Asia forms a very strong part of our interest

Caspian Energy (CE): LV Shipping company has been operating since 1921, which means the company is marking its 100th anniversary. What path has the company been through and what is the recipe for the longevity of the transport business?

Fuad Mammadov: The origins of the company are as a family haulage and distribution provider based in  Vlaardingen near Rotterdam, Holland. The early days were very straightforward and modest  ,providing local services to clients in the local area. The company played a role in the reconstruction of Rotterdam following the devastation caused by the Second World War when there was a high demand for transport to move building and construction materials. The company developed logistic solutions, moving products and materials between the northern part of Europe within the trading block known as Benelux -  An economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, originally established as a customs union. Then, expanding contacts in Europe and linking them to the UK via our unaccompanied trailer service. Building on this experience, the company began to specialise on express transport, servicing the Oil & Gas industry and moving materials from Europe to the UK during the development of the North Sea oil and gas resources. This brought about the opportunity to open offices in the UK and many successful years undertaking major North Sea projects followed with further expansion in the UK and Norwegian market, combining oil and gas related logistic work with the more usual freight forwarding service on a national and  global scale. Lead by the demand of clients, this eventually led to developing offices in the Far East; Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, USA, Brazil and of course Azerbaijan and Georgia.   

This continual steady development has been the result of looking after the needs of clients, supported by dedicated and knowledgeable staff, together with the ambition to continually improve and develop because we know that in our industry we cannot afford to stand still in any area. Therefore, the ability to quickly recognise, adapt and embrace change has enabled LV to stay relevant in today’s competitive and challenging environment and remains a strong part of our continued success.