"The cooperation with Gillis Shipping AB fits perfectly with our strategy to be represented in the areas where we see possibilities for offshore wind activities. Now, we offer our clients the same service in Sweden as we already do in Belfast, Germany, France, UK and Denmark. Gillis Shipping AB is well known for their expertise and good local service and we know that the local knowhow and understanding is crucial in this industry, so the match is perfect", says Jacob Kjærgaard, Head of Offshore Wind Europe in Blue Water Shipping

From their head office in Karlshamn, Gillis Shipping AB has been involved in the shipping industry for more than 60 years and the employees have international experience and provide high class agency around the Swedish coast.

At the moment Blue Water is involved in several offshore wind projects in Europe such as Gwynt Y Mor (UK), Meerwind (DE), Riffgat (DE), DanTysk (DE), West of Duddon Sands (UK) and Anholt (DK).

"We are looking very forward to the exhibition which is important within the oil & gas industry and the largest of its kind in the Caspian region. We have our own booth and look forward to a couple of educational days both in regards of tendencies and the development within the industry. The oil & gas industry is in growth and we are doing everything we can to develop our expertise within Caspian transport solutions so we are always able to fulfill our client's needs", says Global Oil & Gas Manager of Blue Water Shipping Thomas Bek.

Transports to the Caspian area is a core competence for Blue Water which has specialised in complicated transports for the Caspian Sea trough the Russian river system explains Thomas Bek.

"Throughout the years, we have carried out several challenging projects of transporting drilling rigs and industrial equipment through the narrow river system in small sections before assembling it again. Last year, we completed a historic record-breaking transport of a jack-up rig which was transported through the Volga-Don river system with just a few centimeters clearance".

In connection with logistics solutions for the Caspian area for the Oil & Gas industry, Blue Water is one of the largest players worldwide as a result of comprehensive in-house competences, experience and not least a large network of offices worldwide.

"Blue Water can accomplish any assignment no matter where in the world the company's experts operate", says Thomas Bek.

"It was important for us to participate because the Marine Renewable Energy is an area in development. In France, offshore energy is evolving massively and the Bretagne Region is ideally located for offshore, tidal and wave energies. We have a lot to offer to this industry with our competences, worldwide network and experience in handling all kinds of transport and logistics projects", says Mogens Nielsen who is country manager for Blue Water Shipping in France.

Apart from services relating to the offshore industry within wind, oil & gas the office in Brest has since 1988 offered general freight forwarding by air, sea and road and handled all types of cargo and vessels in the Port of Brest.

With 170 exhibitors and 2,000 visitors, the conference was a great opportunity to meet key players in the field of Renewable Marine Energies.

"We wanted to take this opportunity to meet with a lot of existing- and future clients and business partners and speak with them about future possibilities as we have no doubt that the future of BWS France is within Marine Renewable Energy" explained Mogens Nielsen. Among a lot of visitors the President of the Bretagne region, Mr. Pierrick Massiot and the Mayor of Brest Mr. François Cuillandre visited the Blue Water stand.

The company has expanded and today it has more than 60 offices and employs over 1,000 people worldwide who handle transport and logistics assignments for all industries. In addition to its 16 Danish offices, Blue Water is also represented in Sweden, Finland and Norway with offices in Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oslo and Stavanger, and wish to grow further in the these countries, says Poul Aarre, General Manager at Blue Water and responsible for General Cargo in Scandinavia.

"We consider Scandinavia as our market and this is why we put a lot of efforts into improving our position to be there for the clients and create growth. It is our aim to be among the clients' preferred freight forwarding companies in Scandinavia"

The expectation for creating growth is based on a philosophy that has never changed. Blue Water wants to be 'Best in Town' - being the best local freight forwarder globally, so it is crucial to be close to the clients and their markets.

"In Denmark, we are in top five of the market, and literally speaking our clients are never far from us. Based on the same principle, we want to expand in Sweden, Norway and Finland as well. The clients' needs are in focus and Blue Water is deeply rooted in the local community and offers expertise combined with global knowledge and experience. This enables us to handle even the most challenging transport and logistics projects", says Poul Aarre.

In recent years, the development has gathered speed. In Sweden, Blue Water acquired the company Sea Air Logistics at the end of 2011, and the Swedish office has strengthened its position especially within sea transport. Sea and Airfreight have also been strengthened in Finland, where the Helsinki office has upgraded its facilities and developed the activities for the future. Finally, the Oslo office has experienced increasing activity in 2012 and has expanded the staff to cater for the demands from the clients who increasingly see the advantages of working with Blue Water. In Stavanger - the oil capital of Norway -  a Blue Water office is being established as a natural part of the development within the company's activities for the oil and energy industry and as part of the plan concerning Scandinavian growth.

"Our booth received a lot of visitors and both our colleagues from Hirtshals and Torshavn received exciting inquiries and had a chance to talk about new possibilities for transport to and from the Faroe Islands", says John Frandsen, General Manager from Smyril Blue waters head office in Torshavn.

