February -13-Global forwarding company GAC Group has made strategic organisational changes to its Russian operations to improve the services it offers to the country's fast growing offshore sector.

GAC Shipping & Logistics, with its head office in Moscow, has been established to consolidate the company's existing facilities in Novorossiysk and St Petersburg and will add a third branch office at the new port of Taman on the Black Sea where the company will specialise in providing shipping services at liquid and dry bulk terminals.

Arkady Podkopaev, general manager of GAC Shipping & Logistics, says: "By restructuring, GAC is able to focus on its core services and customers and makes us better positioned and equipped to explore new markets such as marine services for the fast growing offshore industry in Russian territorial waters."

GAC's project logistics business in Russia has been growing steadily over the last two years and handles heavy and out-of-size cargoes going through the ports of Novorossiysk, St Petersburg as well as other major transport nodal points in Russia and FSU countries.

One of the most prominent examples of the project cargo moved by GAC is the 280 tonne gas deflector which was manufactured in Russia and shipped out of St Petersburg to Long Beach, USA, for the floating space rocket launch pad Sea Launch.