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International Representatives Editor's Note E-Utopia? Analysts, pundits, skeptics and just about anyone with a two-bit opinion have voiced their thoughts — informed and otherwise — as to the potential effects that the surge in "e-commerce" solutions will have on the transportation community at large. While the marine market is traditionally said to be slow in following general business trends, this supposed character trait has not been evident in the new electronic realm, as websites and on-line business portals covering nearly every niche of the industry are popping up quickly around the globe. The questions surrounding the use of e-commerce solutions in the marine business now turn not to "when" and "if," rather to "what degree." The secretive nature under which much of the marine world operates could prove, at first, prohibitive in die full leveraging of electronic solution efficiencies. Generally speaking, the sharing of informa- tion has been limited at best, whether it is for specifications and pricing regarding bunker fuel, cargoes or vessel pricing. A slew of new partnerships using e-commerce as the glue that binds could perhaps mark a turning point of sorts for the marine world. For example, OceanConnect, aim- ing to provide a fast and price-efficient marketplace for marine fuel transactions, has brought together a formidable grouping including BP Marine, FAMM, Shell Marine Products as well as broker Horace Clarkson PLC. Another recent launch, Tradiant (www.tradiant.com), offers shippers, freight for- warders and transportation carriers a comprehensive suite of e-commerce solutions to optimize the flow of information across the entire transportation chain. The company and its product are unique in that the majority of its executive staff, from president and CEO John Urban (15 years at APL), on down cumulatively have centuries of shipping and international transportation experience. E-commerce and its effects on the marine business will be a recurring theme in the pages of not only Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, but all of the products pro- duced by The Maritime Group, including MarineNews, Maritime Week and www.marinelink.com. One of our symbols for this regular feature will be the litde "computer guy" pictured above, as the editorial coverage will not simply focus on the most recent web offerings rather real-world scenarios where e-commerce solutions have helped solve (or cause) problems. I invite readers to liberally contribute to this section by sending comments, suggestions and potential stories to trauthwein@marinelink.com. INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CHARLES E. KEIL, Vice President 4400 N. Federol Highway, Ste. 121, Boca Raton, FL 33431 Telephone: +561-368-1021; Fax: +561-368-1161 24-hr Tel/Fax: +561-998-0313; Mobile Tel: +561-716-0338 bkeil@marinelink.com Tony Stein, International Sales Manager 12, Braehead, Bo'ness, West Lothian EH51 0BZ, Scotland, U.K. Telephone: +44 (0) 1506 822240; Fax: +44 (0) 1506 828085 Australia/New Zealand Germany/Switzerland Singapore Tony Slein HANSJ0RG BRANS CLARA WONG 12, Braehead, Bo'ness, West Lothian EH51 OBZ, Maritime Media The Euro-Asia Link, 20 Maxwell Road 07-18A Scotland, U.K. Freiherr v. Stein Str. 24, D-63303 Maxwell House, Singapore 069113 Tel:+44 (0) 1506 822240; Dreieich, Germany Tel:+65 3231025 Fax:+44 (0) 1506 828085 Tel: +49 6103 697745; Fax:+65 3237026,+65 4564610, Fax:+49 6103 697743 Argentina South Africa R. LESLIE RAMSAY Italy FINN KVAMSDAHL Calle Pellegrini 173 VITT0RI0 NEGR0NE Finn's Enterprises, Media Marketing Division Primer Piso, Departamento C Ediconsult Internationale P.O. Box 99, 2250, 1009 Buenos Aires, Argentina Piazza Fontane Marose, 3-16123 Blinkpan, Republic of South Africa Tel: +54 1 394 8821; Genoa, Italy Tel/Fax:+27 13 2953 023 Fax:+54 1 326 4377 Tel: +390 10 583684; Fax: +390 10566578 Spain Benelux JOSE LUIS SEVA PAULA TACQ Japan Via Exdusiuas S.L Maritime Media ML AKI0ISHII C/ Viriato, 69 SC Otweg 18 2771 VX Boskoop, Netherlands Ace Media Service Inc. 28010, Madrid, Spain Tel:+31 172 230707; 12-6,4-chome, Nishiike Tel:+34 91 448 76 22; Fax:+31 172230708 Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121, Japan Fax:+34 91 446 0214 Tel: +81 3 5691 3335; Brazil Fax:+ 81 3 5691 3336 Turkey JOSE DUARTE DOS SANTOS NIHAT B0YTUZUN Multiple Agencial Martima, Ltda. Korea Kamera Corp., Cumhurlyet Cad. 257/3, Rua Caroline Rodrigues 28 JO, YOUNG SANG Harblye 80230, Istanbul, Turkey Cuarto Andar, CEP-11055-070 Business Communications, Inc. Tel: +90 212 248 48 64; Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil Kwangwhamun P.O. Box 1916, Seoul, Korea Fax:+90 212 230 36 97 Tel/Fax:+55 1 32 32 74 74 Tel:+82 2 739 7840; Fax:+82 2 732 3662 United Kingdom Central America MICHAEL J. DAMSELL EDUARD0 F. L0PEZ/ISEIA BAZAN Portugal/Gibraltar Euromedia Ltd., P.O. Box 122, Transmarine Media Services, P.O. Box 8579, PAULO BREHM Hayward's Heath,West Sussex Balboa Ave., Panama 5, Panama AZ Publiciadade Lda., Rua Almirante Barroso, RH161YF, England Tel:+507 617 1469; Fax:+507 251 4794 52-1 D, P-1000 Lisbon, Portugal Tel: +44 1444 417360; Tel:+351 21 3142256; Fax:+44 1444 410497 China Fax:+351 21 3525157 WANG ZE/XU XIAO FENG Liaoning Foreign Trade Advertising Corp. Scandinavia 2 Zhongshan Square, Dalian, China 116002 STEPHAN R.G. 0RN/LE0N SCHULZ Tel:+86 411 2801924; AB Stephan R.G. Orn, Box 184 Fax: +86411 2644606 S-271 24 Ystad, Sweden Tel: +46411-18400; Fax:+46 411 105 31 Looking for a service partnership, we fulfill it. 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