Emergency logistics provider Evolution Time Critical is facilitating rapid deliveries of vital parts for global marine salvage company Titan Salvage for urgent operations at sea.
Critical marine salvage operations have been able to proceed on schedule due to emergency logistics support from Evolution Time Critical, avoiding the risk of an oil spill at sea and saving insurers millions in damage repairs. The company recently facilitated urgent deliveries of vital parts and equipment to Taiwan and Dubai in order to help its customer Titan Salvage rescue a sinking ship and prevent an explosion aboard a disabled ship carrying highly volatile liquids. The deliveries required expert knowledge of handling and packing dangerous goods together with a close understanding of international customs practices and rapid co-ordination of flights.
"When a ship sinks, the effect on the environment can be devastating, as there is a real risk of the oil contained onboard floating to the surface," explains Brad Brennan, managing director, Evolution Time Critical. "Aside from untold damage to the local ecosystem, the financial impact of oil spillages can also be very severe. One recent clean-up operation cost insurers over four billion euros. By ensuring that Titan received the equipment it needed on time, the recovery operation was able to go ahead as planned and the ship wreck was successfully salvaged."
Evolution arranged for an urgent shipment of a displacement kit and engines containing hazardous materials from Newhaven to Taiwan, so that Titan could place a displacement bag inside the sinking ship and inflate it, keeping the ship afloat. Before the equipment could be flown to Taiwan, it was packed by Evolution's dangerous goods specialists. Holding IATA Dangerous Goods by Air qualifications allowed the team to complete the packing rapidly and prepare the goods for their international flight, resulting in delivery within Titan's schedule.
Titan also recently called upon Evolution's services to arrange emergency transport for a nitrogen generator from Newhaven to Dubai. The generator was required to 'inert' highly volatile liquids being removed from a disabled ship before they came into contact with oxygen, which could have caused an explosion powerful enough to cause significant damage to the ship and cost millions in repairs. The shipment was to fly on a scheduled aircraft, but was too large to pass through conventional cargo x-ray machines. Evolution submitted the shipment for a comprehensive inspection using sniffer dogs (RASCO), to allow it to pass strict aviation security checks.
"Titan goes to great lengths in order to ensure the successful completion of marine salvage operations, and recognises the importance of emergency logistics in helping to reduce potential delays and minimise disruption for its customers," comments Brennan. "Shipments of this kind are complex by their nature, so we make sure to follow every step required by customs and international logistics procedures in order to avoid any hold-ups and facilitate the delivery in as short a timescale as possible."
Evolution's techniques can bring substantial time and cost savings to vessel repair and maintenance. By delivering parts in timescales unachievable by conventional means, emergency logistics can help vessels return to sea more quickly, which in turn helps to reduce the ship's onboard spare parts inventory as well as the capital tied-up in duplicate components.
"Marine operators are tasked with drawing an appropriate balance between the cost of keeping a significant spare parts inventory onboard, against the capital saving of centralised spare parts and the inevitable delays when a component is required to get a vessel back to sea," continues Brennan. "With emergency logistics able to deliver anywhere in the world in exceptionally short timescales, the most efficient compromise moves dramatically towards the reduced inventory and its substantial capital and payload savings."
The techniques employed by Brennan and his colleagues were developed for the automotive industry, when vehicle manufacturers moved from high inventory levels to lean manufacturing while simultaneously extending their supply base to low cost manufacturing centres around the world. Emergency delivery companies operate completely differently from conventional logistics companies and courier companies by handling each consignment individually, rather than consolidating shipments together. An integral part of the Evolution Time Critical service is comprehensive real-time shipment monitoring around the clock, with shipment status updates being provided direct to customers by phone, email or SMS text at every key milestone from collection through to delivery.
"The global automotive industry realised huge savings from embracing the concept of reduced inventories and just-in-time deliveries, supported by their confidence in emergency logistics providers. The marine industry can now benefit from these techniques and realise equally significant improvements in efficiency," concludes Brennan.