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Shell Marine is looking for growth opportunities in the Philippines as it works with partners to serve more industries
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In a year or two, the supplier of marine lubricants will launch additional marine-specific products
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Shell Marine also provides integrated services to ensure clients are able to optimize the use of their products and, in turn, save on costs and avoid unintended service interruptions
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The company works with customers in the shipping industry to help accelerate decarbonization and steer the industry towards a net-zero emission future
Shell Marine is looking for opportunities for growth in the Philippines as it works with partners to serve more industries in pursuit of the group’s goal of delivering value to customers.
The company aims to introduce additional products and establish more networks and resources in the next year or two, Hew Shaw Siang, Shell Marine regional director of ASEAN and South Asia Marine Sectors & Decarbonization, told PortCalls in a recent interview.
Hew said the company expects shipping activities in the Philippines to increase as the country’s population and economy continue to grow, noting that shipping remains the “most effective” mode of transporting goods.
“With that then, we want to make sure that we are in a better position…to be able to get those market shares as well.”
Shell Marine is a worldwide supplier of various marine fuels, including high- and low-sulfur fuel oil, liquefied natural gas, and lubricants developed for various marine applications. It also offers oil analysis and equipment monitoring services.
In the Philippines, Shell Marine supplies the lubricant requirements of several big players in the domestic shipping industry and has a growing number of indirect channels and distributors responsible for small and medium shipping customers.
The company also works with customers and partners to help accelerate decarbonization and steer the industry towards a net-zero emission future.
Hew said one of the reasons why Shell has organized its businesses by sector was to quantify the carbon footprint of each sector.
For the shipping sector, Shell Marine offers solutions to drive vessel efficiencies, harness the potential of new technologies, and embrace a mosaic of future fuels. In addition, it offers solutions for carbon-offsetting as the group helps the industry achieve its net-zero emission target.
The company operates a business operations center in Manila that provides professional support to various Shell operations around the globe.
Hew said the goal is not only to secure more business but make sure the company is able to deliver its commitments to clients, thus is empowering its indirect channels and distributors.
The presence of less-served markets is “why we’re paying a lot of attention to indirect channels to get the networks that we have in order to be able to serve some of these smaller customers.”
One of the less-served sectors is that of fishing vessels, which make up a big chunk of the total number of watercraft in the Philippines. In May, Hew visited Bantayan Island in northern Cebu, which counts many fishing vessels and small inter-island boats that carry not only passengers but also goods.
Shell Marine is formulating more marine specific-grade products for the region to suit requirements of other sectors in the shipping industry.
Aside from marketing fuel and lubricants, Hew said Shell Marine provides integrated services to ensure clients are able to optimize the use of the company’s products and, in turn, save cost and avoid unintended service interruptions. “A lot of times when we sell lubricants it is not about just positioning the products, but it’s also making sure that the users are able to really benefit from the quality products that we are providing.”
He said this means users need to understand how the oil actually functions and protects engines and equipment.
This is where Shell’s testing and technical services come into the picture. Hew said Shell Marine engages clients to explain how their products work with their equipment and whether there are certain actions that can be carried out to optimize operations.
On offer are technical and digital services, including the LubeAnalyst and LubeMonitor.
LubeAnalyst is an oil condition monitoring service that helps ensure equipment and lubricants are in optimum working order by identifying potential oil or equipment failures before they become critical.
LubeMonitor, on the other hand, is a digital platform that surpasses traditional cylinder monitoring methods by combining on-board testing with laboratory analysis to strike and maintain an acceptable balance between cylinder oil costs and wear-related cylinder maintenance expenses.
The ability to test and monitor the condition of oil can help save on cost and avoid downtime, Hew said.
Knowledge sharing
It does not come as a surprise then that Shell Marine is a believer in knowledge-sharing. Last month, it renewed its partnership with University of Cebu-Marine Education and Training Center.
The partnership began in 2012 under a memorandum of agreement that called for the company to share lubrication technology technical expertise as well as training facilities to UC-METC students and lecturers.
At the heart of the collaboration is Shell Marine’s social commitment to contribute to future maritime leaders’ technical education.
Shell Marine recognizes the Philippines as one of the biggest nationality bloc in the shipping industry, with Filipino sea-based workers comprising more than 32% of the 1.5 million mariners in the world. UC-METC has been chosen for its strong presence on the global maritime education scene. – Roumina Pablo