Smyril Blue Water is a Faroese company which is 100 % owned by the Blue Water Group, and is one of the leading players within air and seacargo to the Faroe Islands. The company has a strong position on the Faroe Islands and work closely with branch offices in Seydisfjordur, Iceland and Hirtshals, Denmark.

In recent years, the company has strengthened its position in the market both globally and in Brazil, which is a fast growing market. The Blue Water office in Rio de Janeiro has established itself as a reliable and serious business partner within the oil & gas industry.

In Brazil, the company is involved in several projects - including comprehensive logistics assignments for the reconstruction of FPSOs (floating production, storage and offloading vessels).

The local transport and logistics experts at the Rio office works in close cooperation with Blue Waters global network of dedicated oil and gas offices at key locations for the industry.

Tommy Petersen from Offshore Center Denmark argued:

"Kim Beier receives this award for his astonishing work for safety. It is Kim Beiers achievement which has led to Blue Water Shipping having a safety policy today which in part describes a series of risk factors and in part sets the standard for the safety of the employees and environment in an international company like Blue Water Shipping".

For Blue Water a strong focus on HSSEQ related issues is a natural part of being a global player involved in both wind, offshore and oil & gas projects worldwide.

"At Blue Water the health and safety of our employees is a top priority. Training and information for all employees is part of our constant improvement. We encourage a 'zero incident mindset" as described in our standards for HSSEQ which applies for all Blue Water offices worldwide", says Kim Beier, who is part of Blue Water's global HSSEQ department. Apart from this year's prize Blue Water was the winner of a safety award at the seventh annual Dong Energy Suppliers Day held last year.

Blue Water is an all-round freight forwarding company offering complete logistics and transport solutions. A main business area is oil, gas & industrial projects and the assignments vary from handling courier packages to transporting an entire oil rig from one continent to another or power plants. With more than 60 offices worldwide Blue Water can handle all types of projects - anywhere in the world.

The conference was arranged by the trade association for the Danish oil and gas sector, Oil Gas Denmark, and aims to bring inspiration for all participants and give them a chance to meet others from the business. The jury consisted of eight representatives from companies such as Rambøll, Danbor A/S, Safety Eksperten and DNV. The arrangement is a part of Offshore Center Denmarks effort to push development and growth within the Danish offshore industry and attracts HSSEQ specialists from several industries and different parts of the world.

"For many years, Esbjerg has been Denmark's offshore hub, and many people consider the city as an international focal point within the industry. Therefore, there is a natural demand for services and activities which can meet the expectations from many operators within the industry. As always, we want to be close to the activities and with these new facilities we are placed strategically close to the Port of Esbjerg's new areas which are being established in the Eastern part of the port", says Per Jensen of Blue Water who is Manager of Terminal operations.

Blue Water is already well established at the Port of Esbjerg where the 10,000 sqm headquarter is located right at the quayside. The company has a large interest in the port and has more than 200,000 sqm at disposal which is used as storage facilities for oil, gas and wind projects.

"All the teams who competed in the final presented some interesting views on how we can develop our General Cargo activities in Scandinavia which is part of our strategy. At the same time we had the opportunity to create awareness of the company and hopefully inspire some of the students and open their minds for a possible future in the shipping industry. We learnt a great deal by being there and it was a pleasure to see how committed the students were".

"Stavanger is the centre of oil exploration in Norway and today, we already have many existing clients in and around Stavanger. Therefore, it is natural that we open an office which focuses on the oil and gas industry in the city, so that we may offer local expertise for existing and new clients", explains Thomas Bek, responsible for Blue Water Shippings global development within transport for the oil and gas industry - one of Blue Water's special competences.

"We already have offices in many of the world's centres within this segment - in Houston, Rio de Janeiro, Aberdeen, Dubai, Singapore and in the Caspian area - so the opening in Stavanger makes good sense in terms of expanding the network. Our many competences and the expertise we have gained from many years of experience with challenging projects, enables us to perform any type of assignment which we also offer in Stavanger now".

The office in Stavanger will open on 1 June this year and will be managed by 38-year-old Ingve Iversen, who has a solid local knowledge and network - especially from several postings outside of Norway, Northern Africa etc.

The activity and demand within oil and gas projects in Stavanger is rising in general, explains Thomas Kejser-Lervik, who is General Manager for Blue Water Shipping in Norway.

"We experience high activity in the region, and our clients increasingly request transport and logistics solutions on oil, gas and industrial projects. We fulfill these wishes by opening our department in Stavanger while at the same time hoping to contribute to the development with our expertise and extensive network", says Thomas Kejser-Lervik.

Blue Water Shipping Oslo was established in 2008 and employs more than 20 staff in a well run and flat organisation. Today, it is a very versatile office which solves any transport assignment by road all over Europe and by air worldwide. Traffic from Denmark has been of great importance for the office with 250 trucks arriving in Norway each week whereof 25 goes to the Stavanger region. The focus on an air and sea freight department has lead to a strong growth which Blue Water Shipping expect will continue now as the company is also represented in the western part of Norway.