Strengthening Relationships

IFS SPAIN VISITS CSS GROUP RECENTLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

CSS Group recently received Ms. Lilia Garcia, Foreign Sales Manager of IFS Spain at the Regional Headquarters of CSS Group in Dubai. Her visit was as part of a strategic sales campaign initiative to CSS Offices in the Middle East. Along with the subjects of mutual interests and business development, the current market scenario -too- was brought in to the discussion table by both companies. It was mutually agreed to work more closely to enhance business in 2019 through the trade lanes which are already open.

“It was our pleasure to host Ms. Lilia in our Dubai office and show our facilities to her. We would be extremely delighted to work closely to further develop our customer-focused business initiatives and personal relationships with IFS Spain” commented Chandrakala (CK) COO, NVOCC, CSS Group, during the occasion.

During her Middle East tour, Ms. Lilia visited the CSS Group Offices in Sharjah and Bahrain as well. CSS team members from the respective regions conducted joint sales visits with IFS representative, so that the Middle East customers could directly interact with the Spanish agent. CSS sales staff had an interactive session with Ms. Lilia and discussed many matters which needed close attention.

“In IFS, we believe that the close and continued contact with our partners is the way to improve our common service to the freight forwarders and to understand their needs” mentioned Lilia to Lighthouse.

IFS Spain started in 1985 in Valencia as NVOCC with a firm commitment to provide quality services to industry professionals on the principle of strict neutrality. Since then they expanded in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Sevilla and Alicante) and then opened borders to Portugal, the USA, Mexico, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and France.

Consolidated Shipping Group, established in the year 1995 in Dubai, UAE is one of the fastest growing NVOCCs. Being a prominent name in the field of freight forwarding in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, CSS Group has to its credit an enviable list of Global Network Partners.

There is Something More in NVOCC Business

CHRIS WILSON, PRESIDENT, CARO TRANS, SHARES HIS VIEWS WITH LIGHTHOUSE

Being a renowned and reliable name in the NVOCC business Caro Trans over the years has earned a respectable position both in business and in the minds of their clients. Lighthouse team had a brief chat with Mr. Chris Wilson, the President of Caro Trans, wherein he spoke about the current trends, the future and prospects of NVOCC business.

Chris was optimistic about the current trends and what it leads to the future growth when he shared his views on the business outlay and forecast of the NVOCC business.

“The NVOCC business is increasingly competitive and we must continue to deploy technology in the most innovative and efficient means possible. Our clients demand accurate and timely information delivered instantly across the supply chain. However, it is dedicated and passionate Team members delivering exceptional service to our clients that will become our greatest differentiator.”

CSS Group enjoys an in-depth relationship with Caro Trans. They both have been working together for many years and has remained trusted partners supporting each other in their respective regions. Chris continued, “Caro Trans is with CSS Group for 7 years now and we are quite keen to continue developing our services throughout the Middle East. Our goal is to become the number one NVOCC between USA and Middle East.”

Focused approach and time bound strategies will define the future prospects of the NVOCC business. Customer centric approaches and personalization has great role to play in developing a meaningful business model. “We need larger customers and we need to explain to the largest LCL clients how an NVOCC – a true LCL consolidator can add significant value to their supply chain,” said Chris.

Various new IT solutions are being implemented by NVOCC companies to increase efficiency, reliability, and security of operations by reducing operational costs. But one must understand that, the NVOCC industry is still slow to develop and deploy interesting technology. As a result, our industry is ripe for a thoughtful and passionate disrupter, Chris added.

While saying goodbye, Lighthouse requested a message from Chris for the CSS family:
“Thank you for always supporting our efforts to grow our business. It has been a very strong partnership and we look forward to expanding our business and growing our services throughout the Middle East.Thank you and Wish you a much prospective 2019!” Commented Chris.

Networking Opportunity During Breakbulk

HÖEGH HOSTED DINNER PROVIDES NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

Breakbulk Middle East provided opportunities to interact on several platforms, for the participants. The event was well attended by CSS delegates and participated at the networking dinners. One such was organized by Höegh. Head of Country (UAE), Finn Roden from Höegh invited for a presentation of their Breakbulk cargo handling initiatives, followed by a Customer Appreciation Dinner at the -“Bliss 6” Restaurant-The Conrad Hotel Dubai on the 11th of February.

The Global Head of Breakbulk Sales – Stian Omli from Head office in Oslo started off with the opening speech. CSS Group was represented by Midhun George, General Manager, Abu Dhabi and Angeli Sudheer, Manager Pricing & Customer Service, CSS Dubai.

“It was a well-organized gathering by Team Hoeg opening up the opportunity to interact with the industry partners and meet some old friends from the Industry. Such gatherings help to personalize and strengthen your relationship with your partners.” Commented Angeli.

Leif Höegh & Co is an international shipping company, founded in 1927 by Norwegian Leif Höegh (1896-1974). Since 2006 the company has been structured as two separate entities, Höegh Autoliners and Höegh LNG, with Leif Höegh & Co acting as a common holding company.

An Informal Get Together

CSS GROUP ATTENDS THE DINNER HOSTED BY MAERSK & SAFMARINE

CSS Group represented by their COO, NVOCC Chandrakala and Deputy General manager, Sales & Marketing Rosh Manoli, attended an informal dinner hosted jointly by the Maersk and Safmarine. The dinner was organized during the Breakbulk Middle East 2019 conference at the Mint leaf of London, Emirates Financial Tower on the 11th February.

