Latest News

28 May 2021 –

UAL SENDS 5 VESSELS TO ONNE, NIGERIA

Together with their offices in Houston (UAL America) and Copenhagen (UAL Chartering) and their dedicated agencies throughout Europe and Africa, they will have the MV Esen, MV Vega and the UAL Fortitude from North Europe and the Mediterranean and the MV HC Eva Marie and UAL Cologne from the US Gulf calling to Nigeria.

Known as the independent breakbulk niche carrier UAL remains one of the very few carriers still offering direct shipments to Nigeria.

“The reliability and consistency of the services offered by UAL have proven to be popular amongst our client base which consists of many of the well-known oil and gas companies and their subcontractors.” Samir Ferguen, Managing Director, UAL Chartering.

With its presence in West Africa spanning over four decades UAL continues to offer their clients standard liner services from the US Gulf and Europe to WAF a guaranteed sailing every three weeks using modern tonnage as well as more tailor-made solutions for those clients requiring a more personalised service.

READ ON BREAKBULK.NEWS

1 February 2021 –

Universal Africa Lines appoints Universal Shipping Agencies (Ausa) as their exclusive U.K. general agent. 

We are excited to announce that as from the UAL vessel HC opal ,voyage 421003, Aberdeen Universal Shipping Agencies (Ausa) have been appointed as the exclusive U.K. general agent on behalf of Universal Africa Lines.

This is a joint venture company between Universal Africa Lines and Kestrel Liner Agencies

We very much look forward in continuing to work together in this new venture.

Please send all future enquiries to:

Malcolm.cayley@ausaltd.com

Jck@ualnetherlands.com

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support.

contact Ausa:

John Clark – based in Aberdeen – +447966137322
Malcolm Cayley – +441224473971

OFFICIAL MEDIA RELEASE

7 December 2020 –

UAL’s K5 Freeport & Oil Centre in Malabo selected for the Alen Gas Monetization Project!

K5 Freeport & Oil Centre in Malabo is proud to announce they were selected by Noble Energy for the Alen Gas Monetization Project as the platform support specialist and logistic service provider, due to its accumulated experience and the capacity to store 5.864 concrete coated pipes. The scope of work ranged from project management, port services, road transportation, rigging and lifting of the 37.000T of pipe. Over 120 people contributed to the loading operations onto the UAL Lobito and Symphony Performer which were the two vessels supplying the Pipe laying Vessel Castorone with pipe.

The laying of a 70 KM pipeline by Saipem Offshore Construction will extend the life of this world class LNG facilities and at the same time transform the Punta Europa Complex into a Gas Hub for the development of future Gulf of Guinea gas fields.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

3 December 2020 –

UAL’s first sailing of its new East Africa Service performed by MV Andesborg

The MV Andesborg has loaded in Moerdijk (NL) and Peterhead (UK) and she is well under way to Mombasa, #Kenya, Pemba and Palma #Mozambique.

This is our first shipment of foundation pipes of which many more to follow, which is the start of our new separate, direct and independent service to East Africa. These pipes are destined for the construction of the LNG terminal in Palma, Mozambique. Apart from the pipes we also have other oil and gas related cargoes on board destined for Pemba Mozambique and for Mombasa, Kenya.

Our next sailing will be performed by the MV Prinsengracht in Moerdijk the 26^th of December and has scheduled calls Pemba and Palma #Mozambique. Other ports on inducement.

If you have any inquiries don’t hesitate to contact us.  #UAL #Mozambique #Kenya

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

13 October 2020 –

Universal Africa Lines starts direct liner service to East Africa

Dear Agent, 

Universal Africa Lines is proud to announce it will start a direct service between NW Europe and East Africa.

UAL has been running liner services to and from West Africa for over 35 years, and has now expanded it services to reach East Africa.

The new service will run from North West Europe to Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenia.

It will be a new direct liner service (no transshipments) with monthly sailings, and will be operated in addition to our existing services to West Africa.

Sailings will be performed by UAL’s modern boxshaped HL geared fleet, and breakbulk, bulk, Project cargoes, Heavy lifts and containers can be accepted.

