and vendor had to work via the office. He also commented on how traditional methods resulted in wasted time and inefficiencies on processes which can now be automated and streamlined.

Mr Nandi said that the effects of enabling the ships to take greater control of the procurement process has proved to deliver tangible bottom line improvements with processes that used to take up to two days of admin are quicker and more efficient and with every step in the value chain now more visible and transparent, they can, over time, show a reduction of manpower hours and administration.

The Smart Procurement event didn’t limit its future focus just to the purchaser side. In fact, the afternoon session on the supply chain offered valuable insight that technology is changing this business too.

One area of advancement that has the potential to transform procurement and supply in shipping is the rapidly developing world of 3D printing.

Shane Lee, Sales Manager for RS Components noted that there are multiple uses for 3D printing in the maritime industry using materials that could be easily stored on board ships. The opportunity to save costs has led some analysts to predict that the oil and gas industry alone could be using 10% 3D printed components by 2019.

Hyundai Heavy Industries has predicted cost savings from 3D printing of close to $2bn annually and Maersk has said it could save an average of $5000 per parts if they are printed locally.

While 3D printing doesn’t come without its challenges, including the strength and durability of current materials, the need for digital infrastructure assets and IP protection, RS Components fully expect an increase for this in the maritime sector going forward.

Schneider Electric’s Raphael Henri described a second revolution: the growth of the internet of things. In addition to greater electricity demand on board, the growing connection of ships to shore was creating “a convergence of operational and optimisation technology and creation of an energy and automation architecture”.

Containerships hold ‘untapped’ energy efficiency items and by his calculation, condition based-maintenance and digitised services could save an owner one dry dock out of three over 15 years of operation.

Henri said Schneider was working on its first two newbuilding IoT projects but said the process was only just picking up steam.

“This is something we are pushing to owners to help them understand what they can get from the technology. It’s starting to come in newbuildings and owners are taking the next step. Shipyards can still be reluctant and it needs all stakeholders to be educated by the user.”

And retrofits are not out of the question. Another project is focused on maintenance for switchgear on an existing vessel, adding additional devices to monitor temperature. “It’s time, cost and risk but by comparison with current ways of working, if you can measure temperature you can remove many of the items you need to check.”

For the ship supplier themselves, the challenges are more prosaic. 3D printing might sound exciting but the chandler has to focus on customer satisfaction according to Edwardo Marine’s Welly Samir. “Each transaction has two customers; the purchaser looks for price, on board they look for quality and supplier looks for a profit. To make all come true is a big challenge. You lose communication with clients if you only quote the cheapest.”

The supplier panel was provocatively titled, ‘should we leave it to the robots?’ and though the answer is clearly no, the impact of automation is being felt. Lee said there would always be processes that need human touch though for lower value process the robots could take over.

“The Corporate HQ and the crew are two different worlds, reminded Henri. “They are very practical people onboard and owners say let’s step slowly. We need to show concrete results and demonstrate value. When we do that we can show them things they couldn’t imagine before.”

So perhaps Edwardo should be most worried about this automation technology trend as it risks removing the ability to shape products and service. He observed that what technology had done was to ‘move us from buying to shopping’ – automation had enabled buyers to select against exact requirements, while shopping enabled them to browse for more widely.

But doesn’t 3D printing or reduced intervention present a clear threat to a business which depends on physical sales? Apparently not.

“We can’t make spares from 3D yet but maybe we will in a couple of years. It’s a good opportunity for the smaller suppliers, to save time, save logistics and take the chance, it levels the playing field for a smaller supplier.”

Smart Procurement 2016 proved for another year to be informative, insightful and though-provoking, the ideal event for the industry’s senior executives and inspirational speakers.

If you would like further information about how you can participate in ShipServ’s next Smart Procurement event, please email: marketing@shiperv.com

SMM is more than just a trade fair – it is where people from all sectors of the maritime industry come together. And to make sure that everyone can keep abreast of developments in their field, SMM has dedicated one-day events to specific sectors and issues.

Action-packed with conferences, dialogue sessions, workshops and presentations by key speakers – the programme highlights underscore SMM’s commitment to the maritime industry.

For purchasers, ShipServ will be showcasing how it works with existing ship management software and helps shipowners, managers and yards to cut OPEX in categories such as spares and stores, reduce cycle times by 30%, plus gain access to vital data intelligence.