CSS Group enjoys a great working relationship with both Maersk and Safmarine over the years. “It gives a positive vibe when you share your time with long term friends from within the professional community. Thanks to Maersk and Safmarine for a delightful dinner networking opportunity” mentioned Chandrakala about the event.

Christopher Cook, Managing Director UAE, Oman & Qatar, Manoj Panicker Special Cargo Manager, Revenue Management A.P. Moller- Maersk India from Maersk and Pankaj Kumar Regional Manager ME & Africa from Safmarine posed for a photo with CSS Group representatives. “Such get togethers provide invaluable opportunity to share ideas and discuss many industry related topics. Great evening and thanks to the hosts” commented Rosh. Breakbulk Middle East 2019 was held on 11th & 12th February at the Dubai trade Centre.

Taste of India

In this series, I would like to bring out the real taste of India like Vedic maths, Hemachandra numbers etc which are fascinating concepts and also explain many complex realities of the universe in simple terms. Today we start with Vedic maths.

Vedic Maths

Any number multiplied by 11:

32 times 11 :

Split 3 and 2

3 2

Add 3 and 2 = 5 and put it in between

Answer is 352.

Similarly,

45 times 11 = 495

75 times 11 = 7125 —> 1 gets carried over and it becomes 825

Base method ( can be used for any numbers close to bases of 10,100,1000 etc )

99 times 97

100 is the base

99 is less than 100 by how much = 01

97 is less than 100 by how much = 03

Now cross subtract : 99 less 3 = 96

Or

97 less 1 = 96

Each way the answer is same so 96 is the first part.

And now multiply the difference 01 times 03 = 03.

So 9603 is the answer.

Do it with 98 times 97 , answer is 9506.

996 times 997

Now take 1000 as the base

996 is less than 1000 by how much = 004

997 is less than 1000 by how much = 003

Now cross subtract : 996 less 003 = 993

Or

997 less 004 = 993

Each way the answer is same so 993 is the first part.

and now multiple the difference 004 times 003 = 012.

So 993012 is the answer.

14 times 12

Base is 10

14 is 4 more than 10

12 is 2 more than 10

So cross Add

First part is 16.

Multiply difference 4 times 2 = 8

So 168 is the answer.

Mental squaring

101 square = 101 times 101

By the same method above, answer is 10201.

102 square = 102 times 102

By the same method, answer is 10404

105 square : 11025

106 square : 11236

Vertically and crosswise sutra:

31 times 12

31

X12

Formula:

a) :: —> multiply last digit of each row for last number

b) :: —> cross multiply 1st digit of 1st line with 2nd digit of second line

cross multiply 2nd digit of 1st line with 1st digit of second line

Add the two for middle number

c) :: —> multiply first digit of each row for 1st number

a. 1 times 2 = 2 – last number

b. 3 times 2 = 6 + 1 times 1 = 1 add the two = 7 – middle number

c. 3 times 1 = 3 – first number

Answer is 372

Now 12 times 34

12

X 34

a. 2 times 4 = 8 – last number

b. 1 times 4 = 4 and 2 times 3 = 6.
4+ 6 = 10 so carry over 1 – middle number is 0.

c. 1 times 3 is 3 + carry over 1 = 4 – first number
Answer is 408.

So the few methods with a few examples of Vedic maths should help you become smarter and not depend always on your smart phone.

Keep massaging your brain and relish the taste of India

Coming up soon with Hemachandra numbers in the next series !

About Creativity At Work

The ability to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new.”
Creativity at Work is a rich resource for developing personal creativity and organizational innovation in the workplace.

HOW IT HAPPENS

To create a new solution you need to define a new problem.
The ability of an individual or team to understand a problem in a new way is one of the most important first steps in the successful creation of a new solution.

Understanding how an individual creates or comes up with something new.

Intelligence and creativity have a complex relationship.

Intelligence is correlated with Creativity.

It depends on the measure of creativity used.

Highly intelligent people can still be uncreative.

CAN CREATIVITY BE LEARNED?

Creativity begins with a:
Foundation of knowledge
Learning a discipline
Mastering a way of thinking
You can learn to be creative by experimenting, exploring, questioning assumptions.

Five key behaviours that optimize your brain for discovery:

Associating: Drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas from unrelated fields.

QUESTIONING

Observing: Scrutinizing the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing things.

Networking: Meeting people with different ideas and perspectives.

Experimenting: Constructing interactive experiences and provoking unorthodox responses to see what insights emerge.

OVERCOMING MYTHS ABOUT CREATIVITY

Beliefs that only special, talented people are creative diminish our confidence in our creative abilities.

Researchers examined outstanding performances in the arts, mathematics, and sports, to find out if “the widespread belief that to reach high levels of ability a person must possess an innate potential called talent.”

TO BRING CREATIVITY AT WORKPLACE:

1. Keep asking new Questions
2. Working on you most productive hours
3. Taking risks
4. Try to create something everyday
5. Ask the right questions
6. Bulid a network
7. Practice Openness : It reflects how much you are motivated to consider new ideas, concepts, and experiences. The most creative people are typically very open people.

WAYS TO BRING CREATIVITY AND IMPROVE TALENT (CREATIVE WAYS TO ATTRACT TALENT IN COMPANY):

Let Employees Lead ; Encourage your team to volunteer in leadership roles outside the organization. Encourage employees to look for people who demonstrate strengths in skills that your team needs and reward people internally for identifying and attracting new talent.

Become A Kind Organization :
Kindness always works. Kindness works in customer service and it works in relation to attracting and retaining talent. Benefits can be matched, but kindness is unique.

