Latest update March 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 18, 2021 News
Kaieteur News – Recognising the government’s interest to have oil companies and their sub-contractors source 100 percent of their shipping and logistical services from Guyana, Guywillship has initiated a number of efforts to increase its efficiency and expand its services.
During an exclusive interview with Kaieteur News over the weekend, representatives of the Guyanese company said they are eager to tap the opportunities that will come with the development of Guyana’s oil sector which will be underpinned by 10 Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in this decade.
The local company which has been in the business for more than 30 years was built on the backs of Mr. Donald and Ingrid Bristol. This newspaper understands that Mrs. Bristol had the vision since the 1980s to become a leader in the local shipping industry and did everything within her power to see it through.
The blooming business of the Afro-Guyanese native is now overseen by her two children: Syreeta Welcome who is the Operations Director for Guyana and Gavin Welcome who is the Operations Manager for the company’s New York branch. From a young age, Gavin and Syreeta were taught all aspects of the shipping business and continue to play their part in keeping their mother’s legacy alive and well. Also part of the hardworking team is Maurice John, the Director of Operations and Alicia Welcome, the Director of Social Media Management. They have all served the business alongside Syreeta and Gavin for more than 20 years.
Speaking with Kaieteur News, the company’s Director of Operations, Maurice John disclosed the company’s expectations about the country’s future and where he sees Guywillship in this respect. John said, “…We ultimately want to become the leading freight forwarding company in the country. And with the government pushing shipping to be supplied 100 percent by locals in the oil industry, it is our hope that Guywillship would be able to participate in the sector and serve the country as it grows. We are a firm believer in local content, and we believe that businesses which are fuelled by the energies of young people should be given the opportunity to take Guyana forward.”
As for Alicia Welcome, the Director of Social Media Management, she was keen to note that while the COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted considerable damage on the shipping industry globally, the 2020 and 2021 budgets along with the government’s aggressive COVID-19 vaccination programme have provided the stimulus needed to ensure the economy stays afloat while keeping the citizenry safe.
The Guywillship official said, “Around March 2020, several countries went into lockdown and instituted curfews to contain the rapid spread of the COVID-19 infection. As the movement of people was restricted and there was a temporary suspension of production and consumption activities in major regions of the world, various sectors of life and business were greatly affected. Maritime transportation, a key element of the global supply chain, was no exception.”
“But now that the vaccination programmes for various countries are rolling out, we are seeing that the shipping industry is going into recovery mode. In Guyana, which has been blessed with 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent resources and the government pushing exploration and development, investment is coming and that has had a ripple effect on the economy. Also, when you take into consideration how the 2020 and 2021 budgets have provided several COVID-19 relief measures and pumped more money into the economy, it will undoubtedly have a positive effect across the board.”
As for Gavin Welcome, he was pleased to report as well that Guywillship is already seeing increased activity while adding that the company is already pushing to be more innovative with additional services to be launched soon. He said they will ultimately increase the company’s growth potential and have it better positioned to be a leader in freight forwarding.
The Guywillship official noted, “It would be remiss of me not to note that the vision of Guywillship is to uphold the standards of excellence and professionalism. We are committed to having every customer satisfied with our service. To achieve this, we would always have trained, courteous, and honest staff members equipped with the capabilities of having every customer completely satisfied with our service.”
He added, “We have been doing this for decades and I have every confidence that so long as we continue on this trajectory, we will continue to take our success to new heights.”
Kaieteur News had previously reported that Guywillship has been a licensed Customs House Brokerage Service and Freight Forwarder since 1988. Initially, the company provided custom brokerage services for DHL Express and expanded into cargo logistics under the trading name Williams Shipping. The company has now expanded its services to other Caribbean and international markets.
It should be noted that Guywillship also provides agency services for Tradespan Cargo and Sydney Reliable out of Canada, Caribbean International Shipping of Atlanta, Caribtrans out of Miami, and Alphonso Shipping out of BVI.
Some of its services include cargo clearance inclusive of deconsolidation, custom brokerage, distribution, inland transportation logistics, customer services and representation, facilitating door-to-door and door-to-port deliveries. This service also covers air and sea freight.
The company also does freight estimates, packing and crating, inland transportation, arranging international transportation, and securing destination services for clearance and delivery covering air and sea freight.
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