Aquarius positioned for growth in Beira

CTW Aquarius International
has big plans for its operations
in the port of Beira.
Soon after opening offices in the
port city, it is in the process of
building a 10 000 sqm warehouse
in response to a call by the port
operator, Cornelder, for companies
to help clear congestion in the port
by providing alternative facilities.
Volumes are expected to grow
quickly now that the port has been
dredged, says Kyle Swart, manager
of Aquarius Shipping in Beira.
The company, which handles
Zimbabwean tobacco through
warehouses in Gauteng, is
managing exports of tobacco grown
in Malawi and the Mozambican
Tete province through Beira.
The Beira office has also started
handling Zambian copper and
cobalt, and Swart is confident that
these volumes will also grow.
“Cargo owners and shippers are
starting to trust Beira.” For copper
and other high-value cargoes, Beira
is seen as a safe alternative with
good road links and an improving
rail system.
“Copper exporters are very
happy with Beira. It has a lot of
potential,” he says.
Swart moved to Beira in May
this year after it was decided to
upgrade from a 10-year-old agency
agreement to full offices.
Having offices allows CWT
Aquarius to offer ships agency
services to vessels calling on
the new coal terminal, which is
currently under construction.
In 2010, CWT Commodities
purchased 60% of Aquarius
Shipping in what the company
called “a strategic move to
strengthen its commodity logistics
capabilities and business network in
the Africa region”.
CWT Aquarius has offices in
Johannesburg, Lilongwe, Harare,
Lusaka, Beira, Tete, Durban,
London and Antwerp.
“We are certainly entering
interesting times. CWT is one of
the biggest logistics companies in
Asia and Europe, and they have the
resources and network available to
support the growth of Beira,” says
Swart.
And, for those who know him,
he is not missing the bright lights of
Gauteng.
He is using the little spare
time available to complete his
B.Com Logistics.