Develop A Mentor-First Mindset :
Ask your leaders to adopt a mentor-first mindset and not just serve as “managers.” Managers tend to focus on compliance and conformity; established processes tend to be prioritized over people. Mentors, on the other hand, care deeply about the mission and the humans they hire to accomplish that mission.

Ask For Employee Referrals :
Employee referral programs have always been one of the least utilized but best resources .Provide an incentive to your staff to refer potential employees.

Reach Out To Previous Employees Who Left On Good Terms :
Don’t be afraid to contact employees who left on good terms. Figure out why they left (Was it a better opportunity or more money?) and see what it would take for them to rejoin your organization.

DIFC – Common Law in Civil Law Jurisdiction

The United Arab Emirates is essentially a civil law jurisdiction heavily influenced by French, Roman, Egyptian and Islamic law. Common law principles, such as adopting previous court judgments as legal precedents, are generally not recognized. In 2004, Dubai’s ruler at that time established The Dubai International Financial Center (The DIFC) Courts, providing an independent administration of justice in DIFC, attempting to ensure that Dubai would offer to its players the highest international standards of justice administration, and efficiency, flexibility and certainty that is usually provided by the Common Law.

The DIFC is an independent jurisdiction under the UAE Constitution, with its own civil and commercial laws distinct from those of the UAE. DIFC laws and regulations are written in English and default to English law in the event of an ambiguity. The DIFC also has its own courts, with judges taken from leading common law jurisdictions including England, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The DIFC’s independent jurisdiction extends to a range of areas including corporate, commercial, civil, employment, trusts, and securities law matters. Other laws of the UAE or the Emirate of Dubai, such as criminal law and immigration regulations, continue to apply within the DIFC. The DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre is an independent Centre of international arbitration that uses rules modeled on the London Court of International Arbitration. The principal governing body of the DIFC is the DIFC Authority. The financial services regulator is the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), which regulates the conduct of financial services in and from the DIFC. The DFSA is distinct from the UAE’s federal Securities and Commodities Authority, whose jurisdiction covers the wider UAE outside the boundaries of the DIFC. Since DIFC is one of Dubai’s independent free zones, it offers companies 100% ownership without the need for a local partner and since it is governed by a common-law framework distinct from the UAE legal system, with laws and regulations issued in English. DIFC offers clients a 50-year guarantee of zero taxes on corporate income and profits, complemented by the UAE’s network of double taxation avoidance treaties. Thus, the importance of DIFC courts has been growing in Dubai as a sound alternative. On the one hand, they are the exclusive jurisdiction for companies whether individual or multinationals established in DIFC or for transactions finalized within its territories, further, parties to a contract may come to a written agreement to approach the DIFC courts in the case of dispute.

Nowadays majority of the contracts will establish two mandatory clauses that will decide the future of the contracts in case of the dispute, i.e. the governing law and the jurisdiction clause and while the governing law will be of essence to decide the legal framework that will apply to and govern the contract, the jurisdiction clause will determine the place where the case will be heard, giving the parties with an option to choose between arbitration and courts with exclusive and non-exclusive jurisdiction. Being an independent jurisdiction within the UAE, DIFC is empowered to create its own legal and regulatory framework for all civil and commercial matters, which gives it a unique identity and is favored by the outside entities and individuals who are accustomed to and familiar with common law jurisdiction. Hence it would not be unusual to say that DIFC is indeed a landmark initiative exercising Common Law principals in Civil Law Jurisdiction.

Contributed by : Adv. Joy Thattil

Qoovee

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Qoovee.com is a meeting place of buyers and suppliers.

Tens of thousands of small, medium, large companies and entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries already have been selling and buying products in bulk and business services on Qoovee.com.

Hundreds of thousands of wholesale buyers and customers of business services discover reliable suppliers here.

12 reasons to promote your business on Qoovee.com

1. A leader on search engines
2. International audience- more than 50 countries
3. Ready online store with promotion on Google, Yandex, and Qoovee
4. Discovering the target audience and buyers
5. There are inquiries from customers – you pay. There are no inquiries – any way you promote for free.
You pay only after you get inquiries from your potential clients, for requests of your contact details, and at the same time, you set the rate for how much to pay for the clients’ inquiries.
6. Participation in commercial biddings (Access to the request for orders )
7. High-level support of the Qoovee platform from business and different government bodies
8. Direct access to suppliers of products and services for your business
9. Safe transactions. Protection and guarantee of payment
10. Logistics, Shipping worldwide.
11. Participation in the Global Online Expo – Worldwide Online Exhibition, more than 100 participant countries, 100 thousand companies and 21 million visitors
12. Joining the international Qoovee business club. Networking with the owners and top-managers of companies, getting privileges and services for your business.

It is worthy to note last accomplishments of the platform; Qoovee.com now is the first official e-trade platform in Dubai where Dubai’s companies will trade with the world. Qoovee will contribute to the foreign trade of Dubai Emirate with other markets. Official cooperation with the Government of Dubai began on February 19. The agreement was signed at the Dubai World Trade Center. The government of Dubai will actively attract the business of the Emirate to the Qoovee.com platform to enhance entering the international markets, as well as support the promotion of the platform in world markets. In turn, Qoovee will actively develop trade with the Emirate and attract international trade players to do business with Dubai companies. This cooperation will allow establishing close trade relations on the platform of Qoovee.com not only with Dubai business but with the entire Middle East market.