For suppliers to the industry, ShipServ will be demonstrating how they can win more orders with purchasers through a set of solutions which help to increase brand awareness, get more RFQs and improve their quote and win rate.

To discuss your requirements as a purchaser or a supplier, please visit ShipServ at stand no: A1.103

The age profile of the containership has changed significantly in the last ten years as the fleet swelled with new tonnage. However, the dire state of the container market is having a significant downward influence on the age containerships being sold for scrap. In April 2016, the 2002-built, 5,447-teu Post-Panamax Containership Conti Taipei was sold for scrap, and this was not a one-off event. There have been three other 2002-built Post-Panamax Containerships sold in the last six months, according to VesselsValue.

The current containership fleet age profile by number of vessels shows a distinct peak in the eight to 10-years old age range. These peaks are mainly in the Post-Panamax, Panamax and Feedermax sectors.

However, a different picture emerges when the age profile of the containership fleet is split by value. As might be expected, the younger vessels have higher values. The ULCV fleet dominates values in the orderbook side of the fleet, as relatively few other types have been ordered. The sharp drop after ten-years old might be seen as an indicator that the scrapping age might fall below 20-years old in years to come.

This will obviously impact the buying decisions in procurement departments in terms of genuine vs non-genuine spare parts as a vessel will only need three special surveys rather than the traditional four or even five.

VesselsValue is the world’s leading mapping, ship search and valuation provider to find out more visit www.vesselsvalue.com

ShipServ is pleased to announce its new initiative to improve transparency in the supply of spare parts by providing standard definitions for the quality level of a product.

One of the big issues for a marine purchaser has always been the myriad of definitions for the quality level of a product.

To address this, ShipServ is now allowing all suppliers to clarify the level of quality that they are offering on each quote with the following levels:

• Genuine – supplied in compliance with the Maker’s specification and has all the applicable maker’s markings and documentation.

• OEM – same physical part as that which would be provided from the maker, but without maker markings and documentation.

• Compatible – different source of manufacture but full compatibility is being claimed.

For purchasers sending RFQs to suppliers via their existing purchasing systems, suppliers will be able to specify the quality level of a product.

For those purchasers using ShipServ’s spend management solutions such as SpotSource and Spend Benchmarking the quality level is a mandatory field.

To view our current spares quality level definitions, please click on image below to view full size table.

If you have any questions about our definitions please contact support@shipserv.com

ShipServ, the world’s leading maritime e-marketplace, today announced that leading OEM Caterpillar Motoren GmbH, under its MaK brand, is utilising the ShipServ Brand and Verification solution to optimise its brand presence online, grow market share and ensure the quality and integrity of its products within the aftermarket.

MaK is a leading manufacturer of high performing medium speed marine engines and supports its customers by supplying original and genuine spare parts through a network of independent distributors in over 20 global locations.

By using ShipServ’s Brand Zone and Verification solution, Caterpillar Marine ensures that customers can find OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) original spare parts and service from approved sources. This maintains the quality of service, performance and overall reliability of their products, reducing risk and minimising downtime. The MaK Brand Zone on the ShipServ platform provides Caterpillar Marine with a web-based location that is dedicated to its marine products. Customers can find details of all approved MaK distributors, which are elevated to the top of search results, further increasing the visibility of the MaK brand.

Brand Verification provides MaK with approval and auditing capabilities, which ensures that purchasers and customers can easily find their authorised MaK distributor. ShipServ supports MaK’s network of authorised distributors to build premium profiles on its platform to ensure that specific search words and content are in line with MaK’s brand positioning.

Gavin Menzies, Product Support Consultant, MaK commented:

“The shipping industry is cyclical, where vessels continually change ownership and are often managed by third parties. From MaK’s perspective, we need to be able to serve both new and old customers, and look after and protect their assets on a continual basis.

“Using ShipServ’s Brand Zone ensures that MaK is easily visible with a strong brand, where current and new customers can find us, and where our authorised distributors are cohesively collected into one area. Critically, our customers can have real confidence that all the products that they procure are genuine, original and sourced through our manufacturing facility in Kiel, Germany, always living up to MaK’s high performance standards for which we are known.”

