262 July 22, 2004

Southeast Asian Towing Company Expands on Coal

"We tow our own cargos," explains Nicholas Oh, marketing manager for his family’s Topniche Associates Pte Ltd. Based in Singapore, the firm owns six tugs and charters an additional eight vessels. The firm focuses their efforts on towing coal north from a variety of Indonesian ports to Thailand and then returning with gypsum on the southbound leg. With a strong fleet of vessels and an opportunistic marketing arm, the firm picks up occasional cargos of scrap metal as well. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has shown steady growth since the financial difficulties of 1997. The Topniche Firm survived that period with simple, flexible and transparent business practices that saved customers and strengthened the trust relations so fundamental international trade.

Today they are stronger than ever and, as the younger generation takes on an ever more active role, they are growing to meet the demand for marine transportation in the ASEAN area. To that end they have, this July, finalized the design for two 35-metre tugs to add to their fleet. These boats, with a handsome raised-fo’c’s’le design, will each be powered by a pair of Cummins KTA50 M2 main engines generating 1600 HP at 1800 RPM. The company is planning to build the boats at an, as yet, unspecified yard in south China.

For further information please contact:

Oh Wee Tai (Nicholas)
Marketing Manager
Topniche Associates Pte. Ltd.
No. 50 Tagore Lane
B1-04 Markono Distri Centre
Singapore 787494
E-mail: Nicholas@topniche.com.sg
URL: www.topniche.com.sg

Andy Wong
Sales Manager
Cummins Engine (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
8 Tanjong Penjuru Singapore 609019
Phone: (65) 6261 3555
Mobile: (65) 9791 5213
E-mail: andy.wong@cummins.com
URL: www.cspl.cummins.com

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