Get started now. Register your company.

www.Qoovee.com
office@qoovee.com

Release of The Cargo without The Presentation of Original Bill of Lading

Risk Factors Involved in Non-Presentation of OBL
It is quite evident by now that there is risk associated with delivery of cargo with the Letter of Indemnity and not the original Bill of Lading. The below listed are some of the basic risks that are involved in the same:

1. Mis-delivery of Cargo:
It is well understood a bill of lading, amongst other functions, acts as a “key” to the warehouse which, when available at the discharge port, is presented to the Master in order to release the cargo to the “bearer” of the bill of lading. Where such a “key” is not available at the discharge port, it must be remembered that an LOI will not absolve the carrier from liability if the cargo is delivered to the wrong party.

2. Insurance Cover:
It is well understood that liabilities arising as a consequence of mis-delivery are not covered under all P&I Club rules unless the Directors of the club in question otherwise agree. The LOI is designed to try to alleviate such risk, so far as it can, but it must be understood that an LOI effectively substitutes an Owner’s P&I cover for mis-delivery claims and there are certain insurance policies that do not cover the claims arising out of non- presentation on BL.

3. Creditworthiness of the Party:
This is one of the most important factors while delivering cargo with letter of indemnity. In some cases, the party that presents the letter of indemnity may not be related or connected to the cargo or the shipment in actual. In other cases, the parties may represent themselves as the agent of the cargo interest, but they could be deceitful and later the carrier may be held liable by the actual cargo interest. In some cases, the consignee may have failed to pay the shipper the value for the cargo which could also lead to non- receipt of the Bill of lading. So, the carrier/ shipping line must always ensure to check the creditworthiness of the party claiming the cargo with the letter of indemnity.

Reasons for non-presentation of BL:

  • Consignee has not received the Bills of Lading from the shipper in spite of cargo on board.
  • Consignee has only received an electronic copy or the telex message.
  • Consignee has not paid the buyer yet for the cargo bought and has existing dues.
  • Consignee or agents have misplaced the documents or the Bill of Lading.
  • The party representing the consignee or the cargo interest may be fraudulent and not acting in good faith.

Conclusion:
The practice of delivery of cargo without presentation of original bills of lading is very familiar, and is here to stay as long as shipping exists. Delivery of cargo without presentation of an original bill of lading, although not recommended, is a reality of international trade and if the parties act cautiously then no one would suffer a loss in the business. It is therefore important to remember the risks involved in such operations and to act cautiously in order to minimise risks to shipowning interests.

Mood Music

Multitude types of sound – office chatter, crowds cheering, car horns blaring, babies crying, dogs barking, birds singing and waves breaking on the shore, all affect us in different ways. Often we fail to recognise their impact as we relegate them to the backdrop hubbub of what we are doing. However all these sounds influence us, and the way we feel within our environment, especially when we are unable to control them.

Sounds have long been thought to influence human emotions and the significance of music has raised considerable interest amongst researchers. Understanding music-induced emotions, and its capability of influencing our moods, has gained greater importance. Music has been a part of our inheritance over many years. Classical music has an unbroken living tradition which goes back over a thousand years. Music played an important role in William Shakespeare’s plays. In ‘Twelfth Night’, written in 1602, Duke Orinso considers his infatuation with music might cure his obsession with love. He compares how eating too much food quells one’s appetite by musing;

‘If music be the food of love, play on’.
Whilst Shakespeare recognised music as feeding the emotions, scientific study of this phenomena have been rare until relatively recently. There is now significant interest amongst the science and medical professions. Businesses that also need to make a connection with their customers, in order to make their product attractive, now focus on the impact music makes.

So how and why does music affect us?
The initial impact is the beat. This fundamental driving component actually causes our hearts to start to beat in synch with the rhythm. This happens as the music starts to encroach into our personal environment. With background music it is an almost stealth-like. If we are immersing ourselves in the sounds the effect is more immediate. A slow beat causes our heart to slow and, depending on the ‘key’ of the song, it may either convey love or sadness. The ‘key’ is just as important as the beat because the choice of ‘key’ influences the feel a tune. A ‘major key’ tune will usually feel cheerful and convey an upbeat message to our brains but a ‘minor key’ will cause sadness. Equally a fast moving tune, depending on the key, can make us feel excited and full of joy or frightened.

Why does this happen?
When we listen to music our brains produce the chemicals serotonin and dopamine. It’s their combination that influences our emotions. This is why music may make us feel sad, hyped-up, tranquil or angry. Indeed the wide-ranging scope of music may end up blending our emotions in many ways.

Once we realise this connection we can choose the music to reflect our mood.

Indeed it seems that we have a habit of choosing the music based on the moods we are already feeling. We do this deliberately for specific or special occasions. Religious and political gatherings, weddings and funerals, anniversaries and parties, all immediately bring our own favourite music to mind. However if we want to change a negative current mood, choosing music that is more upbeat will lift us out of depression. It therefore becomes important not to choose music which encourages our depression. This link also explains why those dancing at raves become higher and higher. The participants are continually lifted upwards, as the beats and rhythms are constantly boosted.

