Of French nationality and educated in Paris, Olivier has been based in South America since 1996 where he started his industry career working in shipping operations in the Port of Talcahuano, Chile.  He has worked in various commercial management roles in Peru, Argentina and Chile, latterly working for Agencia Maritima Internacional (Ultramar Holding).

Reporting to Jaime Otero, EVP Marine Solutions, South and Central America, multi-lingual Olivier will be based in Valparaiso, Chile. His role will focus on developing ISS’ business across all major commodity sectors throughout the region, where his extensive experience and knowledge of this strategically important high growth environment will support ISS’ objectives to provide an expanded scope of services to an ever-increasing base of customers.

EVP Jaime Otero said, “ISS is delighted to welcome Olivier Lavau-Wira to this key position. As ISS gears up to extend its geographical network and the range of services we offer across the region, Olivier’s broad operational and commercial expertise will be of great benefit to both ISS and to our customers.”

The project involves the reclamation of land in a ‘sabkha area’ (a salt plain near the coast) for the construction of a new refinery. The New Refinery Project is situated in the Al-Zour area south of Kuwait City. The refinery will produce 615,000 barrels a day. The project is the first phase of KNPC’s USD 23 billion investment programme for this new refinery. ‘The Middle East has been very important to Van Oord for decades. We are pleased to continue working and strengthening our position in the area with this contract’, says CEO Pieter van Oord. Work on the project will begin immediately, with completion to take 30 months. The project involves dredging and reclaiming some 65 million cubic metres of sand and executing extensive ground consolidation. The project will also include constructing various channels, a basin for a future jetty, a barge dock and roads. Van Oord will deploy large trailing suction hopper dredgers and cutter suction dredgers.

The agreement hopes to grow trade and investment between the Port and Lithuania’s Klaipeda Seaport.

The two largest ports in Europe do not support a proposal to postpone this already agreed upon regulation by five years. At the beginning of April, the environment committee of the International Maritime Organization (an United Nations agency) will discuss this proposal. Ships’ engines which comply with the new standards emit 80% less nitrogen oxides than the current built vessels. Reducing the emissions from shipping to improve air quality is in line with the sustainability policy of the two port authorities.