this week we speak with
Luis Branco
Managing Director, L.Branco - Navegação e Trânsitos, Lda., Portugal
THE "WHO-WHERE-WHAT" CHALLENGE
| Luis Branco took his first steps in shipping in 1974 at the age of 18 years old while in the university, as a part timer in a small family owned shipping and customs broker agency. Since then he has never left the shipping industry which he serves eagerly. He has host many THLG conferences in the past with great success in the great land of Portugal. Seen here with one of his three grand daughters. |
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Although taking from the name itself it could be obvious, please tell us who owns the company. |
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I started the company in 2010 as a shipping agent and project forwarder after serving the shipping industry since 1974. Our project cargo is dealt by specialists and over 40 years of experience in different segments of logistics and transports, combined with the worldwide connections to colleagues of the trade, namely THLG, mean L.Branco will always stand out as a reliable partner. |
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How would you describe your business evolution which led you to the project cargo business? |
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The mid 90's in Portugal was the time of important industrial projects – power plants, wood pulp and paper mills, hydro power, construction of highways, bridges, factories. The small shipping agency I had started working with had become a group of companies (stevedoring, freight forwarding, trucking, car logistics specialists, project forwarders) employing over 300 workers and being one of the main agency and logistic professionals in Portugal. This helped me gather experience in many fields, such as stevedoring operations, vessels’ chartering, cargo plane chartering, passenger plane chartering, overland, abnormal loads transportation, crane operations, etc. It was around those years that I got involved in military logistics, having coordinated many projects, chartering vessels, cargo planes and passenger planes for military missions worldwide, a sector we are still involved in present day. |
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Where are your offices located? |
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We have our own offices in the ports of Lisbon, Setubal and Sines. |
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Which projects have you handled recently? |
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We are now involved in a project for a large offshore supply and logistics base in Mozambique, a country with the world’s third largest gas reserves, where billions of dollars are being invested in the exploration of gas and construction of LNG trains. Our intention is to make a presentation of the project at the next THLG conference in Bremen. |
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How did you join The Heavy Lift Group? |
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In 1992 I met by a fortunate chance during a weekend, Rolf Riedl, Doug Hird and Edward Bacon, founding members of The Heavy Lift Group who happened to be in Portugal for business meeting. That was the beginning of a long lasting, mutual friendship. I was later invited and gladly accepted to become a member of the European Heavy Lift Group, as THLG was named then, where I had the pleasure and honor of becoming the first vice-president for two years and then the Group’s president for seven years. We have been involved in some of the most complicated transports ever performed in Portugal, often on behalf of and/or in cooperation with THLG colleagues. |
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What is the current situation in Portugal regarding the shipping industry? |
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After Portugal entered the European Community, in 1986, the country boomed, the economy rocketed and many business opportunities arose. Nowadays, projects in Portugal are not as glamorous as before but there is future in wind, solar and hydrogen power, in addition with some industrial machinery and transformers transports. |
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How could one approach L. Branco for inquiries? |
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We are available for enquiries at luis@lbranco.pt |
