Elisabeth Cosmatos      Wed, 15/07/2020

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this week we speak with

 

Mr Jeff Chua, Managing Director, Harbour Handlers, Singapore

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THE "WHO-WHERE-WHAT" CHALLENGE

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Jeff was born in 1943 during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. Singapore was colonized from 1867 to 1963. As a colony one could imagine how the people suffered. He was brought up in the slums and most of the people could hardly have 3 decent meals a day. Schools were not enough but fortunately his parents managed to enroll him to an English school. Most people were left without school or could not afford it. In 1963 he obtained his Senior Cambridge Certificate and found a job at the port. It was not easy to come by as for 1 job vacancy hundreds would apply. In 1963 Singapore became one of the states of Malaya and together we got independent and known as Malaysia. In 1965 Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia and became a sovereign country as Republic of Singapore. Lives were even tougher as there were not enough jobs and natural resources. Our first generation of politicians and the people were so determined to survive. So from an Island of slums we turned it to an island of concrete. As he says, you may call it 1st world if you like. Jeff is very proud to belong to the Pioneer Generation who had been a British subject, a Malaysian and finally Singaporean.

 

 

Tell us about Harbour Handlers. Who owns the company?

Harbour Handlers Pte Ltd was established on 13th March 1974 with owners being myself (60%), Adrian Chua (10%), Leon Chua (10%) and others (20%).

Where are your offices located?

Our Head Office is at: No. 86, Neil Road, Singapore 088846.

Airport office and warehouse at: Block D, Cargo Agents Building , Unit 01-25, Singapore 819827.

Overseas Joint Venture Companies: 

  1. Indonesia
    PT Cheetahtrans Indonesia
  2. Myanmar
    MFL Global Logistics Co Ltd.

What is Harbour Handlers specialty and service range?

Harbour Handlers is MTO equipped to handle different modes of cargo and project freight.

  1. Operating Landing Crafts, Tugs & Barges to Indonesia for construction and mining equipment.

  2. Any other projects  - like oil storage tanks and incinerator equipment, ship’s spares for conversion & repair of vessels.

Which are the main industries served in Singapore? 

Electronic, Chemical, Biomedical Sciences, Logistics and Transport Engineering.

If you could give one advice for people wanting to perform a project cargo operation in your country, what would it be?

Singapore has a free Enterprise system and it is very simple for any party who needs to perform a project operation in our country.

  1. You can send your experts and personnels to Singapore subject to approval by our authority.

  2. You can have temporary import of your equipment which requires Banker Guarantee to the Customs Authority.  Upon completion of project the equipment will have to export to country of origin.

What is the port’s infrastructure in Singapore?

Port of Singapore is a gateway for the east and west situated at the cross route.

Singapore has 2 Main Commercial Port Terminal Operators, PSA Corporation Limited and Jurong Port.

Both ports can accommodate all vessel types.  

We have a total of 108 Berths:

  • PSA Container Port: 69 Berths
  • PSA RoRo Port: 3 Berths
  • Jurong Port  Multi Purpose: 32 Berths
  • Sembawang Port (General) : 4 Berths

Is special transport a competitive sector in Singapore? How do you ensure that you will stand out?

Special Transport is VERY competitive in Singapore. In order to stand out we offer among others:  Knowledge, Capability, Equipment and Efficient Operations Team.

Are there any particularities in project cargo forwarding in your country? Such as customs restraints or other?

There is no restriction on General Cargo except Military and Strategic Cargo. Singapore Customs Clearance is straight forward and simple.

What made you join the industry?

By logic, logistics business was the business I have been trained on.

In 1963, I joined the Singapore Harbour Board during the colonial days and soon after it was renamed to Port of Singapore Authority and now called PSA Corporation Limited. 

I was working in the Traffic Department (Operations) for 10 years. I was involved with Ship Operations from arrival until departure.

The scope of my work:

  1. To co-ordinate with Shipping Line representatives for the operations. Upon arrival of vessel we were given cargo stowage plan and manifest.

  2. Co-ordinate the discharging and loading of cargo.

  3. Day in and day out I had to deal with Ship’s Captain or Cargo Officer and Stevedores.

  4. I was also involved in cargo movement like transhipment etc…

  5. Warehousing was also part of my job and I had to deal with importers and exporters.

In short I would say I have learned almost all aspects in logistics.

What do you like the most about your business?

The interesting part of the business is that most of your time you meet people and learn from each other. Shipping and logistics is a life time of learning.  

Who should be approached in Harbour Handlers for inquiries?

Please contact Ms Susan Hoe (Senior Manager – International Traffic) at susan@harbourhandlers.com.sg

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