Dear Sirs,
We are pleased to announce the participation of our company in the establishment of OneSea.Com - an internet portal for the maritime industry.
Our company has been on the leading edge in the use of technology to improve our operations for some years.
We have seen the need to apply the technology to improve our performance and we see its shortcomings at present.
The E procurement solutions of OneSea.Com is by far the best in the trade at present; and we have decided that we will help this company to advance in its field. The OneSea.Com portal also has plans to apply the technology to online chartering of vessels and our team of knowledgeable persons is in the process of helping the company establish this as well.
Best personal regards,
Morits Skaugen
World leading Maritime Companies form Internet Portal for Maritime Services through Merger of 1Sea and WebMar.
Oslo - Norway, March 8. 2000
Two of the world’s leading Maritime Internet Portals, 1Sea with offices in London and WebMar based in Houston and Oslo have decided to merge to become the premier provider of Internet services to the Maritime industry. The new company will be named OneSea.com.
1Sea.com is an online procurement company while WebMar is a maritime portal offering online chartering of ships and information and research for the maritime industry. The two companies both enjoy strong support from major maritime companies such as Marcas (a purchasing joint venture established by Acomarit, Teekay, and World-Wide), VShips, Bergesen dy ASA, I.M Skaugen ASA, Jebsen/Gearbulk, Leif Høegh & Co. ASA, IUM (Singapore), R.S. Platou Shipbrokers, Esprit Ventures and Kistefos Venture Capital. It is a priority for Onesea.com that the company should provide a balanced and independent marketplace for transactions in the shipping business. A majority of the shares are therefore held by independent investors outside the shipping business
The new company, OneSea.com will through its investors and business partners have access to more than 1,200 vessels and owners with a combined annual turnover in the region of $10 billion, including technical maintenance, bunkers and freight. “OneSea.com’s strategy is to be the premier service provider in the industry, offering its users and owners a first mover advantage while capturing the market and financial benefits from using state of the art technology. We will offer a comprehensive range of online solutions to the maritime community and the merger was a natural step in this regard”, says Erik Osmundsen, the Chairman of OneSea.com.
State-of-the art technology being beta tested
OneSea.com has already developed and installed its software for e-procurement with leading partners around the world. “I.M. Skaugen has since last year tested OneSea procurement service and is very pleased with the functionality and effectiveness of the product. We have analyzed several alternatives and are confident that OneSea provides the best service ”, says Morits Skaugen Jr. the CEO of I.M. Skaugen. Donald Anderson from VShips states that "OneSea was the clear partner for us. Given our volume and size of operation, we needed to feel reassured that this was a professional partner with the capability to deliver quality services".
Critical mass of quality users
OneSea.com has by now received backing from the highest number of committed users in the maritime industry and is actively looking for ways to increase the number of shipping related companies using this internetservice. Andreas Sohmen-Pao, whose family controls World-Wide Shipping, expresses the benefits and potentials of this business: “A business to business exchange is about bringing companies together to interact efficiently in one virtual location. Onesea.com appears to us to be the most promising platform for achieving this new mode of interaction, and represents an unprecedented level of cooperation in the shipping industry.”
Industry partners committed to developing the solution
OneSea.com is committed to use all its resources, human and financial, to create the maritime industry standard for electronic commerce. “The role of the middleman is changing. Significant portions of ship brokering will be cannibalised and we need to participate proactively in structuring the new internet based market place for the maritime business”, says Managing Partner Peter M. Anker of R.S. Platou, one of the leading shipbrokers.
“OneSea.com has as a result of its strong industry backing become the maritime industry’s preferred platform for business-to-business electronic commerce. This will in time allow us to integrate with other commodity or industrial market places with a maritime transport requirement", says Arvid Bergvall Jr, the CEO of OneSea.com.
Further questions can be directed to:
Arvid Bergvall Jr, CEO of OneSea.com on + 44.777.1784.848
Erik Osmundsen, Chairman of OneSea.com on + 47.23.11.70.00