There is no such word as ‘No’ in global ship. In fact, you can only exist if you have a positive mindset, said Rafael Fernandez, President of the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA).
Addressing delegates attending the Shipping Canary Islands 2025 Congress, hosted by the Port Authority of Las Palmas and Oneport in Las Palmas, Rafael likened a ship to a floating hotel, saying crewmembers cannot purchase daily consumer goods, or maintenance materials or duty free supplies by themselves, but need the services of a ship supplier to help them.
“Service-oriented mindset means we meet market needs even at the expense of profit. The technical products we supply are specific to the maritime sector and when it comes to multicultural food, it has to be adapted to the nationality of the crew - Indian, Filipino, Korean, Danish, Turkish, etc.,” he said.
But the quality of service doesn’t stop there, delegates heard, because while ship supplier operations are similar to exports, suppliers are not exporters, with the problem that “each customs authority interprets the law differently,” he added.
The same can be said for the ports, which have different rules. Private terminals have their own criteria; Authorities interpret regulations variably; and in the container terminals, there can be long waiting times and a lack of coordination, he stressed.
“International legislation is barely protective and if one supplier won’t supply there is always another supplier who will.
“Being a ship supplier is more than a job, it is about being available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; being able to immediately respond to emergencies, even at night and during weekends, and across global time zones. Ship suppliers are complete professionals who make life at sea that little bit easier,” he said.
Rafael Fernandez
President of the International Shipsuppliers & Services Association (ISSA)
