Intermarine and Angolan company Transtar Transitario have formed a joint-venture (JV), to be known as Transmarine, which will operate in the ocean carriage of oil and gas equipment to Angolan ports. The JV satisfies all the legal requirements of the Angolan Ministry of Petroleum’s order no. 127/03 for a local content company. This law, while on the books since 2003, had not been actively enforced until 2013 and now gives priority to local content companies. This will allow Intermarine to offer their high-quality, cost-effective services to the partners of Sonangol, the national oil company of Angola, including operators, suppliers and EPC projects.
Intermarine CFO Michael Dumas said: "This JV is part of our ongoing commitment to our customers and further indication that we intend to be a global leader in ocean logistics and transportation. This JV was necessary to expand our existing West Africa liner services and will open up opportunities for us to help customers in Europe, the Middle East and South America with their West African shipping needs."
Intermarine Africe service vice-president John Bomer said: "We understand that the expansion of trade between Africa and the rest of the world has seen transportation requirements and shipping capacities increase exponentially. These expanding markets require a specialized transport carrier to address the needs of key African industries, including oil and gas, energy, mining and infrastructure. We are committed to providing reliable service and regular delivery from the US Gulf and Europe to Africa. African customers will find that their cargo is handled with the usual industry-leading care that has made Intermarine the leader for critical project cargo."
The new JV will deliver operational excellence, technical expertise, a laser focus on quality and HSE, and on-time cargo delivery as customers have come to expect from Intermarine. Transmarine will also have access to Intermarine’s Industrial Terminal in Houston, the busiest project cargo terminal in the US, adding to the JV’s customer service capabilities.