Shipbroker Harald Sander is teaming up with restructured quarry group DC Resources to boost its bulker chartering operations in Norway.
DC Resources, owned by Belgium’s Group De Cloedt, is forming the joint venture — DC Chartering — in Bergen with Harald Sander.
The new company will handle business generated by DC Resources’ three quarries in Norway: DC Halsvik Aggregates, DC Eikefet Aggregates and DC Seljestokken Aggregates.
The average size of chartered vessels today is about 6,000 dwt, but all the quarries are able to receive ships of up to 35,000 dwt.
Jan-Oyvind Jorgensen, DC Resources’ chief executive and country manager for Norway, told TradeWinds that the chartering operations are being moved back to Norway from Denmark, where DC Denmark was handling the business.
He said his company has worked with Harald Sander for many years.
Five staff will be based at the new venture in Bergen.
Increased vessel size will be a focus for the future, according to DC Resources, which charters about 1,000 ships per year.
Jorgensen said the company will look at chartering bulkers ranging from 3,000 dwt to 40,000 dwt, and the number of chartered vessels is set to rise.
DC Resources’ annual revenue is more than NOK 330m ($39m), with the three quarries coming out of a “turnaround process” and starting to generate profit and secure local jobs, it said.
The group is investing heavily in the quarries, and the plan is to increase production in the coming years. The expected total quantity for the three sites this year will be 6m tonnes of aggregates.
“The three quarries have been upgraded through investments in order to make the loading of the vessels more efficient,” the company said.
Group De Cloedt expects to have a loading rate of 24,000 tonnes per day all year round. Main destinations for the aggregates being shipped out of Norway are Northern Europe and the Baltic countries.
A long-term agreement has been concluded with Harald Sander to perform the chartering, and with the Norwegian broker’s subsidiary Bergenhus Shipping Services to provide agency services.
Bergenhus Shipping has worked with the quarries since 1999.
The deal will optimise the logistics in ports and facilitate the expected growth in volumes and turnaround on the quaysides, DC Resources said.
Jorgensen is pleased with the new set-up.
“We are seeing higher demand in the international markets and, to meet this demand, we needed to streamline chartering and make sure that we are quick on decision-making, closer to both vessel and product,” he said.
“We are very excited about sales and quarry planners now sitting together with the chartering and agency team, ensuring service to our customers around the clock. The aim is to ensure cost-efficient logistic and vessel operations through the whole operations from the quarry to the costumer.”
Harald Sander is one of the leading independent shortsea brokers in Norway, annually handling more than 8m tonnes of cargo, including 2m tonnes of aggregates shipped on more than 1,300 vessels.
The brokerage, established in 1938, is managed and owned by a member of the Sander family’s third generation, Harald B Sander.
Bergenhus was established in 1999 by the Jebsen group and acquired by Harald Sander in 2003. It handles 1,400 port calls every year and offers all aspects of agency services for bulk, offshore and project cargoes.
