NOL opens customer service and operations centers in Russia

NOL opens customer service and operations centers in Russia    Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines has established customer service and operations centers for its container-shipping unit, APL, in Vladivostok and Vostochny, Russia.
   The new offices will serve the central and eastern regions of Russia and “are part of the company’s plans to strategically expand its presence in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States,” NOL said.
   In April 2004, NOL established a wholly owned Russian subsidiary, APL (CIS) with a head office in St. Petersburg and a branch office in Moscow, to handle the APL’s agency business in Russia. In addition to the new offices in Vladivostok and Vostochny, APL’s sales team in Moscow will be expanded to cover the Eastern Russia gateways.
   APL serves Russia and the CIS through Baltic ports via the North Continent, by the Trans Siberian Railway and through Black Sea ports.
   “The Russian Far East, and the region more generally, is becoming an increasingly important sourcing location for our global customers. We have had a strong presence here for some time, mostly through our agency partners, but we are now seeing an opportunity to service their needs better through our own team,” said Poul Kristensen, APL’s regional managing director for Russia, CIS and the Baltic States.