News: Martek target Russian market

Rotherham company, Martek Marine, one of the world leaders in the supply of safety and environmental monitoring systems for the shipping industry, is targeting the growing Russian market.

It was reported in November that the Russian government will invest around 400 billion rubles ($13 billion) into the development of shipping in the country.

The Manvers company has appointed Ian Bennett as a new regional sales manager who will aim to develop a much closer working relationship with customers across Russia and Eastern Europe.

A Russian speaker, Ian has worked for 17 years in retail management followed by 11 years in oil & gas sales. The latter role included three years living and working in Moscow selling to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

A spokesperson at Martek Marine said: "Ian is a fluent Russian speaker having studied Russian at university where he was treasurer and later president of the Russian Society. This ability to speak to our Russian customers in their own language will enable Martek to provide a better level of engagement with customers in the region by removing any language barrier."

The Manvers company supplies ships around the world with marine defibrillators, their Navgard BNWAS system, the Bulksafe Water Ingress Detection System and the new Fastcalgas calibration gas supply service.

In addition to providing a Russian speaking sales representative, Martek has also ensured that the Navgard system has received approval from the Russian Register, the society that maintains the quality management system for safety and environmental protection to the industry.

A BNWAS (bridge watch and alarm system) is designed to monitor bridge activity and detect any operator disability that could lead to shipping accidents. The system monitors the awareness of the Officer of the Watch (OOW) and automatically alerts other staff if for any reason, the OOW becomes incapable of performing duties through an accident, sickness or even a security breach such as piracy or hijacking.

The firm also reported over $2m of enquiries for products at a recent exhibition for the Greek shipping industry.

Martek Marine

Images: martek-marine.com