Svitzer celebrates 10 years in Angola

1 September 2021 marks Svitzer’s 10-year anniversary operating at the Angola LNG (ALNG) terminal in Soyo. A great milestone, which is made possible only through the excellent collaboration with our customer, ALNG, and the ongoing support from the crew and staff.

Today, a team of 132 crew and onshore staff ensure safe and efficient operations at the ALNG terminal in Soyo and the CABGOC oil terminal offshore Cabinda, where Svitzer has been operating since 2018.

Although the composition of the fleet and personnel has changed over the years, the level of service has been consistent without any vessel delays since 2011. This means ALNG can continue to play a critical role in Angola’s economy, and the loading of the 300th LNG cargo on 23rd July illustrates the success of this major Angolan project.

Importantly, from the start, localisation has been key to delivering the needed marine services, although the absence of a large seafaring community in Angola was a bit of a challenge prior to setting up operations in 2011, as Nils de Jong, Country Manager Svitzer Angola explains:

“We were determined to train as many Angolan seafarers as possible when we started operating in the country. That meant they had to follow a training program on board the training ship “Danmark” where the cadets undertook extensive training both on- and offshore to learn seamanship and the value of safety and teamwork,” says Nils de Jong and continues:

“We continue to benefit from our investment in training to this day and we will continue to actively invest in training and developing our seafarers, as we want to contribute to the continuous growth and prosperity in Angola.”

Global, but local – getting the best of two worlds

With a very experienced crew, who have extensive knowledge to safely navigate the small channel in Soyo where the current from the Congo River makes berthing and un-berthing a rather complicated exercise, Svitzer Angola is combining its in-depth local knowledge with the advantages of being part of a global company.

“Towage is very much a local business, and at Svitzer we strive to turn our global operational knowledge and industry insights into safe, reliable and efficient towage services for our customers in the local ports – in this case Soyo and Cabinda,” says Nils de Jong.

The future looks bright

As most other countries in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted Angola, but as things are easing, Svitzer Angola can focus on growing the business even further.

“This year we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary here in Angola and I look forward to continuing the great collaboration with ALNG for many years to come. On behalf of Svitzer, I would like to thank everyone, from past and present, who has contributed to this successful partnership” ends Nils de Jong.