Oilfield Haulage : Boswell’s Total Service
Possibly the only organisation specialising in oilfield material handling, on a large scale, in Singapore, is Boswell International (H.K.) Pte Ltd. Their offices are perched symbolically high in the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Apart from their oilfield material handling they also haul heavy and allied equipment.
The company maintains a fleet of nearly thirty heavy loaders with a range of three to sixty-five tons individually. Their clients have the added advantage of total service in the form of shipping and air freight documentation both for inward and outward destinations. Shipping and airfreight offices are located within the same roof, thus saving time and effort.
Boswell also own boats and barges and have their own crew and boarding officers.
This makes it easier for them to carry out their work efficiently and in the shortest time possible.
The company’s efficiency rating is pretty high due mainly to the fact that it has its own workshops for maintenance. As a result of this facility special loads are always escorted by another vehicle carrying qualified mechanics, spares and ancilliary necessities in the event of a breakdown. This minimises breakdown time and the expensive and time consuming process of transferring loads from the breakdown vehicle to another.
Add to this the fact that their staff is highly experienced and have been with the company for some years. Their loyalty is total and their personal interest in the safe, fast and economical delivery of loads.
In a brief conversation with the Singapore Shipping and Air Gazette, Mr Jeorji Boswell, a director of the company said, “We are a service organisation and as such we must be very thorough in our systems. Millions of dollars worth of goods pass through our hands, because of trust. Therefore we cannot afford mistakes.” Boswell International operates on more than 95% local staff, whom they look after well. Only the top echelon executives are expatriates.
What is amazing is that the company, while being very modem in its operations, is able to remain highly competitive in charges and in some instances even lower than the rest of the transport companies. This is perhaps possible because of their being almost self sufficient. We say almost because they do not own an oilfield.