Music communicates through beat and melody. It is therefore a universal means of communication. This is why we can travel the world and find enjoyment experiencing the musical feeling of another culture. A country’s culture influences their basic formation of music. The most obvious example of this is a comparison Western pop music and Indian Bollywood style tunes. The only really recent cross-over tune was from the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ with ‘Jai Ho’ (You Are My Destiny). However the Internet is causing the different styles of music to become integrated. Even the ethics that move composers and musicians are becoming similar as these quotes show:-

‘One good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain’ – Bob Marley
‘I love appreciating all kinds of music’ – Taylor Swift
‘Music is about transporting people, speaking a language which languages fail to express’ – A. R. Rahman.
Music development and its ability to impact on moods relies on new talent so it was interesting to find this quote:-
‘I bridge the gap between music and life and now my heartbeat swings as sweet as a melody’ – Aloysha Peter.
Now in his twenties, his quote shows empathy with other musicians.

Experiences in our own lives invariably influence our future and Aloysha’s first musical adventures started when singing in a Trivandrum church choir – Kerala. His latest song, which he composed, arranged and produced, is called: ‘Lahari Ee Lahari’ – appropriate English translation – ‘Deliriously Happy’. It features Aju Varghese, a popular actor and comedian and Shann Rahman a music composer and singer. Both are well known for their work in Malayalam cinema. Its enthusiastic fun beat and melody has an infectious feeling which demonstrates how music can uplift our moods. Sometimes just being told about a piece of music may alter our mood. If you hear an artiste’s name it may conjure-up a tune in your mind and suddenly your mood is altered. So choose your music to create, enhance or change your mood because hopefully it may make you deliriously happy. The choice is yours.

Chairman’s Message

Invariably the start of a New Year provides an opportune time to look back on events of the previous twelve months and look forward with anticipation to the year ahead. The support and encouragement we have received from our partners, customers and colleagues, over the last twelve months, were really appreciated. It gives us welcome impetus that raises us to a higher level of confidence. Our mutually beneficial relationships have developed into friendships. This, has in turn, energised us to explore larger horizons. Thank you to everyone, as I wish you a wonderful year ahead.

A speech that I heard recently, from the former President of United States of America, George Bush Jnr., during the memorial service for his father Bush Snr., was thought-provoking. In this speech he mentioned the inaugural address of his father as the 41st President of USA. Bush Snr., said, “We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, and town better than he found it.”

I found this statement has got many overarching meanings, not only in our personal life, but in business too. It is the responsibility of every succeeding generation to leave what they’ve inherited, in better shape and condition. If we are able to start this New Year, by taking a lead that invigorates generations to come, I believe it will help focus our minds on achieving greater success for all of us.

CSS Group Strategy Meet 2018

THE ANNUAL STRATEGY MEET CONCLUDES ON THE 17TH OF NOVEMBER, 2018 IN COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

The CSS Group’s annual Strategy Meet 2018 was held at the Cinnamon Lakeside Resort, Colombo, Sri Lanka from the 15th to 17th November. Time to evolve continued to be the theme this year for the meet, which invariably declares the need for strategically design new plans and programmes to enhance the business performance in this most challenging time. The meeting was inaugurated by Sasikala (SK), Manager- Corporate communications, CSS Group.

As a usual practice, budgets, achievements and strategies were presented by all divisions and departments. Delegates representing various offices of CSS Group and associates, participated the two days meeting in Colombo. Discussions and debates were seen all through the presentation on topics which needed extra thrust and focus.

The Sri Lanka operations of CSS Group was kick-started alongside the strategy meet in Colombo. The CSS Group operations in Colombo received a soft launch during the event. Full-fledged operations will soon commence from the region. The meet was concluded with a vote of thanks by T S Kaladharan, the Chairman and Founder of CSS Group, wherein he re-iterated the need for more focused strategies and personalized services in all segments.

The last day was dedicated to one-to-one meeting amongst various departments and associates. CSS has always strived to excel in all the ventures, year on year and today has reached a respectable position amongst the renowned names in the field of Shipping and Logistics in the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent.

POST-MEET SOCIALIZING EVENTS
Day one dinner for the delegates were organized at the Rustic and Lovely Buba beach club and seafood restaurant, in Mount Lavinia, Colombo. The restaurant on the beach served some exquisite seafood cuisine within a stress release ambience for the delegates after a hectic meeting day. The group travelled in a coach together to this seaside venue and partied till mid-night.

Prestigious Access towers II within the Colombo city was the chosen dinner venue for the group on the second evening. The renowned roof top bar and restaurant here was ready to receive the cheerful gathering by sun down. The venue opened up a panoramic view of the Colombo city with all its lights and glitters. The new office bearers from CSS Colombo and associates from Maldives also attended the socializing session.

NVOCC- The Flagship Service of CSS Group

Consolidated Shipping Services Group, has attained a reputable position in the industry with specialized operations in cargo consolidation (LCL), both in Ocean export and import. The reliability of world class transcontinental partnerships qualifies CSS Group to be amongst the leading NVOCC service providers from the GCC and the South Asia. Personalized client handling and global standards in cargo management has made CSS the most trusted partner in consolidation activities in the region where they operate, that too made possible with an enviable global network of partners.

Past two decades we have been aggressively selling our NVOCC activities along with our overseas agents across the globe. We provide our clients with coherent and reliable LCL solutions through our trusted counterparts in Far East, Europe and the Americas. Our relationship with our agents has extended beyond business over the years and CSS Group is grateful for that. From this edition onwards, Lighthouse will be walking alongside, our network partners discussing and debating issues interesting to our readers

Walking The Extra Mile with CSS

JEAN-PAUL, CEO, FPS ROTTERDAM, MENTIONS ABOUT HIS BUSINESS AND FRIENDSHIP WITH CSS IN A BRIEF CHAT WITH LIGHTHOUSE

Commencing in 2003, the combined efforts of both CSS Group and FPS Rotterdam has made them the market leaders today in the NVOCC industry. Mr. Jean-Paul van Munster, the CEO of FPS Rotterdam, spoke with Lighthouse on more about the mutual relationship. “It started when Mr. Kala and I visited Mr. Alvin Tan that time director of FPS Singapore at the same time. It was Mr. Alvin Tan who knew me since 1995 and figured that CSS and FPS Rotterdam had a lot to offer to each other, and he was absolutely right!”

