Committed to excellence on the seas (hktdc.com)


	Rob Grool, Wallem Group Managing Director, says Hong Kong offers many advantages

Hong Kong-based Wallem Group Limited, the world's oldest ship management company, will help train future seafarers in Sri Lanka following the launch of a joint venture project in Colombo. The new company, Wallem Lanka (Pvt), offers Sri Lankans aspiring to a professional qualification and career at sea the benefit of international exposure, dealing with international commerce, and transport and technical expertise.

The joint venture is a partnership with local company Dev Engineering. It continues a long association with Sri Lanka for Wallem Group, which started in Shanghai in 1903, before later moving its headquarters to Hong Kong. Today, the group operates 55 offices in 25 countries.

Rob Grool, Wallem Group Managing Director, said Wallem has employed Sri Lankan officers for many years, but always on an agency basis. He added that "Dev" Dewendre, an ex-Wallem chief engineer, has been appointed as Managing Director of Wallem Lanka. "Our company policy when we want to employ more officers from any country is to open our fully owned branch or to form a strategic alliance with known and trusted persons. That is the reason behind this joint venture."

In addition to expanding Wallem's own network, the partnership will bring valuable skill sets to an emerging economy. Mr Grool said the group was committed to sharing its expertise.

Value-added training

"Value-added training has been available to our Sri Lankan officers for a long time, via our Wallem Maritime Training Centre in Mumbai. However, when the number of Sri Lankan officers increases on Wallem-managed ships, it is very well possible that we may also open a training centre in Colombo. We are certainly going to get closer to the maritime academies in Sri Lanka, and offer more career opportunities to Sri Lankan junior officers to earn the highest rank on our managed ships."

The Wallem Group provides clients worldwide with ship management, agency, broking and IT services. Mr Grool believes the group's core strengths are its transparent transaction processes, giving ship-owner clients 24-hour access to their vessels' accounting; an extensive network of agency offices throughout Asia; and combining IT skills with maritime knowledge to offer clients valuable solutions.

Wallem's Hong Kong office opened in 1925, and became the group headquarters in 1949. The move was "a necessary decision due to the time in history," Mr Grool said, adding that it also proved to be a major contributor to Wallem's future success. "We remain in a key commercial and shipping hub of Asia, with all the resources to deliver quality services to our worldwide client base."

Location is key

When it comes to being a competitive business, the environment in which you operate and the staff infrastructure are key, he continued.

"You need excellent telecommunications and a good airport that offers easy access to destinations worldwide. It also has to be a place where you can attract the necessary expatriate staff because by nature, the maritime industry is a global one so the best people can come from many countries. We have to be able to offer them an environment where they would like to live with their families.

"Another business reason for choosing Hong Kong is that its currency is pegged to the US dollar, so we don't suffer exchange-rate problems. The shipping business is still in US dollars, so that's best for us and our clients. All of these are key advantages that Hong Kong offers."