Editorial
Friends, it is the second Thursday of August and hopefully we’re in your inbox.
This past week has been a bit slow in the sense that people are only just starting to get back from their holidays. Here in Scandinavia most have the right to about six weeks of paid vacation a year, something that our American friends and most others around the world can only dream of.
I suppose we are lucky and we know it, although taking things for granted has become something of a speciality here too. We do, of course, have scandals in our otherwise well-regulated and highly taxed paradise; for example, one of the biggest banks in Denmark, knowingly it seems, has been used as a launderer for millions of US dollars in illicit transfers.
Unfortunately what always seems to happen is the big fish will get away or won’t be eaten, whilst the smaller fish will really feel the law’s bite. The saying goes that a bank will lend you an umbrella in summer and when it rains they want it back.
Laundering money is nothing new, but it’s especially embarrassing when it involves ’pillars of the community’ as they like to appear to be. Anyway, it seems that sometimes it’s easier to borrow ten million for a grand project than a few thousand to fix your house.
Who can understand that? Also, when the going gets tough, the taxpayer is expected to bail them out. Still, when everyone has to jump, those in upper management have parachutes to help them avoid a rough landing. As the French say: ‘C'est la vie’, but I call it capitalism in need of repair.
In the shipping world (but still sticking around Scandinavian waters) a general cargo vessel recently went aground nearby Helsingborg and the Russian captain’s blood alcohol level was apparently extremely high. Several of the coast guard tried to warn him that he was off-course, but clearly to no avail as the ship is currently being salvaged off the west cost of Sweden. To top it off, last week there was apparently a similar incident on the east coast. Breathalysers must be in short supply these days in Sweden.
Businesswise, we are slowly grinding back into gear as we start off with a visit to Uruguay, followed by a trip to Brazil. In both cases we speak to local proactive freight forwarders before rounding off the interviews with a conversation with a Finnish company whose innovative design you may find interesting if you are dealing with containers and supply chain.
Naturally, we provide samples of shipping news and sector news from around the world, before finishing off with the usual photo, video, quote and wise words of the week.
Last but not least, you are still welcome to claim one of our four weekly ad spots and take advantage of our nearly 57,000 strong subscriber base. You will get noticed.
Until next week, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Yours sincerely, Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
www.projectcargo-weekly.com
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