WorldWide Drilling Resource

by Tim Rasmussen The truck donated by Wes Loomis of Loomis Truck and Tractor was finally ready. The frame and bed had been lengthened, rear axle moved back, the hoist was rebuilt and mounted, and a large generator was strapped to the bed along with some tanks and other items. All was ready. Now to get it to Guatemala. We usually ship trucks from Florida or Texas, and we have driven them down across Mexico, but it is a long drive. Gary checked with our shipping agent and learned the port of Seattle would only handle containers, and this had to be shipped “breakbulk cargo.” This is cargo or goods which must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Gary began to contact people who might have some ideas on how to do it. Finally, Gary was referred to an agent who had a connection to ship out of Tacoma, Washington, and eventually he was in contact with Bryan O’Dell of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean. They are a Norwegian/Swedish shipping company specializing in shipping cars, trucks, and heavy equipment worldwide. They have large roll-on roll-off (RoRo in ship-speak) vessels. As it turned out (as it often does when the Good Lord is the shipping agent), Mr. O’Dell had been to Guatemala many times and was very interested in what Water For Life (WFL) is doing there. He worked with his manager, the Pricing Team and Operations and was able to elevate the request so as to get WFL a free ride on one of their vessels. The only charge from them would be the charges of the “3rd party carrier” from Panama to Guatemala. The loading of the truck in Tacoma and ship- ping to their hub in Panama was 100% free of charge. What a blessing for Water For Life and our donated truck. Gary’s nephew Don drove the truck on the shakedown run from Spokane to Graham, Washington, which is near Tacoma. They took it to Jon Hansen who is a co- owner of Tacoma Pump and Drilling, and a WFL volunteer. The truck made it into their yard with no issues. This is a good truck! Meanwhile, Gary and I worked on getting the paperwork together for the shipment. There was some issue with getting the title released and properly in the name of Water For Life. Wes Loomis took care of that. Gary had to sign a power of attorney for the shipping company. I made up a document on WFL letterhead to certify Gary was its vice president. Everything had to be notarized and looking as official as possible. We have learned that the more notarizations and seals and ribbons attached to a document, the less trouble the Guatemalan officials seem to have with them. I guess if it looks right, it is right. As of this writing, the truck will be loaded onto the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean vessel Oberon and must be in-gated to the port on January 14. The Oberon will leave the port of Tacoma on January 18. I trust the truck will make the port, make the ship, get through customs, and into our hands so it can start its second life in the highland jungles of Guatemala, bringing life and health to the folks there. Thank you for all the good folks who made this possible. If you would like to be part of something good, part of something that changes lives, part of something bigger than yourself, come and join us. If you can’t come, donate so someone who can come, will. If you would like to help, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim Tim Rasmussen may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR 8 MAY 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® July Issue Deadlines! Space Reservation: May 25 th Display & Classified Ad Copy: June 1 st