Private Agencies Can Help with Customs Work

Q: Oceamar was created as a new company split from Marinsa. What role are you now playing within the CEMZA group?

A: Our focus is on integrated logistics services. This means moving equipment, people, boats and platforms from one location to another. We also handle import and export procedures. Marinsa specializes in providing boarding and perforation services. In the beginning, it was challenging to start as an independent operation. We had to build an entire new structure and maintain good communication with Marinsa.

Q: What are your most important projects at the moment?

A: We are fortunate to be active in cluster one and two of PEMEX's contracts and hope to be involved in three in the near future. In cluster one, we have a working relationship with Marin and Marinsa. In cluster two, we work with Borr Drilling and Allseas. We are in all of their projects in the Gulf of Mexico. Being part of the CEMZA group has given us opportunities but to be awarded a contract means we have to bring the best service levels in terms of prices, quality and delivery times. We also have several new projects. One is developing a helicopter flight service. This will add great value to CEMZA group because we will be able to offer air transportation in addition to land and water. The company is also improving its loading and unloading of heavy equipment at the ports. We are also abiding by the authorities’ stricter enforcement of processes.

Q: How do different infrastructure and levels of service at various ports impact your service?

A: Our goal is to provide the same standard of services, no matter where the client is located. For this reason, we adapt ourselves to different port scenarios. We make sure we understand the infrastructure of the port and maintain close communication with its authorities. I think ports across the country should be administered at a similar level. This is an issue the government has to decide. It can choose to align them all to the same policies and targets. On the other hand, it seems logical that there is a greater focus right now on the ports that are more important to the oil industry, such as Dos Bocas, Carmen and Coatzacoalcos. In other ports like Progreso, there have been initiatives for more development now that the government is making a great push in the oil industry. Right now, the priority is to increase production as quickly as possible.

Q: What bottlenecks or inefficiencies do you see in customs procedures and permissions?

A: Recent public-private investments have focused on systemizing all processes. This means streamlining things by taking them online, creating better registers and improving communications. At one point, Oceamar and several other CEMZA companies were involved in a project with TC Energía and Allseas. We needed several protocols to be handled by authorities, but they said they did not have the resources to do it and were unprepared. The management of equipment at ports is a vital question and needs to be controlled through sound protocols that provide efficiency and security. Either the government increases its abilities or it hires the help of private agencies to do the evaluations. The government wants to get to a level of production that previously took 10 years to achieve. To do this in a shorter time frame requires a greater amount of infrastructure and specialists to train people.

Q: What are your most important development goals in the Mexican oil and gas industry in the near term?

A: We have a strategic plan for 2020. Every month, we look at a variety of indicators and evaluate our progress. We will keep an eye out to see what the government does and where it is headed in regards to the renewed focus on the industry and its future. We would like to participate in all clusters. Additionally, we have also been looking at expanding our services beyond Mexico. This will depend on the reach of our logistical capabilities. We will build our operations by broadening our services with current clients, while looking for new opportunities with others.

Oceamar offers integrated logistics services in the area of import and export, port services and transport. It works with a range of international companies with a presence in the principal ports of the Gulf of Mexico.