Allseas Global Logistics, a UK-based specialist in moving project, heavy lift and out-of-gauge cargo, has opened its own office in Dubai for the first time.
The company, which operates on a worldwide basis, already has a strong track record in the Middle East region but until now has handled that business from its UK offices or through representatives.
“The opening of our own dedicated, permanent office in Dubai represents an exciting new chapter for Allseas Global Logistics,” said managing director Andrew Morris. “This decision reflects Allseas’ strength in the oil & gas project cargo sector and also the increasing importance
of Dubai as a gateway into the rest of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.”
The venture is being headed up by Paula Bellamy, whose knowledge and expertise spans the trading, logistics, forwarding and customs sectors, most recently as general manager of Ocean World Lines UK.
She has been appointed Allseas’ Dubai office manager and has moved to Dubai with her family. An important advantage for Allseas will be its location within the Dubai Free Zone. This will enable the company to support clients wishing to tranship consignments via Dubai; the Free Zone status means they do not have to pay customs or other duties as long as the cargo remains within the Free Zone.
“We can take advantage of what is in effect a huge bonded area and an excellent hub for moving cargo, for example, from the Far East to the UK, or to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent,” said Paula Bellamy.
Allseas has always been active in the region but having a personal presence and establishing face-to-face contacts count for a great deal.
“We will be building closer customer relationships, offering customer support throughout, and also leveraging the best we can from our
buying power with the major lines,” said Paula Bellamy. “We have already seen forwarders coming to us and wanting to book on the project side.
It is clear that the customer care we can offer is extremely important to our clients.”
Allseas Global Logistics has a strong reputation for handling project, heavy lift and out-of-gauge movements and has built that reputation
during nearly 25 years of working in this demanding sector. “We have the reputation for offering a ‘safe pair of hands’,” said Andrew
Morris. “Our clients entrust us with the most difficult, challenging and time critical transportation tasks, knowing that we can react fast and deliver the goods safely, quickly and efficiently. But most of all, we are known for our flexibility and ability to adapt to what challenges we meet.”
Earlier this year, Allseas Global Logistics was named winner of the Project Forwarding Award at the prestigious annual BIFA (British International Freight Association) Freight Service Awards. The recognition came for a contract in which Allseas sourced, assembled, packed and delivered all the materials, components, vehicles, equipment and supplies required to create a base camp for mine workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s remote jungle.
In another recent example of Allseas’ flexibility and capability, the company met an incredibly short deadline to ship all of the huge components required to provide emergency power back-up at a new nuclear power plant in Japan, desperately needed to help the country in its recovery after the earthquake and tsunami in March.
Allseas also has an excellent record for dismantling, packing and relocating entire factories, often from one side of the world to the other. It recently moved an entire paper plant from the UK to Bangladesh.Headquartered in Newark, Allseas has UK offices in Brighouse, Tilbury,
Felixstowe and Swinderby, as well as an office in Antwerp.
It has a direct airfreight division and its own state-of-the-art export packing facilities at a 60,000 sq ft logistics centre in the UK Midlands.
“Our expertise includes heavy lift and chartering solutions; abnormal load and out-of-gauge cargoes; 3PL and project management; warehousing and storage; export packing and cargo handling; express airfreight and heavy lift charters; and specialist services for the oil and energy sector,” said Andrew Morris. “We believe there is a huge opportunity to expand our presence and our activities in the Middle East and beyond, and our new office in Dubai will become a critical hub in those ambitions.”