Carsten Schmidt, Vice President, Supplier Solutions, EMEA, ShipServ, said:

“The aftermarket is clearly a critical source of revenue for OEMs. With such a huge breadth of products it is not only important to increase their online brand presence, but also to maintain control of who supplies their spare parts. MaK, as well as other OEM customers, is taking a progressive approach in identifying this significant opportunity to increase market share and seize further competitive advantage. They are looking to ShipServ and our Brand and Verification solution to manage and grow their brands online, while also ensuring continual excellence in service and product integrity.”

Schmidt concluded: “We are confident that our Brand and Verification solution will deliver significant and tangible results for OEMs. This will be based on a benchmark of what has been transacted in the past, versus future incremental sales of spare parts, which will be analysed on a quarterly basis for each company.”

London, September 16, 2015. ShipServ, the leading marine and offshore e-marketplace, with an expected annual trade of $3bn in 2015, is pleased to announce that Donald Anderson has joined its board of directors as an independent non-executive director.

“Donald has vast experience working for and advising the world’s leading ship management and marine services companies and we are absolutely delighted to tap in to his broad and substantial knowledge. He will provide critical strategic advice in supporting the next phase of ShipServ’s growth and development strategy,” said Paul Ostergaard, CEO and founder of ShipServ.

As an Advisor to the Board of Univan Ship Management, Mr. Anderson played a central role in the recently announced merger with Anglo Eastern, creating one of the world’s leading ship management groups.

Mr Anderson was previously Group CEO at V.Ships Group where he oversaw an ambitious growth phase and two private equity management buyouts.

“I am delighted to join the board of ShipServ and help them in their future growth. They have been at the forefront of the digital revolution in shipping over the last 15 years and have helped change the marine procurement landscape by bringing down operating costs for shipowners and managers. I look forward to working with their innovative and very experienced management team in their quest to continue to grow and develop further, ” said Mr Anderson.

ShipServ has over 200 shipping companies and shipmanagers currently trading on its e-marketplace with 58,000 suppliers including leading ship management companies Anglo-Eastern, Columbia, Thome and Wilhelmsen Ship Management.

Paul Ostergaard, Stuart May, David Hardy, James Simpson, Attila Olbrich, Attila Nemeth, Elvir Leonard, Nehal Patel, Mark Warner, Robin Sinclair and Rayana Choudhary completed the one-day challenge as a team on Saturday 20^th June 2015.

The money raised in taking on this challenge will go towards Heart Research UK, a British charity which primarily spends its funds on medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. Two such conditions Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) and Hypertension have been cited by Nautilus International as particular health hazards for seafarers aboard merchant marine vessels often brought on by long working hours and difficult conditions. ShipServ hopes that steps forward in research boosted by their fundraising will benefit individuals across the seafaring community, and the world, as well as their home in the UK.

ShipServ, Founder and CEO, Paul Ostergaard commented: “Despite the weather being typically English, misty, cloudy and rainy, on the day the 11 of us worked together as a great team and were really spurred on by the cause. The last peak of the day, Ingleborough, was the steepest and we had already been walking for nine or ten hours, it was really tough after a long day but we pushed through and although it tested all of our abilities, our stamina and our determination, it was a really rewarding day. ”

In July 2014 a team of three ShipServ employees completed the 24 Peak Challenge in the Lake District National Park to raise money for Seafarers UK. The company intends that these charity challenges continue on an annual basis with the challenge and charity for 2016 yet to be decided.

Singapore, June 30, 2015. ShipServ, the leading marine and offshore marketplace with an expected annual trade of $3bn in 2015, has cemented its position in Asia with the opening of a new office in Singapore.

The office will be managed by ShipServ’s VP of Sales & General Manager, Singapore, Sharon Gill and will be open for business from July 1^st.

“We are very excited to get much closer to one of the biggest and most vibrant shipping markets in the world and will look to increase our already substantial customer base in the region,” said Kim Skaarup, Chief Operating Officer of ShipServ.

Singaporean owners, managers and shipyards currently using ShipServ include Keppel Shipyard, Thome Ship Management, EMAS AMC, MOL Shipmanagement and American Eagle Tankers.  There are also 4000 Singaporean suppliers on the platform.

“The MPA and the SSA have been big advocates of innovation in shipping and with an established and growing user base in Singapore, it was a natural fit to set up this office,” said Ms Gill.

ShipServ also has offices in London, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, USA and the Philippines with local agents in Japan, Brazil and Croatia.