Not only in business that Jean- Paul shared the same momentum with Kala, it flourished so well into the family matters as well gradually. “We both never missed the opportunity to be in each other’s family functions and over the period of time, we shared the joy of being like a single family and we continue the relationship which has grown in the past 15 years to become not only business partners, but something more valuable in this world; “United Friends”.

While discussing about the industry and business, Jean-Paul mentioned about the beginning and growth of FPS Rotterdam. He was full of excitement when he narrated the story. “FPS, Famous Pacific Shipping B.V. originated from the 1992 founded forwarder TOP Trans Ocean Pacific forwarding. With the growing consolidation activities within TOP it was in 2001 when we decided to separate the consolidation activities from TOP and continue fully independently as a neutral consolidator under the name of FPS Famous Pacific Shipping Rotterdam, successfully led by its present director Ms. Saskia de Jong. During the past 17 years FPS Rotterdam has grown from its humble start to one of the leading consolidators in Rotterdam”.

Jean-Paul paused for a moment and continued to say that he is obliged for the accomplishments, whatever achieved so far, to the support of their strong world-wide partners like the CSS Group. Besides its strong worldwide network, the keynote of the growth and quality of FPS Rotterdam is a professional and reliable team and the ongoing IT investments.

“Rotterdam, the centre from where we make cargo movement more efficient than ever, is the ideal gateway to and from the hinterland of Europe. Connecting the world with our direct services. The movement of cargo is closely monitored every step of the way. Track and trace, online booking and EDI systems make it easy to keep an eye on every shipment. Our state-of-the-art warehouse offers an IMO and non-IMO separated area. Last but not least our friendly service makes us gladly walk the extra mile. We believe in a friendly long-term relationship with our customers and worldwide partners like CSS!”

Beating The Noise

“How to Keep Focused in a Noisy World and Progress at Work”

In today’s world, where technology seems at times to be taking over our lives and where external noise is getting louder and louder, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain focus. Especially at work.

Take a simple example in your daily life; you wake up, get ready for work and already your brain has been challenged by messages received overnight from your work place, text messages from friends and family, WhatsApp messages from people across the world, not to mention breaking news and relentless advertising bombarding us at every turn. Add in Twittter, Instagram and Facebook, and by the time you reach the office you’ve already been pulled in a million different directions. Alas you sit down, and are faced with an overloaded inbox and phone calls to take and make, and the need to interact with colleagues all at the same time.

HOW TO STAY FOCUSED IN THE MIDST OF ALL THAT?

It requires discipline and a strong willingness to follow a plan. In the midst of daily distractions and task items, it’s important to keep focused on the goal of your job. People who succeed and climb the ladder have managed to do this, and you can too. Every day we must overcome the distractions and focus on the job at hand, finding time to do that one thing that makes a difference. We must tell ourselves that every day we need to have done something to help grow the company, something to help us reach our goal at work.

I lead and manage a great deal of business within my company and often feel pulled in many directions. I remember the goal of my job. To grow business for my company. To sell. My strategy? Every day I look at what I can do to accomplish something important which is going to give me an opportunity to grow my business and my division.

For example:

  • Spend the entire day visiting customers – consolidate existing relationships and build new ones.
  • Spend time researching and studying the market and identifying new potential clients.
  • Set a number of calls and review expectations and results with our sales force.
  • Share ideas with managers – Identify growth opportunities in developing new products & new lanes.
  • Prepare a sales trip logistically and design a strategy.


Whatever you set your goals at, remember that at the end of the day you need to be satisfied about what was accomplished and not waste it as we often do not controlling our own time and actions and spending the day doing only clerical tasks.

As the year comes to an end, I encourage you to thinking about what you can do in 2019 to turn down the distractions and reach your goals at work. You’ll be amazed at how fast you will progress in your job, and more importantly, you’ll leave work with a feeling that you accomplished something towards your goal, which is a feeling louder than any other noise.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday and happy new year 2019….
Stay well until the next chronicle

CSS Group Commences Its Activities From Sri Lanka

As part of its global expansion CSS Group is proud to announce the opening of its Sri Lanka enterprise. Consolidated Shipping Services, Sri Lanka – commenced operations from Colombo, on the 1st of December 2018

“We are delighted to have our presence in the city of Colombo. Sri Lanka has always had a significant position in the global logistics map. Like at all our other locations, CSS will strive to deliver the best of services across all verticals to our clients in Sri Lanka,”commented Chandrakala (CK), COO, NVOCC CSS Group.

Strategically located in a key East-West trade route and set close to India, Sri Lanka has the essential locational advantage needed for it to develop into a key logistics hub in South Asia. The island state is an important transhipment hub in the region.

Sri Lanka, as a local economy, has been on the rise. Infrastructure development has been a focus, the results on the ground are testament to this. The forecast for long term growth in the Public and Private infrastructure space is strong. The CSS Group network strength combined with the experience, onboarded, at CSS Sri Lanka will allow for our new enterprise to leverage the expected uptake in the economy.