We are very excited about this new service, says Harald Maas, director of UAL Netherlands.

Within the same year of starting our new Mediterranean service to West Africa, which has proven to be very successful from the start, we are now entering the market of East Africa.

East Africa is the new Oil and Gas hotspot, and we are confident that we can bring our same proven service to this emerging market.

We will be serving the same clientele which have been serving so proudly in West Africa, and we feel this has great potential and the time is now.

Even in the current difficult business climate we have proven our ability to deliver which we will continue to do so.

The first sailing will be performed by mv Andesborg

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

3 September 2020 –

PRESS RELEASE: UAL Chartering – Copenhagen, Denmark

Interview with Mr. Samir Ferguen (Managing Director).

First of all Samir, please let our readers get to know you. Who are you, and what is your background in shipping & chartering leading up to your current posting in Copenhagen?

I have been working within the project, chartering, and heavy-lift industry since 2008. I started my career as a trainee with Scan-Trans in Denmark at the age of 21. At that time, the industry was still surfing the wave of high economic reward, which quickly changed at the end of my 2-year stay at the office in Denmark, but nonetheless, Scan-Trans was one of the best places to be as a trainee. I was lucky to be offered a chartering position in Houston. I continued my training and worked there from 2010 to 2011. Thereafter, I relocated to the Asian HQ, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I took part of the chartering team from 2011-2015. During this period, Scan-Trans merged with Intermarine.

Towards the end of 2014, with my son being one and a half years old at the time and my daughter on the way, we decided to go back to Denmark. I had a short period with Nordana in Denmark, before going back to Intermarine, which later on became Zeamarine.

At Zeamarine/Intermarine, we had a very good position worldwide, and we managed to create a very strong position within the Europe/Africa trade. This is not something I can take full credit for. My long-time friend and colleague, Morten Moeller had a huge part in developing this from scratch.

Since we started the dialog with UAL earlier this year, and after having met with the fantastic team in Rotterdam, it quickly became clear that this was the ideal partnership for us to continue developing the trade.

Who are UAL chartering? I believe you are shipowners as well as an independent chartering company, right? Tell us more.

UAL Chartering is part of the UAL Alliance.

The Alliance consists of the shipping line UAL (Universal Africa Lines), with a long-established liner service from the UK, Europe to West Africa and as well from the U.S Gulf to West Africa. We do approximately two sailings every month from Aberdeen, Antwerp, and Rouen to West Africa and the same from Houston and Vera Cruz to West Africa.

UAL Netherlands, HQ in Rotterdam, acts as the overall commercial agent for the liner service, together with the other alliance member UAL Americas, in Houston, which handles bookings from the U.S. Gulf.

In addition, we have UAL Nigeria located in Port Harcourt, with both commercial staff and operators handling our many port calls to Port Harcourt, Onne, and Warri.

Another member of the alliance is the K5 Freeport & Oil Centre, located in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The terminal is strategically located in Malabo, making it easy for oil & gas companies and offshore oil field operators to store their equipment. Also, from this terminal, we can easily feed to Nigeria, Angola or any other nearby places where there is a high production of oil & gas.

The latest member of the alliance is UAL Chartering which Morten and I started jointly, together with UAL, back in May.

You can say we have multiple functions. We are first of all in charge of the newly-established service from the Mediterranean and Black Sea to West Africa. We are, as we speak, working on our third shipment, and aiming at monthly shipments from Turkey, Italy, France, and Spain.

Furthermore, after many years of serving as the inhouse broker for UAL at DMT, Vijay Laxminarayan decided to go on his well-deserved retirement, now leaving all UAL tonnage-chartering with UAL Chartering. On top of that, then we serve as a bit of the company ‘go-to’ department for requests that fall out of the scope of the regular liner services. In these cases, UAL Chartering will make sure to tailor a solution to meet the specific request of the client.

Lastly, we have a lot of focus on developing the group’s services to East Africa.

What led you to a decision to start up an office in Denmark instead of, say, Hamburg (unless you are there already, of course)?

