As part of a major upscaling of their local cargo services TransAM has appointed Michelle Brunt as their new NPDL Senior Sales Manager, covering American Samoa and Samoa. These initiatives include a substantial increase in the line’s general and refrigerated cargo capacity in the California-South Pacific Islands trade, and this service will be Michelle’s main focus.

Born and raised in Apia, Ms Brunt is making an enthusiastic return to the 2Samoas after successful assignments in Fiji and New Zealand.

 “In terms of customer service in the container cargo space, she’s ace,” said line president Greg Wilson. “People of Michelle’s calibre are always in demand, and we could have deployed her elsewhere. But these markets are key for NPDL, and when TransAM started bidding for her services, we were only too happy.”

Michelle’s shipping experience goes back 28 years, the last 20 of them with NPDL and its corporate forebears. And she has fulfilled many roles in the course of her career. “Documentations, operations, administration, sales – I’ve done it all,” Michelle says.

She is now looking forward to catching up with everyone she has worked with before, and to making new friends in the industry. “This is home for me,” she says, “and the shipping scene here is family.”

A long time ago, Michelle was advised that she should, ‘First, identify your passion, then be the best at that.’ So, she took that advice. “There is a romance about ships and shipping, and I fell in love from the start.” And she has never looked back.

BACKGROUND

Michelle Lauiula Brunt was born and raised in Apia, Samoa. Her shipping career began at age 19, providing her with 28 years of industry experience.

Previously, Michelle worked for Pacific Direct Line (PDL), now known as NPDL for 20 years. During this time, Michelle served in a variety of roles from documentations and operations to administration and sales, which included traveling to several Pacific Islands, and even relocating to Samoa and Fiji.

NPDL and TransAM

Established in 1997 and represented in Apia and Pago by TransAM, NPDL (Neptune Pacific Direct Line) provides frequent, regular sailings from the US West Coast (via Oakland and Long Beach) together with a full suite of relay services to transshipment destinations.

NPDL prides itself on its customer service commitment and operational reliability. TransAM represents NPDL and extends the company’s logistics services by offering its own range of specialized supply chain management capabilities.