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GAC’s Global Husbandry Centre (GHC) is now operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in response to the growing demand from its shipping line principals. The GHC serves as a single point of contact for global clients, coordinating a range of services, including crew handling, local authority communication, dry docking, repairs, lubricant and bunker fuel supplies and the clearance and delivery of spares. Starting this month, it has extended its regular Monday to Friday round-the-clock shift to also include Saturdays and Sundays, largely to meet the needs of the GAC Group’s US based clients.
“This means that all our clients now benefit from continuous cover, no matter where in the world they are or what time zone they are in,” says Ronald Lichtenecker, managing director of the GHC. “We are now manning the phones and monitoring emails at all hours to deliver the most complete support package for all our customers.”
The Centre also serves as an integrated point of contact and centralised co-ordination for all ship husbandry needs. The service, which is free for all GAC clients, optimises processes through electronic invoicing and also offers streamlined rates. Requests are routed from the GAC Dubai hub to the respective contact in GAC’s global network, which spans more than 40 countries.
“This is of particular value in cases of emergencies, where our global network puts supplies and assistance within easy reach of vessels anywhere in the world,” adds Mr. Lichtenecker. “Round-the-clock coverage will now offer ship owners and management companies greater flexibility in dealing with regular requests for crew changes, ship spares and fresh water provisions.”