The team in Colombo will be led by Menusha Srilankeshwara, who carries with her years of experience in the freight forwarding & Logistics industry. “Colombo port has remained the busiest port in South Asia for the last many years. The total trade volume is increasing every year. This is the right time for CSS to be in Sri Lanka, and as a professional team, we can contribute a lot to the logistics business and gain much more from it,” mentioned Menusha, General Manager, CSS Sri Lanka.

CSS Group wishes good luck to the team at CSS Sri Lanka.

Address Details:
Consolidated Shipping Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.
20, 1/2 (1st Floor), Lauris Road
Bambalapitiya, Colombo 04
Sri Lanka

Key Contacts:
Menusha Srilankeshwara General Manager
menusha@csslanka.com

Hansi Rajakaruna
Customer Relations Officer cs@csslanka.com

For more information:
Tel : +94 11 2555 442
Email : info@csslanka.com

CSS Group Attends The FPS AGM at Ningbo

WHILE FAMOUS PACIFIC SHIPPING GROUP CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

From October 23rd-26th, over 100 freight consolidators came together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Famous Pacific Shipping Group and attend the FPS Group 20th Annual General Meeting. This year the members of FPS Group met in Ningbo, China. Ningbo is one of the oldest cities in China and is also home to one of China’s most important seaports.

Every year an FPS Group member hosts the FPS Group AGM, and Portever Ningbo was awarded the honor of hosting this year’s event. Portever Ningbo selected the Westin Ningbo as the venue for the 20th AGM, and chose a scenic riverside venue for the Farewell Dinner.

CSS Group was represented by Chandrakala (CK), COO, NVOCC. CSS Group has a long-standing relationship with FPS since its inception. “The conference provided a perfect platform to discuss the challenges and the opportunities for the freight forwarding fraternity. Moreover, attending FPS AGM was important to CSS, as this gave us the chance to interact with the most experienced heads of companies and meet and greet all our friends” mentioned Chandrakala.

This year’s event was kicked off by a cocktail reception that offered a wide variety of light foods, a good selection of drink options, and the opportunity for AGM attendees to meet, and even get a head start on their One-One Meetings.

On the 24th and 25th, attendees spent their mornings listening to presentations from new companies who have joined since last year’s event in Morocco, and also a Forum session that allowed for members to discuss suggested policies and changes to the group. In the afternoon of both days’ members were focused on One-One Meetings.

The AGM closed with an Al Fresco Riverside Farewell Dinner on Ningbo’s Old Bund. The evening featured skilled performers, delicious food, and delightful beverages.

The members and the associates are all looking forward to 2019 following the success of this year’s event in Ningbo.

Skid Movement

CARGO MOVEMENT FROM JEBEL ALI TO HOUSTON

Projects team of CSS, shared details of a recent project movement they handled in Dubai. Two Skids of re-melt tank with structural steel skid & structural steel frame was moved from Jebel Ali to Houston. The cargo specification was 8.20 x 4.50 x 4.80 m with 24 Tons weight.

The cargo was moved as Ocean freight. “The entire movement was done overcoming lot of challenges and as usual our team were enthusiastically delivering their best throughout the process. Each project movement provides ample scope for learning something new.” Commented Sajith Vijayan, Manager – Projects.

The scope included collection on special 40 cms low deck trailer from Mussafah to Jebel Ali, lashing & securing of skids onto the 40 feet flat rack container and exporting to the destination in Houston completing all documentation and clearances needed for the move. As is the practice, extensive study and survey was conducted as part of this movement regarding the Origin, destination and the travel route. Each point of the entire project was carefully assessed to ensure a fool proof and smooth journey of the cargo

Team – Work

Rahat Talreja
Vice President – CSS Central India
I’d like to start with a poetry rendition by Sarshar Sailani, a dialogue writer and poet:

Chaman mein Ikhtilat-e-rang-o-bu se baat banti hai
Hum hi Hum hain toh kya hum hain
Tum hi Tum ho toh kya tum ho

Translated in English as:

In a garden, multiple forms of colour and smell make up the ecosystem
If I am only about myself, then what am I.
If you are only about yourself, then what are you.

How beautiful.

The ecosystem of an organisation is the result of the multiple flavours that every individual contributes.

The smart, the smarter, the smartest.

The foolish, more foolish, most foolish.

The lucky, the luckier, the luckiest.

The good, the better, the best.

And voila, the organisation, its ecosystem, its culture, its philosophies, all bloom with this combined energy of its several people.

Let us therefore decipher a few points which are important for effective team work.

Team Size:

Let’s do some math with a simple number like 100

  1. First, divide 100 by 100
    The answer is 1
    1 is 1% of 100
  2. Now, divide 100 by 1
    The answer is 100
    100 is 100% of 100


(Some might be confused because math was always a tricky subject, but read again and it’s really a simple point)

From the above example, we can see that dividing by 100 gives you 1 percent of something and dividing by 1 gives you 100 percent of that thing.

Which brings us to the point on team-work where appropriate team size is most important to team work. If too many people get involved in the same work, the percentage of output only decreases.

What are the issues we typically see in involvement of too many people in a simple task?

  1. The simple task becomes complicated
  2. The task is simple but the discussion around it is disproportionate to its size
  3. People involved become more important than the task itself
  4. Ultimately the task never gets done
  5. Even if it gets done, the emotional, physical & financial costs mismatch the importance of the task


Therefore, its most important to have teams which are appropriately sized.

