Pacific Basin Partners with Veson Nautical

Pacific Basin is a leading dry bulk shipping company based in Hong Kong. Like Veson Nautical, the company is driven by a focus on partnership. Their vision is “to be a shipping industry leader and the partner of choice for customers and other stakeholders.”

Pacific Basin’s relationship with Veson Nautical began in 2011 when they implemented the Integrated Maritime Operations System (IMOS) and Veslink as their core commercial systems. The two companies have collaborated since then with Veson Nautical providing guidance on IMOS and Veslink best practices, and Pacific Basin offering feedback on how to enhance Veson Nautical’s products.

By early 2014, the number of Pacific Basin employees using IMOS had doubled to roughly 150 and operations processes within and outside of IMOS were inconsistent across their organization. Pacific Basin now boasts 13 global offices and a fleet of approximately 220 dry bulk vessels on the water. 

Both companies realized there was an opportunity to streamline more of Pacific Basin’s workflow through IMOS and Veslink. “IMOS is a good system,” says Yalun Tu, General Manager, Business Intelligence at Pacific Basin, “so we chose to align our processes with the software wherever it made sense to do so.”

In 2014, Pacific Basin and Veson Nautical agreed on a 5-month project focusing on updating and streamlining Pacific Basin’s processes, standardizing training and enhancing internal support capabilities, with on-site consulting from Veson Nautical. 

To kick off the project, a Veson Nautical consultant traveled to Hong Kong to participate in Pacific Basin Operator Training. This preparation – which included time at sea – enabled the Veson project team to become thoroughly familiar with how IMOS fits into the company’s unique workflow. Next, Veson Nautical hosted a Business Process Mapping workshop attended by Pacific Basin’s global Operations senior managers, in which Veson Nautical recommended commercial best practices for the growing organization.

Based on findings from the workshop, Pacific Basin documented new standard operations processes. Veson Nautical then led training for operators on the new procedures, and relevant tools in IMOS and Veslink. “These new training materials and documentation will be critical for training our new and existing staff,” says Tu, “and they will support the ongoing learning of our now 340 shore side staff and 3,000 seafarers.”

As part of aligning processes with IMOS during the project, Veson Nautical supported Pacific Basin to implement IMOS Cargo Matching and the latest version of Veslink, which had been flagged during the workshop as key functionality. Today, Pacific Basin also takes advantage of IMOS Bunker Management, Demurrage, Trading and several interfaces to support efficiency. 

By the end of five months, Pacific Basin successfully achieved the goals outlined in the project plan. “Having worked with Veson Nautical for over three years, it was only natural that we would involve them in this latest project – and we were pleased with the outcome,” says Tu.

The operations team has since seen measurable improvements in efficiency with an increased fleet and the addition of fewer staff than previously necessary to run them. Tu attributes project success to careful planning with Veson Nautical. He advises, “Make your project realistic. Have a very structured plan with clear goals and build a margin of error into your timeline.”

Veson Nautical came away from the project with a more immediate understanding of Pacific Basin’s organization and goals. Jesse DiIanni, Director of Professional Services at Veson Nautical notes, “Project-based collaboration with clients enables our consulting organization to deliver highly tailored service, and the insights we gain during these on-sites drive product innovation.”

Reflecting on the partnership that has grown between Veson Nautical and Pacific Basin over the last three years, Tu shares: “Veson Nautical delivers more than just software. To Pacific Basin, they are a long-term strategic partner.”