Wesley Chapel: Eighty years ago a Mexican, Alfonso Negroe Garcia, founded the offshore operating group Canega. Today the diversified company is on the cusp of serious expansion guided by current president, Alfonso Negroe, a descendant of the founder.
Canega currently operates a fleet of 22 offshore vessels of various types including platform supply vessels and diving vessels. There are no ships on order at present.
Strong in Mexico and its Gulf plus the Caribbean plus with a decent foothold in the US Canega is looking further afield for new business although Negroe remains a little coy as to where this expansion might take place.
“Canega has plans to expand its fleet of owned and operated vessels and expand into other areas of the world in the near future with the acquisition of more vessels,” Negroe says without elaborating.
Conceding there is fierce competition in the Gulf of Mexico Negroe is not ready to cancel his firm’s presence there.
“In the case of Mexico, the oil company pricing policy continues to be one of reducing day rates they want to pay while at the same time demanding newer and more sophisticated vessels. This has created an unhealthy business environment for vessel owners and operators,” says the offshore veteran.
While the spectre of overcapacity remains high in the OSV sector, this is not a universal feeling held by Negroe.
“At the present time there is a shortage of tonnage in the US Gulf, Mexico and Caribbean due to the high demand of bigger vessels and the fact that most oil companies and countries are putting restrictions on the age of vessels typically with a maximum of 10 years,” says Negroe, offering some hope to those operating off the UK. [29/07/13]
