Bulk commodity volumes on the rise

CargoBase has seen a steady
rise in demand for the
handling of bulk commodities
for export in recent months –
pointing to possible signs of
recovery after the downturn
in commodity markets during
2015.
General manager James West
said a number of commodity
handling businesses had felt
the effects of the slump but
that the first five months of
2016 had seen elevated volumes
and higher demand for export
services from shippers moving
bulk commodities – like
chrome, manganese and timber
– to China and India amongst
other destinations. And this is
CargoBase’s area of specialistion.
He added that Greystones, a
leading name in the industry
since 1968, had
recently gained
a partner
under the new
trading name
CargoBase.
“The timber
market dropped
significantly
towards the end
of 2015 and in
early 2016 but
together with
minerals seems to be back on
the up. Furthermore, what was
initially seen as a short-term
spike in volumes is now believed
by many of our customers to
be slightly more extended than
anticipated,” he said.
The
company’s
22 000-sqm
warehouse is
equipped to
handle both
loose bulk and
unitised cargo,
with 4000 sqm
of under-cover
warehousing.
A private
railway siding
is situated within the zone one
transport area from New Pier
and the Durban Container
Terminal.
The company specialises in
handling bulk and breakbulk
commodities, container packing
and storage and unitisation
and provides complete
documentation and tracking
management services for
imports and exports.
“In terms of container exports
our facility in Bayhead Road is
well positioned within the port
to handle large shipments at
competitive rates,” he said.
“The various parties involved
in CargoBase have many years
of experience which ensures that
the new entity is well geared to
handle large volumes through
the facility,” he said.
INSERT & CAPTION
What was initially seen as a
short-term spike in volumes
is now believed by many to
be slightly more extended.
– James West