- CUSTOMER REQUIRED CAUSTIC SODA 50% BUT NON AVAILABLE LOCALLY
- PROPOSAL FORMULATED BY FLUECHEM FOR DELIVERY WITHIN 7 DAYS
- FLUECHEM ENSURED CLIENTS VESSEL MET ENVIRONMENTAL TARGETS
- COMPLIANT THROUGHOUT AND A TIMELY DELIVERY MET ALL DEADLINES
Over recent years the team at Fluechem has worked hard to build a strong reputation for developing innovative and timely solutions, especially when a customer faces challenges that other suppliers can’t solve. One such example was a recent job that required the delivery of a large quantity of Caustic Soda 50% to a cruise ship in Reykjavik, Iceland. This crucial delivery allowed the vessel to remain compliant and within its environmental targets despite no product being available locally.
CAUSTIC SODA SUPPLY REQUIRED IN REMOTE PART OF ICELAND
With space and time at a premium, one of our long-standing cruise ship customers found themselves in need of an urgent supply of Caustic Soda 50%. This customer had set sail on an extended cruise from Europe to Iceland and, taking in to account the return journey, they did not have the capacity to carry a large enough supply of Caustic Soda 50% for the entire voyage. Having recognised that Caustic Soda 50% was not readily available in Iceland, the ship owner approached Fluechem to develop a proposal for delivery within 7 days.
Although Fluechem routinely supplies non-hazardous AUS40 in Iceland, Caustic Soda 50% is not something that we have historically supplied to the region due to its remoteness and lack of local supply. However, the Fluechem logistics team identified a solution by mobilising Caustic Soda 50% from Fluechem’s facility in another part of Europe which meant we could deliver directly to Reykjavik by sea ahead of the cruise ship’s arrival. This solution would ensure a timely delivery and keep our customer compliant throughout its planned voyage, two things we pride ourselves on excelling at.
THE CHALLENGE
The documentation and administration associated with such a delivery, as well as the logistical planning at both ends of the sea passage is extensive. However, upon arrival it was noted that the air connector and back up loaded with the ISO tank to facilitate the transfer to the cruise ship was missing somewhere in transit – despite an extensive search to locate the missing component. This threw up an additional challenge but one that the team was ready and able to negotiate.
PLAN OF ACTION AND DELIVERY
Fluechem’s on-call 24-hour operations team willingly took up the challenge and through our extensive network of suppliers and transportation partners, an air connection was located late at night the day before the cruise ship arrived. The connection was delivered early the next morning meaning the air transfer system could return to service and that the transfer to the cruise ship could go ahead as scheduled.
The vessel departed on time and remained within its environmental targets throughout.
Niall Roberts, Fluechem’s CEO added
“I’m extremely proud of what the Fluechem team achieved, firstly creating an innovative solution to meet the customer’s requirements and then despite all the planning in place, solving an urgent unforeseen issue to ensure the delivery went ahead as planned safely and efficiently. The key for me is having the right team and structure in place to deliver customer-driven solutions whatever challenges are laid before us, whilst also innovating and creating new destinations where we can supply our products and grow our footprint to offer global solutions to the marine industry.”
A core goal of Fluechem is to always look at how and where we can deliver solutions to meet our customers’ needs when they need it and where they need it, safely and efficiently whilst meeting international quality standards.