The reason for our location is that both Morten and I are from Denmark. One could say that it would have been more convenient to have everything under one roof in Rotterdam, but we do believe that talent matters more than location.

Do you have experience in handling project cargoes? Could you provide us with some examples of projects handled and/or a few pictures of the tonnage that you operate?

The UAL Alliance is specialized in handling project cargoes and has for the past 50 years, been servicing the region in industries such as oil & gas, mining, construction and renewable energy. As the head of the  organisation, Mr. Jungblut has been CEO of the group since 1983, and a lot of major projects have been serviced by UAL through this period of time.

There are many shipowners and operators out there. What makes you stand out?

You will simply not find a multipurpose / project shipping line who has been servicing Africa, especially the oil & gas industry, as frequently and for as many years as UAL. The set-up with offices and agents around the US, Europe, and Africa serves as the ideal platform and ensures timely response in the same time zone as the customer is located.  Add thereto the group’s own terminal, K5 in Malabo. which has been of very high value to many of our clients.

Last but not least, the UAL group has got a great team of skilled professionals across all offices, making UAL not only a fantastic place to work but a fantastic partner to entrust with your projects as well.

Please kindly provide your contact information so our readers can get in touch with you.

With pleasure:
Office: +45 5373 1350
Mobile: +45 5373 1351

Mail:
General mail: projects@ualchartering.com
Personal mail: sfn@ualchartering.com
Web: www.ualchartering.com

READ HERE

4 May 2020 – 

UNIVERSAL AFRICA LINES STRENGTHENS BREAK BULK SERVICES TO AFRICA WITH NEW DANISH LINK

UAL Chartering established in Denmark to launch new Mediterranean and Black Sea service

Global shipping company Universal Africa Lines Ltd (UAL) has reinforced its position as the leading break bulk carrier to Africa for the oil and gas industry by establishing a new chartering desk in Denmark. 

UAL Chartering becomes the extending leg to the established UAL liner services from Europe and USA, providing customized solutions worldwide to and from Africa, including shipments from Europe, the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 

Allowing UAL to expand its current services with new regular sailings from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to West Africa, the Danish chartering desk will additionally focus on the group’s services to East Africa. 

Based in Denmark, UAL Chartering will be headed by Directors Samir Ferguen and Morten Møller, both well known within the break bulk industry and each backed by many years’ experience in parceling of vessels not only from Europe and Africa, but also the USA and Asia. 

Established in 1973 and known as a leading shipping line servicing the oil and gas industry from Europe and America to Africa, UAL also services customers in the mining, renewables, steel and commodity segments. 

Its fleet of multipurpose vessels are able to load and discharge using their own cranes, with lifting capacity ranging from 70-360 metric tons. 

‘We are extremely proud to have been entrusted with the further expansion of UAL’s services, and to represent such a strong brand in the African trade,” said Samir Ferguen. 

Morten Møller commented: “Despite the current challenging times for the world economy, we look forward to servicing our trusted clients.” 

Harald Maas, Director, UAL Netherlands, said: “We are very excited about this new opportunity. UAL Chartering will be a valuable addition to UAL’s existing liner services and will provide extra services to UAL’s clients. 

“We are very pleased to have Samir and Morten on board. They have a proven track record and are well known and highly respected within the industry. We are confident that, with their help, we can make our new Mediterranean and Black Sea to Africa service a success. 

UAL Chartering ApS
Vimmelskaftet 41A, 3
1161 Copenhagen, Denmark
Phone: +45 537 313 50
Mail: projects@ualchartering.com
Web: www.ualchartering.com

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

24 March 2020 – 

PRESS RELEASE: Universal Africa Lines will keep its Liner Services to West Africa fully operational and running

To Our Valued Customers,

In these difficult and uncertain times we would like to reassure you that one thing will remain the same, Universal Africa Lines will keep its Liner Services to West Africa fully operational and running.

UAL has been servicing West Africa for over 47 years during which we have weathered many storms, and this is by far the biggest challenge we have encountered to date. We fully realize the severity of the present crisis and therefore have taken measures to secure maximum safety both on board our vessels, and in port.