ABSOLUTE VS RELATIVE IMPORTANCE:
Let’s understand this point from our own human body. In relative terms, the heart is more important than the feet. But in absolute terms, the heart has its own functions and importance as does the feet. If this point is clear, most of us can work towards achieving absolute positions and not relative positions. Because the quest for relative positions only create issues within us and with us.

The working class all over the world sacrifice their NEEDS to fulfil the WANTS of their corporate employers. This is their absolute power. The power of giving. In fact, in the entire hierarchical spectrum, the one above fulfils his wants by sacrificing the needs of the one below.

Let us take the example of a top leader on the Forbes List. He wanting to move into the top 100 richest is a want, not a need. Who fulfils that want? The ones who serve him. They sacrifice personal time, family time, health, peace and so many basic human needs to help him achieve that objective. It’s a separate thing that the Saturn (Shani) in our horoscope decides the kind of people we will have serving us. The stronger it is, the better the people who serve us. These planet positions are not out of the blue, they are earned through good karma. Everything is earned and not an entitlement. But in the context of the material world, yes, someone’s needs fulfil the others wants.

Therefore, perspective is very important and we can all have harmony with each other in teams when this is clear. When you go to a restaurant, first the restaurant owner feeds you and then by paying the bill, you feed him. Both feed each other.

MOTIVATION:
Try complimenting a top sportsman for just his good looks and not his sport.

He will be offended.

Imagine meeting Sachin Tendulkar and complimenting him for his pearly white teeth. Not a mention of cricket. He will say his famous words: Aila.

If you notice, true power always underplays itself not to attract attention from the wrong eyes and ordinary will always overdo itself to attract attention from the true powers.

It is most important to identify tasks and allot functions as per one’s strength and caliber and be continuously appreciated for that. The above examples have made it amply clear that misreading someone’s caliber and appreciating for the contextually wrong things might actually demotivate the person.

These are some points on team work. Many others also exist. We all are trying.

Release of The Cargo Without The Presentation of Original Bill of Lading

A bill of lading is a document issued by a carrier (or their agent) to acknowledge receipt of cargo for shipment. Although in England, the term once related only to carriage by sea, a bill of lading may be used for any type of carriage of goods. A bill of lading must be transferable and serves three main functions:

  • It’s a conclusive receipt i.e. an acknowledgement that the goods have been loaded;
  • It contains or evidences the terms of the contract of carriage; and
  • It serves as a document of title to the goods.

As much as it is the most important document for shipment of goods from one place to the other, it has become very common for the cargo interest or their agents to demand the release of cargo without submission of the original bill of lading.

At the outset, the answer to whether the cargo can be released without the presentation of the OBL is a big NO! as this involves a lot of risk both for the carrier and the cargo interest since the reasons for the non-presentation are enormous. In spite of this being wrongful there are some carriers and P&I that do release the cargo, subject to certain exclusions and exemptions.

P&I releasing the cargo without presentation of OBL
In general P & I club exclude cover for release of cargo without production of Original Bill of Lading by incorporating an exclusion in their policy. However, certain P&I clubs include an omnibus clause in their Rules which do permit some flexibility by allowing the members to provide cover in some circumstances. At the same time with respect to commercial insurers providing P&I cover, this flexibility is not available to override any specific exclusions provided in the policy wordings.

P&I will be involved in such cases under various roles and various circumstances. When P&I represents the carrier, if the Principals or their agents have released the cargo without the OBL the shipper would be the claiming party. On receiving the claim from the shipper P&I club would reject the claim on the ground that there was no personal negligence. Similarly, when P&I represents the cargo interest, the carrier may have released the cargo without the OBL yet P&I would continue to reject the claim as the fault is off the carrier.

Thus, certain P&I clubs provide a wider cover with respect to release of cargo with Bill of Lading subject to certain specific exclusions already mentioned in the Insurance policy.

Carrier/Shipping Line releasing cargo without the presentation of OBL
When it comes to the carrier, they deny taking responsibility of the cargo that is to be discharged without the presentation of the Bill of lading as it causes a lot of trouble for the shipping line/ carrier eventually.

Although the above is what the carrier mostly follows, there are some cases where the carrier releases the cargo without the Bill of Lading for the following reasons:

  • To maintain a cordial and business relationship with the customer.
  • To reduce the unavailability of the containers.
  • To avoid the destruction cost that would eventually fall on the Carrier in case the consignee has not taken delivery.
  • The time and cost the carrier/ shipping line has to invest in claiming the detention and demurrage charges.

The carrier/ shipping line accept a document called the Letter of Indemnity in which the party including the consignee, delivery agent or any other accepts to indemnify the consignor in case of any consequence that arise in the future.

Letter of Indemnity
It is common in a lot of trades, whether bulk or oil, to accept a Letter of Indemnity (“LOI”) for non-production of bills of lading. A letter of indemnity (LOI) is a document which the shipper/ consignee indemnifies the shipping company against the implications of claims that may arise from the issue of a clean Bill of Lading when either the goods were not loaded in accordance with the description in the Bill of Lading or when the original document is not available.

It is absolutely essential that Members get the wording of the LOI right and ensure that proper procedures are in place to demonstrate compliance with the LOI.Members must also actively weigh up the counter party risk of accepting an LOI. An LOI is only as secure as the party providing it.

When this occurs, the carrier invariably agrees to deliver the cargo in consideration of receiving a Letter of Indemnity (LOI) from their charterer/ receiver. In many cases, a delivery of cargo in this way will proceed without incident. However, whilst the practice is familiar, familiarity can sometimes lead to complacency.

to be continued…