Eighteen months since the launch of its Africa consolidation services, Afristar Freight Services has seen rapid growth in its roadfreight consolidations – in particular to Harare, Lusaka, Gaborone, Lilongwe and Blantyre. “Our direct service to Harare averages 5-7 days,” says managing director Michael Ryan. “We have also seen an increase in nomination cargo from our destination agents in these African countries as many importers are looking for a through bill of lading service from country of origin to final destination,” he said. According to Ryan, the main volume of cargo is generated via the company’s direct LCL services from Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Besides its road service, Afristar’s seafreight services are particularly strong on the West Africa route, with Lagos and Tema the main discharge ports. But growth and expansion are on the cards. “Our development routes include the destination ports of Luanda, Maputo, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa and Kampala – as well as the Indian Ocean Islands of Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles which are served via our Port Louis hub in Mauritius,” he told FTW. While Afristar is a relatively new brand in the South African market, the management team’s combined experience spans 126 years in the LCL consolidation business. Ryan has himself notched up 22 years of industry experience. And this, he says, is a major benefit in navigating the many challenges facing groupage operators – like the co-ordination of relevant customs documentation in the country of destination. “We have seen a significant improvement in the speed of transit across borders. Barring random customs stops for cargo inspection, we do not experience delays in general,” he told FTW. All transport is outsourced – but Afristar has its own road bond and offers an in-house RIT/RIB documentation service. “On the back of our ever increasing global network and reliable service from our destination agents in Africa, we are confident of further growth as our brand awareness grows.” INSERT & CAPTION Afristar’s management team from left: Michael Eagar, Seema Ryan, Michael Ryan and Kevin Deeb.
