Interview / IRISL KOREA CEO F. Shafiei Karaji

Position in Company: Chairman, President and CEO of IRISL KOREA

Professional Back ground: Sailing at sea with FG vessels in various ranks, and 9 years as Master (Captain), work in various position in IRISL head office such as ; Legal and Insurance Dept., Technical Dept., Commercial dept., Safety and operation Dept., Senior lecturer and head of research of maritime institute dept. ISM lead auditor, and finally Sept. 2005 appointed for Seoul office.
Academic qualifications in brief;
-Maritime operation and technology (MSC), from John Moore University of Liverpool (ENGLAND)
-Maritime Law Cert. with Distinction, from Cambridge Academic of Transport (ENGLAND)
-Marine Insurance Cert. with Distinction, from North of England and South Tynside College (ENGLAND)
-National Examination Board for Supervisory Studies (NEBSS) certificate in SUPERVISORY MANAGEMENT. (ENGLAND)
-Training for Trainers and Assessors certificate, India.
-Lead Auditor Certificate from Lloyds Oct. 2002
-CLASS 1 CERTIFICATE COMPETENCY (MASTER MARINER) in Nautical Science. (ENGLAND 1989) .


Q. Please tell about your plans for 2008 for Irisl Korea.

A. Besides general, bulk and tanker vessels, which are operating world wide, our container section at present is operating in main loops. We are in process of adopting a new service from Korea (the Far East) to Europe and the Mediterranean to increase our capacity and ability in this region.

At the moment we are able to book cargo on following services from Korea:
-Far East ~ Persian Gulf (PCL)
-South East Asia ~ Persian Gulf (PSL)
-Hong Kong Express ~ Persian Gulf (PHL)
-Europe ~ Persian Gulf (ECL)
-India ~ Persian Gulf ~ Med service (PIX): Asia Europe Pendulum Service
-Asia ~ Europe Service (AEX1)
-Asia ~ India Service (AMA)

During 2008 and up to Jan. 2009, IRISL will take delivery of 10 container vessels of 6,500 TEU and 4,900 TEU from HHI and Hanjin, which will definitely give us the opportunity to be more present and active in the region, and especially the Korean market.
IRISL KOREA's aim and objective is to provide sincere service to its customers, along with a commitment to ethics, transparency and professionalism; that’s the reason for the continued efforts and endeavors of its management for innovation in all aspects.

Q. What is the current share of Korean business bound to the Middle East within IRISL?

A. IRISL has offices in almost all major world ports with good relevant activity; the volume of container cargoes handled in 2006 was more than 900,000 TEU and 2007 will pass 1,ooo,ooo TEU. IRISL's business from Korea will be around 20%, which is an excellent performance.

Q. Besides keeping a strong market presence for the Middle East as in 2007, do you have any plans for other markets such as Europe or elsewhere?

A. As I explained earlier on, we are in the process of establishing a new service from Korea to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, which we need to build new markets in the region, and I am sure our good customers in Korea and the region, who have always been cooperating with full trust in our line, will be present with assistance for our best outcome and performance.

Q. What is your forecast for Korean major exports like commodities?

A. There is a good overseas demand for machinery, automobiles and consumer electronics, which will further raise outbound shipments during this year. In the latest KOTRA report on 1,500 foreign buyers it polled, they predict Korean exports to climb by 12.5 percent in 2008 to $417.3 billion, which is mainly due to the ongoing rise in demand in Asian and Middle Eastern countries, which I think with the number of projects in progress in the Middle East, and active infrastructure expansions continuing in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), export volumes in this year are expected to stay strong and robust.

Q. What is your opinion for market trends for break bulks and the container business, especially Korean exports?

A. As I mentioned, since the market trend for exports in Korea is expected to increase, without doubt the market trends for break bulk and containers will also improve, especially for containers.

Q. Are there any specific difficulties in providing services for the Korean market?

A. I do not see any specific problems that can not be solved, considering the number of ports under development in South Korea, shipping companies in brief expect to see good improvements in the productivity of port facilities, lowering of operational costs in port facilities, shore pass implementations of ship’s crew in some ports, and good incentives for foreign investors such as employment laws, tax exemptions etc.

Q. What is your opinion on the Korean shipping business and on the Korean shipper’s business in general?

A. Korea is a country with a large volume of imports and exports, and a good number of ports, so it is an ideal location for shippers and shipping companies. These two old partners have always supplemented each other with available facilities and can expect to enjoy a reasonable business environment.