Companies that have managed to balance training, competency enhancement, and investment are among the “most successful” in Guyana’s booming energy sector. And those very values are key to Blue Water Shipping, according to its Senior Vice President of Sales & Development, Richard DeNobrega.
Back in May at the Offshore Technology Conference, DeNobrega referenced the more than 6,000 Guyanese currently playing a role in Guyana’s oil development.
“It is that [human] resource that is key, along with the infrastructural development, that is going to take Guyana forward,” he said.
How Blue Water plays its role in this regard is through its International Freight Forwarding Academy. Seven Guyanese have already passed through the hybrid training programme, which allows for one year of in-country training at BWS Guyana and one year of training at an external BWS office.
He said the BWS trainee experience balances classroom instruction with on-the-job training, “ which we believe is key to growth and development for both the trainee and the company.” According to the Blue Water VP, to date they have had trainees in BWS offices in Houston, Singapore, and Denmark and are currently preparing to send trainees to Australia, Italy, Denmark, and Houston where they will gain valuable international experience.
“While they are out of the local office for one year, we strongly believe that the international experience that they will receive will add an invaluable layer to their professional development,” he noted.
Technology is another major cornerstone of Blue Water’s regional strategy. “If your business is not automating, it’s not growing. Automation is invaluable, especially in the supply chain,” DeNobrega stressed.
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He described the transition from a paper-based system to a fully automated logistics software, specifically the Asycuda software. It is an integrated customs management system developed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to aid in the modernization of manifests, customs declarations, accounting procedures, transit, suspense procedures, and other related processes. According to DeNobrega, this also facilitates cross-border regional collaboration, as both Suriname and Trinidad use the Asycuda software.
He said, “There’s no way we could have been doing the volume of customs entries and clearing the volumes of cargo, we do without automation. It is for this reason that BWS has custom-built its software to meet the demands of the local regulatory framework while ensuring the customers’ needs are fully met.” DeNobrega believes that without this automation and integration, delays and significant nonproductive time would happen, and it simply would not work for any industry, especially in oil and gas logistics.
Beyond technology, DeNobrega emphasized the importance of infrastructure, including warehousing and port facilities that “play a critical role in our business”. These assets allow the company to run efficiently in both domestic and international logistics.
Blue Water Guyana offers transport solutions domestically and throughout the Caribbean. Its experienced team of local employees and strong network provide high-quality logistics solutions and services in the region.
