Africa must create short-sea shipping system - Morwe

Southern Africa must develop a short sea shipping system and break its dependence on vessel liners from the East and West to service its regional hubs, according to Tau Morwe, former CEO of Transnet National Ports Authority. “There is a need for hubbing in the area because it does not make sense for all ports to be doing the same thing,” he said. “Due to the lack of coordination and integration, and ports not realising that they are not equal to each other, costs have escalated and time is wasted at ports. This situation has been further exacerbated by the fact that we don’t have a short sea shipping system.” He said countries in the region were therefore dependent on mainstream liners to pick up cargo from the various ports and move them to the hubs. “So in Africa the determination of which ship picks up what cargo is not made in the region but in Europe or the East or in the Americas. African countries have been developing policies and strategies to effectively change its maritime sector but it is near impossible because of the reality of what is happening on the ground. The decisions are not made in Africa,” he said. “We have to develop strategies together and work as a region to create those short sea shipping routes to take control of the movement of our own cargo.” INSERT & CAPTION In Africa the determination of which ship picks up what cargo is made in Europe or the East or in the Americas. – Tau Morwe