We will do our part in keeping the logistical corridor to and from West Africa open, and we commit to calling our scheduled ports to the best of our ability as we have always done. The challenges we face to do so, might force us to make (short notice) changes to our schedules, for which we count on your kind understanding.

We are in this together, and count on your support the same as you count on ours. Our hearts go out to everyone personally affected by this virus, and we have the deepest respect for all the health care workers and public officials who are fighting around the clock.

We can only humbly do our small part and sincerely appreciate your continued support.

With best regards, Harald Maas (Director – UAL Netherlands BV, General Agent to UAL Ltd)

OFFICIAL NOTICE

16 March 2020 – 

UAL NETHERLANDS WILL BE OPERATING FROM HOME LOCATIONS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

UAL Netherlands is the General Agent to UNIVERSAL AFRICA LINES, and normally operates from it’s location in Capelle ad IJssel in the Netherlands.

In order to ensure everyones safety, with immediate effect, all staff have been sent home to work from there, and all scheduled meetings have been cancelled

All our staff will be working at their home locations, and will be reachable on their normal email addresses.

It is important to notice that ALL OUR ACTIVITIES WILL BE PERFORMED AS NORMAL, although (minor) delays can be expected.

Our office phone number will be out of service, however KEY STAFF can be reached on their mobile telephone numbers as per the following list:

This measure is implemented with immediate effect, and will last as long as the Dutch Government dictates, and for the time being,
these measures have been implemented until April 6th.

We will keep you immediately posted on any changes.

It is also important to notice that our shipping line UNIVERSAL AFRICA LINES is NOT affected, and will maintain it’s regular Liner Service as scheduled.

We sincerely apologise for this inconvenience, and trust that these measures will contribute to a normalisation of the situation.

We thank you for your appreciation.

8 October 2019 –

PRESS RELEASE “New Sulphur Regulation 2020 – Europe WAF service vv.”

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), in an effort to reduce marine pollution and in order to improve air quality and environmental protection, will require the usage of marine fuels with a Sulphur not exceeding 0.5 percent. At present the current limit is 3,5 percent. This regulation applies for all sizes of ships. For more and detailed information please see in this respect the IMO website: http://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/hottopics/sulphur-2020.aspx

Read Here 

5 August 2019 – 

PRESS RELEASE “NEW DIRECT LINER SERVICE TO WARRI, NIGERIA”

We are pleased to announce that UAL, Universal Africa Lines Ltd. and Julius Berger Services Nigeria Ltd. have decided to join forces! Julius Berger Services Nigeria Limited (JBSN) has served as a multipurpose terminal operator at the Warri Port – Terminal C since 2007. As an experienced terminal operator, the Company offers reliable services for various types of cargo including stevedoring, storage and custom clearing. In addition, Julius Berger Services Nigeria offers shipping services for import as well as export of goods to and from Nigeria.

Read Here

UAL EXPANDS FLEET

Universal Africa Lines is proud to announce the latest addition to its fleet, the mv UAL Fortitude.

Universal Africa Lines, the niche carrier for the Oil and Gas and project industry in West Africa, has recently purchased the mv UAL Fortitude.
The mv UAL Fortitude , a modern 12.744mts DWT multipurpose vessel with 3 box shaped holds, is equipped with 2 x 180MT ship’s gear which can be combined to 360MT lifting capacity.
With the acquisition of this vessel, UAL is entering into the market for heavy lifts in West Africa.

“We are very excited to have this new lady in our fleet ” says Harald Maas, Director of UAL Netherlands, “The Oil and Gas industry is putting more and more demands on the lifting capacity of our vessels, and this latest addition will ensure UAL will maintain it’s position as the leading carrier for the Oil and Gas industry in West Africa for years to come. We are looking for further expansions of our fleet in the very near future, especially in the heavy lift segment “.

For any booking inquiries please contact:
Europe rates@ualnetherlands.com
USA rates@ualamerica.com

Visit this link to view our latest up to date news

https://www.universalafricalines.com/news/