Strategy and Competitive Advantages

Strategy

Our strategy is to grow on the basis of our skills and existing assets while strengthening our businesses and looking for new opportunities, focusing on Brazil and Latin America. We continue to consolidate our position in all the segments in which we operate, maximising economies of scale and efficiency, quality and the range of services we provide to our customers.

Our strategy comprises:

• Fulfilling capacity in our container terminals. In order to meet demand from domestic and international trade, we have expanded both container terminals since the beginning of the concessions. By maximising installed capacity utilisation, we are able to continue increases in productivity and level of service to our clients through economies of scale. We will diligently pursue this objective. The early renewal of the Salvador Container Terminal through to 2050 includes investments in quay extension and equipment to be installed in the coming years, further enhancing the terminal productivity. Additionally, we will evaluate new concessions and the development of new terminals, and their ability to provide a strong return on shareholders’ equity.
• Maximising capacity utilisation of our offshore support bases. Our private bases in Niterói and Rio de Janeiro have a total capacity of eight berths, to provide logistics support for offshore vessels. With excellent access to the Campos and Santos petroleum basins, and close to the pre-salt region, our assets are strategically positioned together as one of the largest operators of offshore support bases in Brazil. We continuously monitor the offshore exploration and production activities across the Brazilian coast to meet the demand for such services.
• Strengthening our position as the leading provider of towage services in Brazil. We will continue to modernise and expand our tugboat fleet in order to consistently provide high-quality services to our customers and consolidate our leading position in the Brazilian towage market. We also look to contribute to the expansion of activities in the Brazilian ports, offering state-of-the-art vessels that are suitable for the operation of new classes of ships, as well as for the oil and gas industry. We regularly review our fleet deployment to optimise efficiency and to seek out new market niches where we may be able to provide additional services or expand our geographical footprint to new ports in Brazil.
• Maximising the potential of our shipyard facilities. Through a mix of in-house and third-party vessel construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, and dry-docking services we seek to maximise the potential of our shipyards to meet the demands of local and international shipowners operating in Brazil.
• Solidifying our offshore support vessel services to oil and gas platforms. Using our knowledge and experience, we look to consolidate our activities maintaining our position amongst the leading suppliers of services to the offshore oil and gas industry in Brazil. We are exploring alternative revenue streams to increase utilisation of our offshore support vessel fleet.
• Exploring innovative opportunities and strategies to provide the best and most complete set of services to our customers. We are always looking to provide innovative services to our customers, as well as to anticipate their needs. Through a solid nationwide footprint, we will continue our strategy of providing comprehensive logistics solutions to support domestic and international trade activities, as well as the oil and gas industry. We also seek to make our services more efficient and cost-effective, in order to maintain our strong customer base and strengthen our relationships.
• Increasing economies of scale, productivity, synergies and cost savings across our segments. We continuously seek to optimise our operations, productivity and reduce costs through synergies among our businesses. We will continue to be focused on integrating similar activities, especially in our branch offices, to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs wherever possible.
• Health, Safety and the Environment (“HSE”) are part of our strategy. We continue to promote HSE best practices throughout the company to achieve and maintain excellence in these areas, in line with our strategy of sustainable and ethical business practices.

Competitive Advantages

We have consolidated differentials that distinguish our services amongst other market players and strengthen our business and value creation.

Strategically Located Assets

We are present in all major ports throughout the Brazilian coast with the largest tugboat fleet in the country. Our container terminals are located in states of great economic importance – Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia. Our shipyards in the port of Santos and offshore support bases in Niterói and Rio de Janeiro are strategically positioned to serve small to medium-sized vessels mainly working for the oil and gas industry. We also offer shipping agency services across Brazilian ports, as well as exclusive representatives in Europe and our own office in China.

Portfolio of Services

Our complete range of services strengthens our position as the largest integrated provider of port and maritime logistics in Brazil. Our portfolio includes specialised solutions such as Container Terminals, Towage, Logistics, Shipping Agency, Offshore Support Vessels, Offshore Support Bases, and Shipyards.

Synergy between Businesses

The synergy between our businesses is a key strategy for sustainable growth. Over 800 clients are served by at least three divisions representing 70% of our net revenue.

Commitment to Ethics, Governance and HSE

This commitment is expressed in our principles, resulting in practical actions that are part of day-to-day operations.

Brand Strength

The solid image Wilson Sons enjoys in the market contributes to a close and long-term relationship with clients and other business partners. We are recognised and trusted by our stakeholders for the know-how acquired throughout our more than 180 years of delivering high quality service to the most demanding clients.

Human and Intellectual Capital

Our employees are committed to the quality of services delivered and are aligned with the values and principles that guide Wilson Sons vision. The personal and professional potential of each employee is maximised through a holistic process of people management, which includes training and actions for continuous exchange of experiences with the purpose of maintaining intellectual capital in constant evolution.

Pioneering Spirit

We were the first in Brazil to use azimuth propulsion engines on tugboats, the first to win a public bid to operate a private container terminal in the country, as well as the first to receive certification of quality in the shipbuilding sector for small and medium-sized vessels. We have long innovated with domestic suppliers to increase local content in the vessels we build, and in recognition won the award for the best shipyard for local content by the Brazilian National Shipowners Association (Syndarma) in 2013.