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The establishment of harbor towage
company KOTUG SMIT Towage in
April 2016 was for Boskalis an
important step in the implementation
of its strategy aimed at concentrating
and expanding all towage services in
regional partnerships. With the
integration process still in full swing,
during the first year of its existence
KOTUG SMIT Towage already
managed to further reinforce its
leading position in Northwest Europe.
“The increasing concentration in shipping has major implications for our harbor
towage activities,” said Robert-Jan van Acker, group director of the Towage &
Salvage division. “The increases in scale among our clients, particularly in
container transport and wet and dry bulk, have in a short space of time resulted in
overcapacity and substantial price pressure in the entire logistics chain. Boskalis
anticipated these developments in time by consolidating its towage services in
regional joint ventures, in which each partner holds an equal share. Besides
KOTUG SMIT Towage, this includes Smit Lamnalco (worldwide terminal services),
Keppel Smit Towage (Asia) and Saam Smit Towage (Americas). These joint
ventures are now more competitive and are better able to respond to demands
from the market. Global shipping companies are increasingly choosing harbor
towage companies that provide services in more than one port. Since the
establishment of KOTUG SMIT Towage we have seen its market share in
Northwest Europe rise by a few percent in volume, while towage rates are
under pressure, and financially it is doing well.”
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KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE
MAKES STRONG START